"For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
One of the greatest gifts that we can give to people is the Word of God. An important part of our ministry is providing Bibles to people in their heart language.
We recently had a report from a student to whom we had given a Bible in his language. Azer* has excellent English skills, and is very engaged at Bible studies. He is a sharp young man, and it is clear that he has an intellectual understanding of the things that he is hearing and reading. Something seemed to be missing, though...
He was at our home for a Bible study, and we presented him with a gift of a Bible in his own language. I pray for him often, and I prayed that Azer would encounter the Living God through the Bible we had given him. The Bible is the Word of God, and is the story of God's love for humanity and of our redemption through our King, Jesus. It truly is living and powerful.
A few weeks later, Azer seemed to engage at a deeper level. He described how the Bible seemed to come alive to him in his own language. While he was able to understand the scriptures in English on an intellectual level, the Word engaged him on a heart level in his own language. The Word began to engage his spirit. This is why we refer to peoples' first language as their "heart language," and why it is so important to make the Bible available in people's heart language.
We are still praying for Azer. We are all lost, until the good news of the Gospel grows in our repentant hearts, and through faith, we are given access into the grace that is found in our King Jesus. We are praying that the seed of the Gospel grows and develops roots. Ultimately, it is not up to us. The Holy Spirit has the job of convicting the lost. We can stand in faith knowing that the Word of God is truly "living and active." It will not return void...
If you would like to partner with us, and help us to continue to provide the Word of God in people’s heart language, please visit our donation page:
*not his real name
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