Iran (MNN) – Computer technology has changed the way we do many things, even Bible translation. And God is using that. Computer-backed translation work is empowering believers around the world to lead and complete the translation work happening in their own heart languages and in their own communities.
Church Centric Bible Translation
unfoldingWord is a catalyst for Church Centric Bible Translation (we’ve written more about that, here). The ministry trains local Christians how to use software tools to keep translation work theologically sound and locally relevant.
(Photo, courtesy of unfoldingWord)
This has exponentially increased the number of people who can contribute legitimate Bible translation work to the pot. Dane*of unfoldingWord says that when humans are given the tools and the knowledge to do something for themselves—and they succeed— they tend to value the work even more. It’s no different with Bible Translation.
“When a people group starts to translate the Bible for themselves, they get really excited about it. And so you have a little bitty house church, or you have a network of house churches and they get real excited about ‘wow, this is God’s word, we can actually do it ourselves, it’s in our language.’ So they own it, it’s not something that’s been brought in from the outside. And they just spontaneously share it with their friends.”
Gospel moving in Iran
Not long ago, Dane interviewed an Iranian Christian woman, Grace*. This woman started her translation work in unfoldingWord’s Open Bible Stories (see here).
Photo courtesy of Mohsina881018 via Wikimedia Commons.
“She got so excited when she heard the name Jesus. She said ‘Joy came in my heart the first time I heard Jesus.’ Islam had never done that for her. And so, she became a Christian a little over a year ago. And in that time, she’s gone out twice a day and shares the Gospel with her Iranian friends and family members. She’s shared the Gospel with over 600 people, and she’s led over 80 of them to Christ.
“And that is the power of Church-centric Bible translation. When they’re translating it for themselves, and they’re hearing God speak their language for the very first time, they get so fired up they can’t help but share it. And the people around them see the change, and they want to know more.”
In countries like Iran, Christians risk their lives every time they talk about their faith. The fact that they still do is an amazing testimony to the hope and new life they’ve found in Jesus. And, they are confident that God will make a difference through them.
Partner in prayer
There are many ways you can support this amazing work happening all over the globe. To begin with, you can pray. unfoldingWord updates their prayer requests, here, weekly. You can also sign up for their monthly prayer calendar, here.
If you want to learn more about their work, head to their website here for some helpful publications.
*Name withheld for security reasons
Header Photo by Iman Soleimany via Unsplash.
