Chad (MNN) — Fulfilling the Great Commission means taking the Gospel where it’s never been before and teaching those who believe how to follow Jesus.
unfoldingWord partner Jeremiah* says, “Our priorities concern those languages (language groups) that never heard the Gospel. Secondly, they never can have a Bible, whether Bible stories or Scriptures in their heart language.”
Working among “frontier” or unreached people groups presents its own set of challenges.
First, there’s a matter of religious resistance. In Chad, all of the people groups lacking Gospel access currently follow Islam, according to the Joshua Project. Learn more about church-centric Bible translation in Chad here.
(Graphic courtesy of unfoldingWord)
“They grew up generation after generation [without seeing] a Christian in their community,” Jeremiah says.
“They never had the Gospel, or they have had it with false narratives – that this book is not reliable, not correct, [or] this book has been manipulated.”
Secondly, recruitment is a challenge. It can be hard to find anyone willing to help with Bible translation. “These are people that never heard the Gospel, to talk less of people asking them to come and translate,” Jeremiah notes.
Security poses a third dilemma. “We are renting an office, and the office is not offering total security for Bible translators that are coming there, and most of the time, they are getting discouraged,” Jeremiah says.
“The Muslim people outside will ask them, ‘What are you doing here? This work you’re doing is not correct. According to Allah, it is forbidden to do [this] kind of work.’”
Believers need your help to overcome these obstacles and more. Connect with unfoldingWord to learn how you can get involved.
“God in His divine wisdom positioned the West in the strategic way that they will play a big role in [advancing] the kingdom of God,” Jeremiah says.
“We need their resources and prayers. As they’re praying for us, God will impact our regions and the world.”
*Pseudonym
Header image courtesy of unfoldingWord.
