For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” …But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him?
Romans 10:13-14
A few months ago, we introduced you to the #BibleForEveryone challenge,1 inviting you to join us in the historical move of God already underway: helping visionary ministries get God’s Word translated for the billion-plus people who still don’t have it. English speakers can select from 50 different versions in the Bible App, but did you know…?
Thousands of the world’s active languages still don’t even have a complete New Testament.
Some languages have portions of Scripture, maybe a chapter or two of the Bible, but many still have no Scripture at all. Translating the Bible into a new language used to require decades. But today, by collaborating on new processes, innovating with new technologies, and sharing resources, visionary Bible translation organizations have drastically reduced that cycle — in many cases to just a few years.
Now, the world is about to change.
Last year, Bible translators from around the globe set the shared goal of translating at least the New Testament for 99.9% of the world’s population by the year 2033. Just think about what that means. Consider one of the last things Jesus said to his disciples after his resurrection, just before he ascended into heaven:
“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.…”
Mark 16:15
Don’t miss out.
If Bible translators reach their goal, not only will that command be possible, but it will be fulfilled within our lifetimes. What will happen when every person on earth has the same opportunity to experience the life-changing power of God’s Word that we already enjoy? Become a part of the Bible history taking place right now, and let’s find out!
We’re in.
At YouVersion, we believe that with your help, we can see Bible translation accelerated even further. We’re already working closely with Bible translation partners to identify high-impact projects that translators could complete quickly with just a little more funding. Life.Church is in, too: committing to match up to $1 million of all contributions the worldwide YouVersion community makes toward Bible translation over the next four years.2
Are you in?
Thanks to the generosity of those who supported our first project, very soon, almost 75,000 people in Zambia will be enjoying the book of Acts in their native language…for the first time ever. Today, we’re announcing our next project:
Help the Kinga people of Tanzania complete their New Testament by the end of 2017.
About 140,000 Kinga people live in Tanzania. The Kinga are primarily subsistence farmers, growing potatoes, wheat, peas and maize. Many Kinga identify as Christian, and they enjoy reading and listening to Scripture in church and hearing it read on the radio. Unfortunately, although a Kinga translation of the New Testament was first printed in 1961, that version is no longer available. In addition, the Kinga language has changed so much since that publication that most Kinga people today would struggle to read it.
They’ve already started.
The Kinga are working now with Bible translation ministries to create their own complete, easy-to-read New Testament, expected to be ready before the end of this year. This modern version will be stored online, so it will always be available, now and to future generations, in smartphone, web, and print formats. You can help them finish:
Let’s wipe out Bible poverty together.
In the coming months, we’ll continue sharing with you about the other projects for which we’ll be matching funds, and we’ll update you on each project’s progress. Get in now on this worldwide move of God. Pray and ask Him to continue accelerating the work of translating His Word into every language. Ask Him to prepare the hearts of those who will be hearing about Him for the first time. And give.
Then one day, you’ll have the great joy of standing before God’s throne and seeing some of the very people that your gift helped bring there:
After this I looked, and there in front of me was a multitude that no one could count, people from every tribe and every nation.
Revelation 7:9a
Notes
1 Refer to original blog post: “History is being made, right now. Be a part of it.”
2 All contributions received through the #BibleForEveryone campaign will be used exclusively for the purpose of Bible translation. Life.Church is contributing $1 million over the next four years. During calendar year 2017, Life.Church is contributing $250,000, spread across four different, high-impact translation projects. As each project is completed, any remaining funds are then applied toward the next translation project, as selected by YouVersion and its partners. (See original blog post for full details.)
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