Bible Translation Speech

I don't know how this will look in outline format, but this was my first speech for Fundamentals of Speech.

AN UNFINISHED TASK
What would life be like here at college if you were denied the use of your Bible? How sweet would your walk with God be? Where would you go to find encouragement when midterms come, or when a situation arises with your family or church back home? How effective of a soul winner would you be if you could not use your Bible? What kind of Christian would you be without a Bible?

Sadly, many Christians who love the Lord with all their heart go through life without God’s Word - not because they neglect it, not because they cannot afford to buy one, but because they do not speak English, and the Bible has never been translated into their language.

Out of 6,912 languages in the world today (not dialects, but distinct languages), the Bible is available in only 422. Praise God, there are works in progress in about 3500 other languages, but that still leaves almost 3,000 with nothing. Today, I would like to help you understand some reasons why Bible translation is important and the requirements for us to complete this unfinished task.

Transition: Maybe you’re thinking, “Why is Bible translation important? Should not missionaries just preach and win souls since Jesus is coming back soon?”

I. I believe that there are several reasons why Bible translation is important.

A. The first reason I think of is salvation for the lost.
1. The Bible says that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
2. The gospel found in God’s Word is “the power of God unto salvation…”

B. Another reason to consider is strength for the saved. My quiet time with God in His Word gives me the strength I need to live the Christian life.
C. Another reason to think of is shepherding for pastors. Can you imagine being a pastor, and trying to
1. Win souls,
2. Disciple converts, and
3. Train preachers without the Word of God? That seems impractical and even impossible! Yet in many places, missionaries have gone, souls have been won, churches have been established, and pastors ordained, but they must learn a trade language to study the Bible, and then do their best to explain it to their people.

D. To me, however, the most important reason is the powerful statement of God Himself in Psalm 138:2, “…thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” We all would agree that it is vital to take the Name of Jesus to the ends of the earth, for there is no other name whereby we can be saved. Yet, God said that His Word was to be exalted higher than His name. To give people the Name of God without giving them the Word of God is to partially fulfill God’s commission.

Transition: So, if we see that Bible translation is important, what is our responsibility? What can we do to meet this need? We’ve considered the reasons for Bible translation.

II. Now, I’d like you to think about the requirements of all believers – what do we need to do?

A. The first thing we must do is be informed. The Bible says our eye affects our heart. We will not have a burden for something we have never seen and know nothing about.

1. In many cases, regarding Bible translation, people’s apathy is a result of their ignorance - they do not care simply because they do not know.

2. However, for some people, their ignorance is a result of their apathy - they do not know because they do not care. After this speech, you will know a little bit about the need for Bible translation. You aren’t ignorant anymore. The question now will be, do you care? Do you care enough to take a little bit of time every week to research online and learn some specifics of this unfinished task of Bible translation?

B. I believe that once you become informed, you will have you a desire to become involved.

1. While all of us can’t go to the bush of Africa, we can all be involved. The first thing you can do is pray for laborers – Jesus gave us one specific prayer request: “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.” Pray that God will raise up an army of young people with a passion for Bible translation!

2. Another thing anyone can do is give financial support. Find a missionary who is translating God’s Word and get on board to help them!

3. I don’t want to minimize prayer, and I sure don’t want to minimize giving, but there is one more way to become involved. Many of us believe we need a special call to go to the mission field. However, God already gave all Christians a call to go into “all the world.” We should believe that we need a special call to stay. Ask God if He would have you go to a foreign field. Maybe He hasn’t put it on your heart because He knows you’re not willing. Maybe He is waiting on you to offer yourself, to become a completely yielded vessel, willing to go wherever He would lead and do whatever He would desire.

Conclusion: In closing, I’d like to remind you of a stat I mentioned earlier: 3,000 languages are without God’s Word. That may seem overwhelming, but remember, God would never give a command to great for us to fulfill. Bible translation is an unfinished task, but not an impossible one.

May this poem express the prayer of our hearts.

Facing a task unfinished that drives us to our knees,
A need that, undiminished, rebukes our slothful ease.
We who rejoice to know Thee renew before Thy throne
The solemn pledge we owe to Thee: to go, and make Thee known.

You know, we do owe it to our Lord to pledge our lives to make Him known. My hope is that your understanding of the reasons and requirements of Bible translation will drive you to your knees, asking God what part He would have you play in seeing His Word available for the entire world. Bible translation - our unfinished task.




I've done two more speeches since this one. The second was demonstrative - "How to Shine Shoes." The last one was persuasive - "Why it's better to own a horse than a dog." I had to argue against one of my best friends too. Oh well. I'll find out on Monday when I get back to school if I won or not (I think I might have).

I thought about posting some of the essays I've been writing for General Psychology, but decided to spare anyone who might happen upon this blog the sheer boredom. :D

Take luck!