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!

Howdy! I'm home for Thanksgiving break. I won't be doing much with my blog now, because I'm unable to access it at school anymore. That would explain the lack of anything. :D

Three more days of class, five days of finals, and my third semester will be over. Praise the Lord. This is the final stretch to pull out all the stops and work to finish well. Thanks for all ya'll's prayers and support.

Have a great day!

Back to the Books

Sorry it's been so long. :D

I'm back at school now. My class schedule is as follows:

M,W,F - 8:45-9:35 Fundamentals of Speech I
9:40-10:30 Philosophy of Education
10:35-11:25 General Psychology
11:30-12:30 Chapel
1:05-1:55 Teaching Math

Tuesday - 7:50-9:35 Intro to Missions
9:40-11:25 Teaching English as a Second/Foriegn Language
11:30-12:30 Chapel

Thursday - 9:40-11:25 Evangelizing Youth

I have to admit, I'm not as thrilled about all my classes as I was last year. I enjoy most of them. :D I think Speech is my favorite. I'm giving my first speech on Monday. The purpose is "to inform my audience of the need for Bible translation." I'll post it as soon as I finish my last changes.

Well, I need to accomplish a few things before dinner. I hope ya'll have a super day! God is faithful!

Heading Out!

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. There has been a lot going on this summer!

I got home before BBTI ended, so I was here for graduation. That was a blessing! I was able to go to camp with my church, and I also had the opportunity to attend SMITE Camp. I learned much about ministering to children in that full week!

I worked at a stable part of the summer. My formal title was "assistant to the executive director of equestrian sanitation control." I'll leave it to your imagination to figure out what I did. :D It was a good chance to learn and work and earn some extra money.

That extra money finished paying for my missions trip to Costa Rica! I'm leaving a week from today, and I'll be gone until August 25. Please pray for open doors of ministry, for God to prepare both our hearts and the hearts of those we will see, and that we can be a blessing to our host family, the Brileys. I am going with a family from Gospel Light and the wife of a Champion teacher. Lord willing, I'll be able to do a few chalk drawings while I'm there! Please pray that those will go well also.

Well, I will do my best to keep a good journal in Costa Rica, and I should have some interesting stories when I come back. :D

Thanks for praying!

Have a great day!

Another Proverbs Paper

“Lessons from the Chicken Yard”


When my family moved to Texas, my brother and I thought it would be good experiment to raise chickens and sell eggs. Living in the country gave us that opportunity, and we gladly took it! As I began to write about financial principles today, I thought back to our experiences with our flock and realized we practiced many of God’s principles.
First and foremost, we exalted wisdom above our financial endeavors. As much as we enjoyed working in our chicken yard, our first priorities were church, family, and school. God’s Word stayed at the top of our list of values. If we had ignored God we could have spent more time working, but our work would not have prospered without God’s blessing.
We were also careful to take care of what we had. We began our flock with three hens and two roosters, and were diligent to care for them. We worked hard building and maintaining the pens and yard, and we read books about raising chickens. God blessed, and by the time we moved and had to sell everything we had eleven pullets, ten game hens, three roosters, seven laying hens, three geese, numerous feeders, waterers, and pens, and a tri-level brooder with capacity to raise one hundred fifty chicks at a time. Although we had to sell everything before we saw major returns, we got to see this principle clearly. Caleb and I diligently took care of what we had, and God continually blessed us with more.
Another lesson we learned is that financial prosperity follows commitment to hard work. It took us many hours to dig post holes, hang fences, cut wood, and build pens and houses. Caleb and I were committed to the project we started, and we were dedicated to work hard to see it prosper.
We also learned to be disciplined in our sleep habits. We rose early every morning to clean the hen house, feeders, and waterers, and to provide fresh food and water for our flock. If we had chosen to sleep in, our chickens’ living conditions would have decreased and the eggs would not have been as good. It is crucial to be disciplined in your sleep habits if you wish to prosper.
Caleb and I were also very cautious about how we spent our money. We made many phone calls, checking prices to find the best deals. If you do not shop wisely, you will waste money because you will not find the lowest prices!
We also were careful to never take advantage of our parents. They were supportive of our work, but we did not ask them for money to purchase buildings or birds. If we had asked, I am sure they would have helped as they could. However, by not depending on them, we learned to work harder and be more careful with our purchases.
I believe that the most important financial principle I learned through our chicken ventures was this: “Seek enjoyment and fulfillment in relationships and not in possessions.” (Dr. Mitchell) The greatest blessing of our investments was the time we spent together. Those hours we spent working made our relationship much stronger. If we had been more concerned with our investments than our relationship, it would have been easy to argue over numberless little things. Instead, we loved each other, worked together, and saw God bless us.
Whatever level of prosperity you attain, remember to put God first, take care of what you have, work hard, and keep your relationships in their proper place. If you live by God’s financial principles, He will bless you beyond what you can imagine!

“GOD’S KEYS IN MAN’S CULTURES”

The Santal story rocked the foundations of accepted missions methodology in churches across Europe. In 1867, missionary Lars Skresfrud was baptizing Santal Christians every day, and thousands more were begging for the Gospel! How could these people, who had been steeped in spiritism for centuries, so readily understand and accept the Gospel?

As Skresfrud began learning the Santal language and culture, he heard mention of a Deity they called Thakur Jiu, a Name meaning “the Genuine God.” Curious, Skresfrud inquired of a Santal prophet Who Thakur Jiu was. The missionary was astonished when he learned the story behind the Name. According to the legend, the Santal’s forefathers had known and worshiped Thakur Jiu, but they had abandoned Him to worship “the spirits of the great mountains.” Therefore, Thakur Jiu abandoned them to serve the gods they had chosen.

That legend, passed down from generation to generation, kept hope alive in the hearts of the people that someday Thakur Jiu would reveal Himself to them again. Therefore, when Skresfrud preached of the One True God of the Old Testament, he was not introducing a new, foreign religion. Rather, he was fulfilling a centuries-old legend that God had placed in the Santal culture.

The legend of Thakur Jiu is what is called a redemptive analogy. George Anderson defines a redemptive analogy as: “[An] aspect or area existing in every culture studied so far, which foreshadows redemption … a vehicle of communication built into that society to make the relevance of the Gospel clear to that particular people.” God has placed in every culture around the world keys that will unlock doors of understanding. It is our responsibility to contextualize the Gospel to fit with these keys. If Christians understood the extent of God’s workings in the cultures of men, and the effects of contextualizing the Gospel, they would be motivated to move beyond their comfort zone and reach the world.

Contextualization refers to the process of effectively relating the Gospel to people of another culture by placing the Gospel in context with their culture. To do so, the missionary must learn the language and culture of the people he intends to reach. He must be aware that such keys exist, and he must be open to use what God has prepared for him.

Sometimes these redemptive analogies appear as legends passed down from generation to generation. Such was the case for the Gedeo of Ethiopia. The Gedeo worshiped in fear a deity they called Sheit’an, but they also believed in a benevolent but distant God they called Magano. They explained, “We sacrifice to Sheit’an, not because we love him, but because we do not enjoy close enough ties with Magano to be done with Sheit’an!”

In 1940, a man named Warrasa grew weary of living in bondage and besought Magano to show Himself to the Gedeo people. That day, Warrasa saw a vision of two white men building houses with shiny roofs under a sycamore tree near Warrasa’s home. The vision also showed Warrasa identifying himself with these strangers. Warrasa and other Gedeo seers began prophesying that soon Magano would send messengers to teach them how to worship Him.

Eight years later, Albert Brant and Glen Cain arrived in Dilla, Warrasa’s hometown, seeking to establish a mission station there. They wanted to build their homes in a shady place, and they found the perfect location under a nearby sycamore tree. As the missionaries preached the Gospel, thousands of Gedeo believed. After all, this was not a new, foreign religion. This was the satisfaction of a centuries-old legend and the fulfillment of a specific vision. In just forty years, there were over four thousand believers in two hundred churches across Gedeo territory.

The Karen of Burma were another people who had a God-given legend. For centuries, they worshiped demons. They lived in complete darkness, except for one ray of hope kept alive by a handful of prophets. That hope was that someday they would be freed from their bondage to the demons and would be able to worship Y’wa, the One True God.

The Karen believed that their ancestor was a brother to the Europeans’ ancestor, and that both had been given a copy of Y’wa’s Book. The Karen brother lost his Book, but the European brother kept his. The legend continued that someday a “white foreigner” would come from the West on “white wings [sails],” and he would restore Y’wa’s Book to the Karen.

George and Sarah Boardman labored for several years in Rangoon, Burma, without seeing many converts. They had a houseboy named Ko-Thah-Byu, who happened to be a Karen. Ko-Thay-Byu got saved, and then he realized that Boardman was the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy! The two went to a nearby Karen village in Tavoy, and hundreds of tribesmen flocked to meet the “white foreigner” and hear his message.

Boardman and Ko-Thah-Byu spent hours reading and preaching the Book, for the Karen had hungered after it for centuries. From that one village, the message spread faster than the preachers could travel. They often arrived at villages where a group of Karen had already believed and was ready for someone to come baptize them! By 1858, tens of thousands of Karen had been saved, hundreds of churches had been formed, and Karen missionaries were being sent out to other tribes of Burma. The legend of Y’wa’s Book was the key God placed in the Karen culture.

In other cases, God places within a culture a custom that pictures salvation. For the Sawi people of Irian Jaya, this custom was that of the tarop tim. Don Richardson took his wife and baby to the Sawi village of Haenam in July 1962. After spending weeks in language study, Richardson began teaching the Sawi men about God: Who He is, what He can do, and His purpose for creating mankind. While Richardson explained Christ’s ministry, the Sawi seemed uninterested, until he told of Judas’ betrayal. Then, they whistled, chuckled, and tapped their chests in awe and admiration as they heard how a close companion of Jesus had betrayed Him.

In Sawi culture, betrayal and treachery were idealized as great virtues. The ultimate betrayal they called tuwi asonai man, which means “to fatten up with friendship for an unexpected slaughter.” The Sawi idolized Judas for pulling off the ultimate tuwi asonai man. They saw Jesus as simply “the object of Judas’ treachery.” How could these cannibals ever understand salvation?

During the time period when Richardson was teaching, the villages of Haenam and Kamur had been at war. However, they decided to make peace after Richardson announced his intentions of moving upriver. The morning the villages were to “sprinkle cool water [make peace],” they met together, with much emotion, music, and drama. A father from each village brought his infant son to the center of the activity.

As Don Richardson watched in amazement, each baby was given his father’s name, and the fathers exchanged their sons. Each man then took his newly adopted son back to his own village, crying out, “Those who accept this child as a basis for peace, come and lay hands on him!” Each villager filed by, and by placing their hands on the adopted baby, promised to keep peace with the enemy village as long as the peace child lived.

Don Richardson had just witnessed a ritual as ancient as the Sawi themselves: the making of peace through a tarop tim, a “peace child.” The belief was this: “If a man would actually give his own son to his enemies, that man could be trusted!” This was the key Richardson had been searching for!

Richardson preached that Christ was the Peace Child God gave to us when we were at war with Him. Also, since the peace only lasted as long as the peace child was alive, the villages would eventually be freed from their treaty and begin fighting again. The Sawi began to understand that the best they could offer was not good enough to make peace forever.

The peace child was the key that was needed to open the door of understanding for the Sawi. As the Gospel spread, hundreds of tribesmen were saved, laid aside pagan practices, and made peace with warring villages. God’s Peace Child reconciled the Sawi to Himself.

To see another example, consider the Asmat people. These were cannibalistic headhunters, living deep in the swamps of southern New Guinea. One would think that such “backwards heathen” would need years of teaching before they could understand a spiritual concept such as the second birth. Would they? Perhaps they would not.

The Asmat, like the Sawi, had a strange custom of making peace. The two warring villages would meet together, and men from both villages would stretch out side by side, face down on the ground. Each wife would stand over her husband, placing one foot under his chest and another under his hip, making a long tunnel between the legs of the women and over the backs of the men. Then, children from both villages would crawl through this tunnel.

As each child came out of the tunnel, he was picked up, bathed, cuddled, and rocked like a baby. Here was the key: to the Asmat, that tunnel pictured a birth canal. Children who crawled through were “reborn” into the enemy village, thus making them part of a new family, reconciling the two warring factions.

An Asmat headhunter could understand better than the sophisticated Jewish teacher Nicodemus that peace and reconciliation only come through a second birth! A missionary could approach the Asmat with the mindset that he was the intelligent American coming to instruct the ignorant savage, and he would totally miss this key. Or, a missionary could be open minded, looking for ways to contextualize the Gospel, and he would see and use the redemptive analogy God prepared for him.

How important is it for a missionary to find and use these keys? What difference does it make if the Gospel is not contextualized? For the Indians on the Mavaca River in Venezuela, the difference was eternity in Hell. For missionary Stanley Dale, the difference may have been a premature death.

The Indians of the Mavaca River in Venezuela had lived in darkness for so many years; surely they would be happy to turn to freedom in Christ! However, when the missionaries came, they ignored many aspects of Indian culture. The square church building may have looked nice on a prayer letter, but the people who were supposed to fill it knew that round was the only proper shape for a building. A square building was weird and unacceptable.

The few natives who did receive Christ were soon rejected by their families, not because of Christ, but because of the white man’s strange customs. Every national Christian learned how to sing Western hymns and wear Western clothes. To become a Christian meant to adopt a new culture. That is not what our Savior had in mind when He commanded us to preach to every creature!

Thousands of miles from Venezuela, on the opposite side of the world, missionary Stanley Dale began his ministry in 1961. God had given Dale a heart for the Yali people of Irian Jaya. Sadly, after seven short years, Dale and a fellow missionary were killed by hostile natives.

Dale’s methods of evangelism were quite confrontational and often culturally unacceptable to the Yali. God did use him to prepare a way for later missionaries, and he did see some souls saved during his ministry. However, the greatest harvest among the Yali came after the discovery of the osuwa key.

The Yali belief system involved osuwas, places to which warriors could run in battle. The osuwa was a place of refuge. Any man inside was safe from attack. What a difference it made for the Yali to see Christ as their ultimate Osuwa, where they could find refuge for their eternal souls! If Stanley Dale had found and used the osuwa key, would his life have been taken, or would his killers have been saved before 1968? Only God knows.

God has gone to great lengths to see that every people group has a key that will unlock their door of understanding. Considering the work He has done in preparing people to be saved, what is the responsibility of Christians to those people and to the Lord? First and foremost, all Christians must be obedient to His command to go. Oswald J. Smith expressed the idea that some Christians are willing to go and ready to stay, but we ought to be ready to go and willing to stay.

Once a missionary actually reaches the field, he must work hard to learn the culture along with the language of the people he wants to reach. To be able to contextualize the Gospel, he must be able to think outside his own culture. The missionary must understand not only what the people do, but also why they do it. He cannot find the key in their culture unless he knows their culture.

The evangelism of the world is not an impossible task. God has prepared the way, and it is the responsibility of those who know Him to make Him known. Smith stated: “Christ alone can save the world, but Christ cannot save the world alone.”

“I have seen the vision and for self I cannot live.
Life is less than worthless unless my all I give!”

Wise Tongue or Foolish Tongue

The foundation of godly speech is wisdom. James 3:13 says that a man who has God’s wisdom and knowledge demonstrates “a good conversation.” The contrast to this is found in the very next verse. A heart that is bitter and filled with worldly wisdom will be revealed by proud, contentious words. James 3:17 lists some specific characteristics of a wise tongue.

The words of the wise are pure, peaceable, and gentle. Do I delight in keeping my heart pure, so that my thoughts and words will be pure also? Do I ignore or enjoy off-color jokes? The problem of impure words reveals the problem of an impure heart. Do I work hard to keep peace in my dorm room, or do I make those little comments that irritate my roommates? My conversation will reveal whether or not my heart is at peace with God. Am I gentle? Do I demonstrate sensitivity and discretion, or am I thoughtless in my remarks?

“Easy to be entreated” is the next wise characteristic we see. Do people find it easy to ask me for help, or are they hesitant because they know I might grumble at them? Do my authorities find it easy to inform me of my weaknesses, or do they dread talking to me because they know I will be disrespectful? A wise man is humble and thankful in accepting reproof. A foolish man spouts sarcasm, indifference, and scorn for those who try to help him.

A wise man’s speech is “full of mercy and good fruits.” Am I the “angry countenance” or the “backbiting tongue” of Proverbs 25:23? Do I strive to think and say the best I can about every person and situation in my life? Do my words show the fruit of the Spirit or the works of the flesh?

A wise tongue is sincere and shows no partiality. Do I speak lovingly to some people and rudely to others? A foolish man speaks thoughtlessly, and often leads others to believe falsehoods. A wise man is cautious to say and imply only what is true.

Ultimately, what we say reveals the condition of our hearts. If my heart is foolish, my words will be also; if my heart is seeking God’s wisdom, my conversation will be a blessing to those around me. Proverbs 18:21 states, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” How we use the power of our words is our choice. Will you choose death, or will you choose life?