4 Ways to Get Involved in Bible Translation and Help Change the World
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Our lives are busy.
Between work, family life, hobbies and daily activities, our schedules can often feel overwhelming and exhausting. But despite our busyness, there’s still an innate desire within us all to make a difference in the world. We want our lives to matter and be significant. As believers, we have the opportunity to point people to Christ — the source of our significance.
Our faith is an integral part of who we are as Christians, but James 2:14 is quick to remind us of the importance of living out our faith in Christ by how we act on earth: “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?” (NLT)
Even with limited time, you can meaningfully engage with what God is doing and make a difference in the lives of people — now and for generations to come! Here are four easy ways for you to do just that!
Weave Prayer Into Your Daily Schedule
No matter what your day‑to‑day looks like, you can still make an impact with the time you do have by praying for people throughout the day. Prayer can fit seamlessly into your daily routine — your 9‑to‑5 life. “The 9-to-5 Guide to Praying Around the World” details exactly how you can do that.
Whether you’re brushing your teeth, filling up your water bottle, making dinner or commuting to and from work, your quick prayers for people who are waiting for Scripture can make a huge difference! This fun guide gives you ideas of different ways to pray for Scripture needs, language communities and specific areas of the world throughout your day. Bookmark it for whenever you need some variety in your prayer routine!
How do you lift up strangers halfway around the world when you don’t know their struggles or what they need?
When in doubt, we have a recommendation: Pray Scripture back to God. When we use God’s own words by praying Scripture, we’re aligning ourselves with His heart and praying according to His will. What better way is there to give our prayer lives new meaning?
Support Bible Translation Through Giving
James 1:17 reminds us that generosity is part of God’s character: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (NIV). As we grow in our relationship with God, we become more like Him in everything we do — including giving our time, talents and resources to further His Kingdom here on earth.
One easy way is by using your birthday to encourage others to give to a cause you’re passionate about. Around the world today, God is raising up local churches and communities to make the Bible available to all people. What area of the world are you passionate about? Search for a translation project happening in that region and share it on social media with your family and friends, encouraging them to donate in lieu of a birthday gift.
Even if God hasn’t called you to serve in missions work directly, you can still support the people He has called by partnering with a missionary or missionary family. It’s easy to do: Just search for a missionary and visit their page to learn more about where they’re serving, what role they play in Bible translation work and how you can support them financially. Some missionaries even have links to their personal websites or newsletters so you can keep up with their adventures!
Share About Bible Translation With the Next Generation
God is on the move around the world today through Bible translation work. But He’s not just transforming lives today — the work He is doing is changing lives for years and entire generations to come.
Psalm 78:4 is a reminder of the power in creating an eternal legacy by telling the story of God’s goodness and faithfulness to the next generation:
One of the easiest ways to get younger generations involved in this Kingdom work is by introducing them to Kate and Mack. Kate, a missionary kid, and her faithful parrot friend, Mack, are on an adventure to meet friends all over the world. Through books, downloadable activities, crafts and devotionals, families will learn about God’s great love for all people together and discover why everyone needs a Bible they can understand.
If you’re looking for even more creative ideas for ways you can get younger generations to participate in God’s global mission, check out our blog post, “5 Ways to Get Your Kids Involved in Bible Translation.” Even if you don’t have kids, you can still share these resources with the people in your life — including your church’s children’s ministry!
Use Your Social Media for Good
Whenever you open a social media app, you might feel an array of emotions ranging from apathy to enjoyment to sadness or even anger. Being so connected to events and news happening around the world can feel emotionally exhausting.
God is doing incredible things around the world, and you can discover stories of how He is transforming people’s hearts and minds through Scripture. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) to see how God is working in ways that we have never seen before in the history of the world! Whenever you see something that particularly moves you — whether it’s a video of a Scripture celebration, a heartfelt blog post or a powerful quote — be sure to share it so that your friends and followers can be inspired by God’s goodness too! (You can even visit our YouTube channel; subscribe to get notified about new videos you can share.)
But that doesn’t mean those actions are insignificant.
In fact, Revelation 7:9 paints a beautiful picture of what heaven will look like because of our faithfulness to God’s global mission: “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb” (NLT).
Someday people from every nation will worship God in their own language — and you can be part of making that a reality. What a privilege and honor it is!
Celebrate what God has done this year at our Scripture Celebration. You’ll get to rejoice with communities around the world who now have God’s Word in their language!