Hearing the message of the gospel in your heart language is everything. We’re determined to proclaim that truth from the mountaintops. Another truth we’re happy to proclaim? The work of Bible translators is vital.
Bible translation is not an easy job. It is complex, collaborative, labor-intensive and sometimes dangerous. Translators often travel to difficult places where the gospel is restricted. They collaborate with native speakers in remote villages that sometimes have only a few thousand or even hundreds of speakers.
Translating the Bible into just one language takes the efforts of many people. They are often ordinary people with a passion to connect people with God’s Word.
At Jesus Film Project, Bible translations enable us to translate and record the JESUS film into thousands of languages. In fact, the script for the JESUS film is pulled directly from the Gospel of Luke. We rely on Bible translation partners for a Biblically accurate script––the foundation for all Jesus Film Project® films.
Bible Translation Day and Biblica
On September 30, we’re celebrating Bible Translation Day (also known as International Translation Day) to honor the amazing work of Bible translators, like our good friends at Wycliffe, an organization whose name you may have heard us mention in the past.
But have you heard of Biblica?
Biblica is a global Bible ministry that translates and freely releases the Bible into languages and communities where people desperately need the gospel. They have been helping people engage with God’s Word for more than 200 years!
By God’s grace, and thanks to our partnership with Biblica, we’ve been able to translate JESUS into languages that reach several people groups with the message of the gospel.
In honor of Bible Translation Day, we want to share a few stories with you. They are the stories of people whose lives were changed because they gained access to God’s love, and salvation through Jesus, in their language. Their names have been changed to protect their privacy.
We hope you’re inspired by what God is doing at Jesus Film Project through the work of Bible translation partners like Biblica. Stick around to the end of this blog post to learn how you can celebrate Bible Translation Day along with us!
Biblica translations used for JESUS in Africa
We received Yohannes’ story of life change from a partner in Africa. Because of Biblica’s Bible translation efforts, Jesus Film Project was able to dub the JESUS film into a critical language in a multi-lingual and multi-ethnic country in East Africa. When the film reached Yohannes in his village, his life was transformed.
Yohannes’ Story
In a village in East Africa, villagers practice traditional religions. One of these villagers, Yohannes, was known for regularly being drunk and persecuting Christians. Yohannes protested Christ and those sharing His message, often cruelly. His fellow villagers had watched him engage in this behavior for nearly 30 years.
One day, a team of visitors came to Yohannes’ village and shared the JESUS film in Yohannes’ heart language. Yohannes couldn’t look away.
The story of Jesus gripped his heart. He had never known the love of Christ before. Yohannes humbled himself and decided to place his faith in Jesus Christ. His life changed. His character changed.
The story of Jesus gripped his heart. He had never known the love of Christ before.
Awestruck by the difference in Yohannes’ life, many of the villagers placed their faith in Jesus as a result. Praise God for the power of the gospel and the ability to share it with others in all forms, including media!
Biblica translations used for JESUS in Europe
Samuel’s Story
In 2022, Spain and other countries in Western Europe saw an influx of refugees from Eastern Europe seeking safety and peace as a result of the war in Ukraine.
A team of partners, volunteers and staff members from Agape España (as Cru® is known in Spain), traveled to Poland with a bus full of medical supplies and winter clothes to provide to refugees. Among them was Samuel, ministry director for Agape España.
Samuel and his team had the opportunity to spend an entire day in the refugee center. There they met 16 women and children, who would end up coming back to Spain with them on the bus and then be connected with Christian host families through Agape’s ministry.
Over the two days it took to drive back to Spain, Samuel and his team had many conversations with these refugees through translation apps. Previously, Agape España team members had been using their film equipment to show JESUS in homeless centers and halfway houses in Spain. But they hadn’t considered using the equipment in this setting––a bus ride—as well.
So, someone switched on the equipment and the refugees traveling with the team were able to watch films like the JESUS film, Magdalena: Released From Shame and various short films in Ukrainian on the long bus ride.
Before the team showed JESUS and the other films in Ukrainian, some of the women had opened up about their lives in the midst of their exhaustion and sadness. But the team saw a shift when these resources were used as a catalyst for spiritual conversations.
Samuel said: “We believe [showing the films on the equipment] provided a seat for more spiritual conversations. We were able to pray for them and share with them about God’s love in the midst of a very painful situation.”
The following stories came to us from a partner in Estonia, in Eastern Europe. Through Bible translations from Biblica, the JESUS film was made available in Estonian. Believers were able to use the film to share the gospel!
Joel’s Story
Joel didn’t know what God would do when he volunteered to distribute JESUS film DVDs with his church. But because Joel stepped out in faith, God brought Sergey.
When Joel offered a DVD to Sergey, they made a connection. Sergey looked at the film in his hand, and started asking Joel questions. So, Joel invited Sergey to watch the film with him. They decided to meet up at a later date.
When Sergey and Joel met to watch JESUS a couple of days later, it was clear Sergey was touched by the story. He watched the screen intently, moved by Jesus’ life, love, and sacrifice.
As the film ended, Sergey had even more questions for Joel. The two sat and discussed Jesus for three hours. Finally, Sergey made the decision to pray and follow Jesus. This simple gift of a DVD led to Sergey’s life being transformed and him gaining a spiritual mentor for future discipleship. Praise God!
Maksim’s Story
Maksim was eager to use the evangelism training he’d recently received and share the gift that had changed his life—the JESUS film.
When Maksim saw a local man named Jaan walking down the street, he approached him. He introduced himself and offered Jaan a DVD copy of JESUS. He told Jaan he wanted others to find the same hope and love he’d found in Christ.
It was a short conversation, but one that apparently left a mark.
That brief conversation led Jaan to watch the DVD when he got home. Jaan’s interest ignited as he learned about the Son of God and His great love for mankind. He later attended a class at a local church offering follow-up courses on Christianity.
Imagine Maksim’s surprise when he saw Jaan at his own church that day! The two reconnected, realizing they now had the bond of God’s love to unite them.
It was a short conversation, but one that apparently left a mark.
Jaan continues to explore Christianity—recently learning about baptism—and is taking more courses on what it means to be a Christian.
Why Bible Translation Day Matters
These stories show that God is at work around the world, and that people everywhere are still seeking out a savior. The work that Biblica is doing with Bible translation is making an impact and making an eternal difference in the lives of so many!
But there are still people around the world who have never heard about Jesus or are unaware that they too can experience His love. They need to hear the truth of the gospel in a way that reaches their hearts.
Consider these facts:
- Nearly 75% of all the world’s population still unreached with the gospel lives in just 12 countries––a whopping 3.6 billion people.
- The people in these 12 countries have little to no access to the gospel in their own language and few churches within walking distance.
People in these 12 countries, and many others, face critical barriers to the gospel:
- their geographic location (many live in remote villages),
- restrictions on religious materials,
- lack of access to churches and other Christian believers (to help them along their spiritual journey),
- and not least of all, a lack of the Bible in their heart language.
According to Seed Company, 90% of the languages in the world (representing over a billion people) still don’t have the full Bible. In addition, about 200 million people don’t have a single verse of Scripture in their language.
This large need for the gospel is why Bible Translation Day matters! And it makes considering your role as a Christian who is called to fulfill the Great Commission all the more important.
As we pause to celebrate Bible Translation Day together, I encourage you to reflect on the role you can play and how you can be part of the movement.
The Role You Can Play
Support the work of Biblica
We’re living in a remarkable era. We have the chance to be part of the generation that brings the Bible to every language, ensuring that everyone, everywhere, can access God’s word in their own language.
If you would like to contribute to the efforts of Bible translation partners like Biblica, visit Biblica.com to learn more about how you can help. For a thorough understanding of biblical contextualization, read this.
Partner with Jesus Film Project
When it comes to Bible translations for the JESUS film, we also remember that not everyone can or will read the Bible. In fact, only 87% of the world is literate, while some people groups only speak oral languages.
We can reach them with the gospel today. By God’s grace, we have vibrant filmmakers making media that shares the gospel in people’s cultural context, and efficient and portable tools to record and dub gospel-centered media into different languages. God is allowing us to innovate technologies every day to help reach the hard-to-reach people and places with the gospel.
But we can’t do it alone. Believers like you make it possible. Here’s what you can do:
- Pray with us.
- Give to translation projects or help fill other missional needs.
- Stay connected by receiving Jesus Film Project emails.
