“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12, NIV). A unique ministry to proclaim the good news of the Gospel in tribal languages is being rolled out across India
Bibles are an effective way to get Scripture into the hands of people who need to hear God’s Word in their own language. Audio Bibles are in high demand in India, and elsewhere, and running out of them is a common problem.
In India, there are thousands of small, ethnic, tribal groups and hundreds of spoken languages. Each person has a family, dreams, hobbies, and a unique life story. Our awesome and powerful God cares for each one. Recently, one woman in India was listening and finding encouragement from her audio Bible, when members of her village complained about it to their leader. After listening to the audio Bible, the village leader said not to bother her and to let her listen, because the recording was only speaking good news!
Several of the languages being recorded are spoken only among tribes or in hard-to-reach areas, which means Audio Scripture Ministries (ASM) recordings are the first in history for these specific dialects. ASM has teamed up with other organisations to get the job done, including Wycliffe Bible Translators and Biblica, saying “when we work together in harmony, it provides a beautiful glimpse of the body of Christ at work.”
Nearly 287m adults in India are illiterate, which makes up about 37% of illiterate adults worldwide, and audio Bibles make God’s word accessible to them all. The significance of recording in mother tongues is a major push in ASM’s work. They want to be clear that God speaks every language, not just commercialised or widely spoken dialects, thus making God personal to these people.
Millions of people still need to hear about the Light of the World. Yet, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14). The woman with leprosy in India, the farmer in Mozambique, the day labourer in Mexico, the victim of sex trafficking in China, the child of a factory worker in Cambodia – all need to hear God’s word.
For more information visit audioscripture.org