How many Bibles do you own? How many are in your home?
In countries where it is illegal to own a Bible, believers spend hours at a time hand copying scripture. Many churches and pastors don’t have Bibles, often a Bible is passed among believers. In the short amount of time they may have with it, they copy and memorize as much as they can. In some cases, people’s hands become disfigured from years of hand copying the Bible.
Here is Ling’s testimony from China, http://www.kidsofcourage.com/?p=3307. I read her story in Hearts Of Fire published by The Voice of the Martyrs. Ling’s story illustrates how rare and precious Bible’s are in some parts of China. I admire the way Ling put her whole life in God’s hands as she walked from village to village sharing Jesus.
Matthew 4:4 New Living Translation (NLT)
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[a]”
There is a great need for Bibles.
This is a video from International Christian Concern of Christians in China receiving Bibles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkXDcdMNE-I&feature=youtu.be
Here are a few ways to help:
– Pray “Never stop praying” -1 Thessalonians 5:17
– Bibles Unbound http://www.biblesunbound.com/qry/mc_home.taf
– Get the word out.
– Gather a small group together to pray for persecuted Christians around the world. Pray that they would receive God’s Word and Bibles.
– In solidarity, hand copy your favorite passages from the Bible, the New Testament, letters from Paul, or just one book of the Bible, to remember the persecuted.
At Randy Alcorn’s website, Eternal Perspective Ministries., he shares about a woman who wrote to him about hand copying the Bible as a devotion. She was inspired after reading about believers, hand copying a Bible, in his book about the Underground Church in China, Safely Home. http://www.epm.org/blog/2014/May/26/handcopied-bible
Hebrews 13:3 New Living Translation (NLT)
3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.
Hearts Not Forgotten 