Sower - Winter 2016

Bringing hope and healing in South Sudan Bible grab in Aussie schools Reach the lost in Kazakhstan Chinese don armour of God

WINTER 2016

Sower

Will Swanson

The man who sent out millions of Bibles

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To actually come across and work with people to see those Testaments and gospels go out was great.”

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key member of the Bible Society Australia mission has left the organisation after an epic 38 years of putting Bibles in people’s hands in Australia and around the world.

Greg Page spent his entire working life with Bible Society, first running the bookshop in Adelaide from 1978-1995 then taking the reins at BSA’s newly opened Ingleburn warehouse in Sydney.

BSA’s mission was so close to his heart that when it was announced that the 2000 Olympics would be held in Sydney, his first thought was: “What is Bible Society going to do?”

For Greg, 55, the answer proved to be an exciting one. After he moved from Adelaide to Sydney, he was involved in producing gospels and New Testaments containing personal testimonies of sportspeople.

“To actually come across and work with people to see those Testaments and gospels go out was great,” he recalls.

Honouring BSA’s longest-serving member, CEO Greg Clarke said: “Only the Lord knows the impact of his labours, as literally millions of items of Scripture have found their way into hungry hearts and minds.”

Among the many milestones Greg Page witnessed were the printing of BSA’s first Bible in 1988, and the launch of the NIV Study Bible in 1985.

“The NIV Study was the first Bible

that people could relate to easily, and it really changed the whole face of Bibles,” he says.

One of Greg’s favourite anecdotes is the case of the well-dressed book thief who lifted a dizzying array of leather Bibles, commentaries and reference works from BSA’s Rundle Mall store in 1990.

“We suspected him after a while and in the end he was caught in the Scripture Union bookshop. Several bookshop owners then went to his house and we were just going to take those books back … but we found books all down his passage and in all the rooms, and so we had to call the police.”

Another memory was of the fun BSA staff had with the sisters in the Catholic bookshop next door.

“If they didn’t have the right stock for a customer, they would go out the back, run around through our backdoor, grab the Bible they wanted and run back again!”

Greg says he always enjoyed his job and the fact that it was about putting Bibles in people’s hands.

“Even when we’re working with Bible Societies around the world, where we arrange to print a Bible and deliver it straight to them and we never see it, we have played a part in getting Bibles to the people.

“There is power in God’s word and people do change, just by reading the Bible.”

Dear friends, I am writing while attending the United Bible Societies World Assembly in Philadelphia, USA. This historic city, where the American Declaration of Independence was signed, is also the place where the American Bible Society is now based, just a few hundred metres from the famous Liberty Bell.

The connection is significant: ABS aims to be the national champion of the Bible for the good of the nation, as well as a servant of Bible mission all over the world. As in Australia, the Americans recognise that unless the Bible is loved, celebrated and honoured at home, there simply will not be Bible-minded Americans who can support the incredibly important and necessary work around the globe.

In countries where Christianity appears to be in decline, or at least less acceptable than it might have been half a century ago, we have to keep one eye on local mission

and one eye on international needs. In this Sower, you will see a balance of ministry needs in Australia and overseas.

Both are hugely important to fulfilling our mission. Please support us however you can.

This week has been full of celebrations for the work God has done through faithful staff, field workers, prayer partners and donors since 1816.

But the most moving stories are not the ones of the successes of the past, but the challenges of our time, today.

That’s where you come in, as Bible Society Australia heads towards its bicentenary next year.

There is so much to do if we want to fulfil our mission of reaching every person on the planet, in our lifetime, with the transforming word of God.

Dr Greg Clarke, CEO Bible Society Australia

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South Sudan

Healing

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Will Swanson

s fear, despair and bitterness grow among the 2.2 million people in refugee camps in South Sudan, you can offer hope, healing and reconciliation.

Bible Society’s Literacy programme for Shilluk refugees will not only offer them a vital lifelong skill but will ensure they can read their Bibles for themselves. And that could transform everything – even a new, struggling nation.

The Shilluk people were one of the first tribes in South Sudan to accept Christianity. Their faith is strong and, according to Edward Kajivora, pictured left, who leads Bible Society’s team in South Sudan, it’s getting even stronger despite the chaos.

“During a war there’s nothing you can rely on for help apart from God,” says Edward.

No one in South Sudan is untouched by the violence. Edward was forced to sleep under his bed to avoid stray bullets as rival tribes fought in the streets. But he says God’s word can provide the comfort that thousands are looking for in the camps. Refugees have brought their Bibles with them, but most of them can’t actually read them.

for refugees

Will Swanson

“Some keep the Bible under their pillow. They believe in the power of the Bible to protect them from their enemies. But they want to read it, not just keep it under their pillows.”

It was just three years ago that the Shilluk people of the Upper Nile State in South Sudan were celebrating the coming of God’s word in their own language for the first time. In Malakal, the Shilluk people celebrated a new beginning. It was not only the Bible they were celebrating. South Sudan was Africa’s newest nation and hopes were high for change. But peace after decades of civil war did not hold. South Sudan, after it gained independence from Sudan in 2011, quickly descended into another civil war. A ceasefire was agreed in mid2015, but fighting has continued. And violence has been worst in the north – where the Shilluk people come from.

Otto Gwado works with the Bible Society in South Sudan. He moved to Juba, South Sudan’s capital, to take up the job, leaving behind his wife and children in Malakal with a plan that they would follow him once he had set up their new home. But as the fighting around Malakal intensified, Otto’s family had to flee

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into the bush. It took a month for them to get to Juba.

Thousands of Shilluk families have fled the violence in their northern homeland. They’re now in refugee camps, mainly around Juba. In total, there are close to 2.2 million displaced people in South Sudan. Tens of thousands have died.

The education system in South Sudan has been decimated after years of civil war. Only a quarter of adults can read and more than a million children are not in school. Refugee camps struggle to provide basic necessities such as shelter and sanitation. But what the refugee camps do have are hundreds of people coming to faith, and

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thousands who have brought their faith with them.

Bible Society is working with churches in Juba that are close to the refugee camps, to set up literacy classes to teach the Shilluk people how to read and write. “The people are anxious to learn,” says Edward.

Will you bring hope and healing to the Shilluk people by helping them to read God’s word in their own language? Please call 1300 BIBLES (1300 242 537), use the donation form on the back page or visit biblesociety.org.au/sowerhealing

$42 $84 $126

could teach a refugee in South Sudan to read, and provide them with Scripture. could teach two refugees to read and give them a Bible. can pay for a literacy class teacher.

Devotion

The man who wasn’t grateful When we think about the lame man lying by the pool at Bethesda in John 5:1-18, it is hard to imagine a man more marginalised in his society. He had been lame for 38 years – most, if not all, of his life. Also, at the very time when, according to popular piety, the angels periodically rippled the pool’s waters, no one bothered to help him enter the pool and experience its divine healing. He was a man without any friends.

How were people with disabilities viewed in Jewish society? The Dead Sea Scrolls writers excluded the maimed, deaf, blind, deaf and dumb from their community in Israel. Holiness, they believed, was violated by the “impure”. The reason for their exclusion is explained with ruthless brutality in their texts. The deaf could not hear the word of God; the dumb could not sing God’s praises; the blind could not see the impurities they touched; and the lame scared away the angels. Strange but horrifyingly true.

Attitudes were no better in the Greek and Roman world. We have a fragment of papyrus letter from the village of Oxyrhynchus in Egypt. It is very revealing because the writer, Petermouthis, mentions his fellow villagers “despising [him] as being without help and a

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cripple”. How vulnerable the disabled were in antiquity!

So when Jesus takes the initiative and graciously heals the lame man by the pool, how grateful the man must have been! But incredibly, he wasn’t.

John’s Gospel tells us an even sadder story. The healed man blamed Jesus when he was accused of carrying his mat on the Sabbath. Further, he had not even bothered to find out his benefactor’s name. And when the pressure was really on, he reported his benefactor to the Jewish authorities. So much for gratitude!

Yet these are precisely the kind of people that Jesus heals and ministers to – people like you and me … people who are self-centred, unfaithful, cowardly and ungrateful. Ultimately, our complete healing before God cost Jesus everything on the cross. Will we be found ungrateful on the Judgment Day? Or will we let ourselves be transformed by grace and thanksgiving to God? Let’s make the right response.

Jim Harrison, Director of Research at Sydney College of Divinity.

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Kids’ joy at having “

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So the Bible is a real book?” a Year 5 boy asked his Scripture teacher when she first opened one of the Big Rescue Bibles donated by Bible Society Australia.

A student called Luke at another school jumped for joy when he found his name in the Bible.

Having their own Bible in their hands to read and explore has caused great excitement among thousands of public school children around the country, many of whom have never read a Bible before or been inside a church.

“We speak of it so highly as the word of God that they treat it like it’s something really special,” says Beck Bishop, primary schools coordinator for the Special Religious Education (SRE) Board in Newcastle, NSW. “Living in postChristian Australia, they have minimal knowledge of who God is, so it becomes an unveiling – an

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their own Bibles

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reading the Bible out loud, even the less confident readers,” says Ruth Hodge, who teaches SRE in Deniliquin in southwest NSW. As soon as she enters the classroom at a primary school on the Queensland Gold Coast, Religious Instruction teacher Ruth Crowe finds lots of volunteers eager to hand out the new Bibles so that everyone is ready for class.

Ruth says it has been “so encouraging” for students to use the index to find the right verses, especially words to songs they have been singing based on Scripture.

Regular use of the Bibles has been a powerful means of driving home the reliability of Scripture, says John Northage, an RI teacher at Redlynch State College, north of Cairns in Queensland.

“There is something [special] about encountering people who had a place in history and about prophecies and events that are often covered in secular history,” he says.

Will you give Australian school children the joy of exploring God’s word at a personal level?

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adventure, really.”

Since 2009, BSA’s Bibles for Schools project has provided 350,000 free Scriptures a year to Religious Education teachers in hundreds of public schools.

This year, BSA has donated 5300 Big Rescue Bibles (for primary schools) and 1368 Youth Bibles (for high schools) to 122 applicants, and hopes to double those numbers by the end of the year.

“Never before have we seen such interest and excitement in the classrooms,” says Fiona Crann, coordinator for several schools in the Glasshouse Region of Queensland.

“We have been looking up verses, learning the Books of the Bible song, and discovering where the Bible came from and why it was written.”

Many teachers have commented on the captivating pictures and their students’ joy in finding the accompanying story from the Bible.

“When we came to the story, the children learned how to find the reference and all of the children clamoured for a turn in

To put a Bible into a child’s hand for a whole year, please call 1300 BIBLES (1300 242 537), use the donation form on the back page or visit biblesociety.org.au/ sowerschools

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Kazakhstan

Seeds of T

he Bible Society in Kazakhstan hopes to put 100,000 Russian New Testaments into the hands of nonChristians during annual Bible Day celebrations in the former Communist country.

“Our main goal is to provide churches with Scriptures for any kind of evangelisation activities to spread the word as widely as possible,” says Rostyslav Stasyuk of the Ukrainian Bible Society, who helps Bible Societies in Central Asia through the Central Asia Service Unit.

Bible Day is usually tied to Thanksgiving celebrations in September and October, when churches invite lots of guests, including nonbelievers, because religious activities are allowed only on church territory. About 200-300 churches are expected to take part – Orthodox and Baptist, Pentecostal, Evangelical and Adventist.

The landlocked country of Kazakhstan is a patchwork of rolling plains and mountain ranges, of wheat fields and apple orchards – in fact, this Central Asian republic is known as the birthplace of the apple.

But despite being the ninth-largest country in the world, bordered to the north by Russia and China to the south, it is sparsely populated. Its 18 million people are broadly twothirds indigenous Kazakhs and one-third Russians.

(While Kazakh is the state language, Russian is the official language and is spoken by most Kazakhstanis.)

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rebirth During 70 years of communist rule, Christian faith was severely repressed but after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, there was an upsurge in Christian growth thanks to an influx of missionaries.

Today about 26 per cent of the population identify as Christian, mainly Russian Orthodox.

Unfortunately, the government enacted a repressive bill in 2011, which forced missionaries out of the country and compelled churches to group into larger congregations.

Christian advocacy groups report widespread persecution of Christians, and especially Christian converts, in the heavily Islamic nation.

With ever more legal restrictions imposed on the church, Christians are frequently fined for their activities and pastors arrested and imprisoned. Open Doors reports that at least 71 people were fined in 2014 for worshipping in unregistered, underground churches.

Despite these difficulties, many churches focus strongly on outreach to those who have never heard of God. With limited resources, many churches can benefit greatly from provision of free Scripture to assist their outreach efforts.

Over recent years the Bible Society in Kazakhstan has successfully initiated “Bible Day celebrations� among churches as a way to promote the Bible and unite Christians.

Bible Society in Kazakhstan needs to print 100,000 Russian New Testaments for distribution to non-believers during Bible Day events in churches around the country. Can you help?

Will you help distribute the life-changing word of God to the unreached in Kazakhstan?

To donate, call 1300 BIBLES (1300 242 537), go to biblesociety.org.au/ soweroutreach or complete the donation form on the back page.

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Annual Review 2015 Like you, we truly believe that people need to hear the Bible’s message of love and salvation in Jesus.

That’s why we do what we do.

Dr Greg Clarke CEO Bible Society Australia

Thanks to your support, in 2015 we did our utmost to get the word out far and wide around the world and to every part of Australia. Through our translation programmes, our Scripture grants to prisons, hospitals and schools, and our support for Bible distribution we ensure that God’s word can be heard.

Through our publishing, advocacy and Bible engagement projects we aim to bring wisdom and transformation to Australia for the good of all.

Financial

Nicaragua

Hope for Children with Cancer

Mission Expenditure of $7.2m: International Campaigns & advocacy Publishing, digital Youth & Schools Church & Community Remote & Indigenous Scripture Grants

Comparison with 2014 Direct funding of mission Return on investments (incl Koorong) Administration & governance

Fundraising costs as % donations Employment costs

Spiritual, nutritional, and economic help was given to children with cancer and their families while they received treatment at hospital. 36,613 children and their families received a Bible portion as outpatients and more than 7500 families received free copies of the Bible while attending devotions.

31.7% 25.8% 15.8% 10.6% 8.1% 4.3% 3.7%

21.1% 12.4%

Donations Total donations & bequests: $8.89m -11.7%

Donations by State

0.4%

-2.6% 9.2% 23.9% 2.2%

10.2%

10.8% 49.5% 1.7% 13.9% 4.1%

Faith comes through hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Romans 10:17

Want further annual review facts?

Visit: www.biblesociety.org.au/review

Pakistan

A Beacon in the Darkness of Illiteracy

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7200 women graduated through the programme, empowering them in their communities. A total of 32,500 Scriptures were given to women who have new skills to read and understand God’s word.

Vietnam

Translation, Distribution & Engagement Projects Translation work continued for 6 minority languages, with 8000 printed copies of translated work distributed. At least 1 million people will be reached once all translations are completed and printed. The first 30 classes for basic literacy were started for 285 students, who all graduated.

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Bible distribution increased Bible Society Australia acquired leading Christian retailer Koorong. Since the acquisition mid-year, Koorong has sold 158,728 Bibles and New Testaments, increasing Bible distribution reach in 2015 to 316,183 in Australia.

Remote & Indigenous programmes Two popular resources for prisons were translated and published for those who speak Pitjantjatjara, and the Book of Daniel in Pitjantjatjara was published for the first time.

Their Sacrifice Campaign Commemorating 200 years since Gallipoli

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INTERNATIONAL

PROGRAMMES International programmes Focus programmes

Their Sacrifice Bible exhibition was displayed in 11 Westfield Shopping Centres throughout Australia, with an estimated 17,840 people visiting and witnessing the impact of the Bible in times of peace and war. The news about the campaign had a reach of over 3.7 million people through 72 separate media coverages.

Youth & Schools In our public schools over 15,000 free Bibles were distributed and more than 60 Bible presentations were given across the country. 58 schools sent 1125 students to four Masterclasses on leadership for young Christians.

BSA Updates

Sacred harmonies

Trek the track for Bibles

Seasoned songwriters will join students with just one song under their belt during the second Word in Song event in Tasmania, see dates below. Last year’s inaugural showcase of original music inspired by Scripture drew performers from across the body of Christ – from Anglican, Presbyterian, Seventh Day Adventist and Pentecostal churches. Songwriter Sarah Gracie, of BSA’s Tasmanian Southern Action Group, says the performers went away encouraged to keep seeking new and creative ways to express God’s truths through song.

Enjoy fresh air, exercise and fellowship on this year’s Bibbulmun for Bibles from 24 to 27 September. Each year a group of up to 17 walkers completes a different section of the scenic track that winds over 1000km from the Perth hills to Albany in Western Australia’s far south.

This year you will have the chance to walk through one of the state’s finest virgin jarrah forests in prime wildflower season from Collie to Balingup, 74km further south. The event is to raise funds for Bible Society’s Scripture grants programme for schools, prisons and hospitals.

BSA Diary – WINTER 2016 EVENTS Hymnfest Festival of Word and Song Jetty to Jetty BSA team run Hymnfest

DATE

VENUES

18 June Kennedy Baptist College, Murdoch, WA 26 June Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Ulverstone, Tas 17 July Woody Point, Redcliffe, Qld 7 August Concordia Lutheran Church, Loxton, SA 27 August Wellspring Anglican, Sandy Bay, Hobart, Tas Word in Song Concert 10 September St John’s Anglican Church, Launceston, Tas Bibbulmun for Bibles hike 24-27 September Contact marcus.ngoi@biblesociety.org.au or call 0427005456 For details please call Bible Society on 1300 BIBLES (1300 242 537) or visit biblesociety.org.au/events

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Mastering the Christian walk Christian teenagers will be inspired and equipped to live out their faith in a secular culture by attending this year’s Masterclass series, which has been expanded to include Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Senior high school students who attended last year’s Masterclasses in the eastern states were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the value of the oneday seminars, which aimed to build confidence in the Bible and Christian leadership.

“Amazing”, “captivating”, “motivating”, “empowering” and “inspirational” were among the most common student responses to the talks by leading Christian speakers, such as historian John Dickson, co-founder of the Centre for Public Christianity, pictured above.

Masterclass is tailored specifically for Christian students in Years 10 and 11 who would like to hear lifechanging talks that will set them on the path to become spiritual leaders in their school and local community.

If students are to grow into life-long followers of

Christ, they need to build trust in and knowledge of Scripture and develop the skills to see how Christ shapes who they are and what they do.

Bible Society is again offering a variety of highly engaging speakers and topics for this year’s series of Masterclass events, which are listed below.

Alongside this year’s Masterclasses, we are also offering a series of pastors’ breakfasts and ancillary talks free to anyone in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, WA and Tasmania.

Richard Shumack will speak on “What is true Islam, and who is my Muslim neighbour?” John Dickson will address: “Can we trust the New Testament?” and “Doubting the Bible”. Patricia Weerakoon will talk on “Purity in a pornified world.”

CPX’s John Dickson and Simon Smart will host three breakfasts on “Soft Difference”: Engaging 21st-century Australian culture with public Christianity.

Dates and locations: biblesociety.org.au/events

Masterclass schedule STATE DATE LOCATION

SPEAKER 1

SPEAKER 2

SPEAKER 3

QLD VIC NSW NT SA WA TAS

Murray Smith John Dickson John Dickson Murray Smith Mike Raiter John Dickson John Dickson

Simon Smart Guy Mason Mike Frost Richard Shumack Mike Frost Simon Smart Mike Raiter

Richard Shumack Patricia Weerakoon Patricia Weerakoon Patricia Weerakoon Naomi Swindon Patricia Weerakoon Richard Shumack

26/7 28/7 4/8 10/8 18/8 24/8 1/9

Mueller College, Rothwell New Hope Baptist, Blackburn North Sydney Saesoon Presbyterian Church, North Rocks Casuarina Baptist Church, Casuarina Edwardstown Baptist Church, St Marys The Billabong Community Centre, Canning Vale Launceston Christian School, Riverside

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China

Help China’s poor don God’s armour T

he rise of false teaching and heresies in China underlines the need for greater access to affordable Bibles for China’s poor.

Chinese Christians recognise that the Bible is the key basis from which to grow in faith and draw wisdom for their daily life. God’s word is also the bedrock of their strength in resisting false teachings and heresies, which are problems in the Chinese church. But so many Christians cannot afford to buy a Bible for themselves, much less buy a spare one to give away. This year, Bible Society Australia wants to provide 2.7 million Bibles at an affordable price to Christians in China, particularly those in rural areas. It also wants to give away about 50,000 Bibles to those in need.

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Wang Handong, pictured left, is a lay preacher at a church in Wuhan, the sprawling capital of Central China’s Hubei province. Today he loves nothing more than giving away Bibles to people who do not know Christ. But 18 years ago, Wang was a stubborn atheist who refused to read the Bible.

As a young executive battling to mend strained relations with his family, Wang fell into a depression after a break-up with his girlfriend. Desperately seeking happiness, he accompanied a friend to a service at the Zhong Nan Theological Seminary. It was there he first heard the gospel and was given a Bible, a gift that Wang dismissed as useless because it could not be exchanged for money or pleasure.

Despite his reluctance, Wang kept going to the weekly meetings at the Bible college, encouraged by the students’ persistent phone calls and invitations, but for six months he continued to reject the gospel and refused to read the Bible.

Finally, he relented and began to open up God’s word.

“I did not understand the first five books, but when I came to the book of Psalms and Proverbs, my spiritual eyes began to open,” Wang said.

“I became more and more interested in this Bible.

God’s word began speaking to me through the Holy

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Spirit, which gave me understanding.”

When a friend told him to leave the church because “Christians are a bunch of hypocrites,” he surprised himself by saying: “I’m already so poor, I have nothing left. Jesus is all I’ve got.”

That week at church he felt touched by the words of a hymn, “Draw me closer, Lord.”

“I did not know what possessed me. I ran up to the pulpit, knelt down before the cross and cried my heart out. At that point, I prayed the sinner’s prayer and invited Jesus into my life.

“When I testified to the same friend later, he replied with a wry smile, ‘The Holy Spirit is with you. Looks like you won’t be leaving the church now.’”

As part of his new habit of giving away Bibles, Wang gave Bibles to his father and brother, who have now accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

The statistics about China’s poor underline the continuing need for greater access to affordable Bibles. An estimated 200 million people live below the poverty line, with 128 million living on less than $US1 a day. Will you help millions of Chinese Christians put on the armour of God to resist the growing threat of false teachings and heresies?

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Bible Reading Plan JUNE 12 – SEPT 3

Follow the Leader

By Guan Un

By Simone Richardson

Week One

Week Three

JUNE 12 – JUNE 18 SUN 12 MON 13 TUE 14 WED 15 THUR 16 FRI 17 SAT 18

John 1:9-13 John 1:35-38 John 1:49-51 John 3:5-8 John 3:31-32 John 4:13-15 John 5:39-40

Week Two

JUNE 19 – JUNE 25 SUN 19 MON 20 TUE 21 WED 22 THUR 23 FRI 24 SAT 25

John 6:50-51 John 6:66-68 John 8:12-14 John 10:7-9 John 10:14-15 John 11:35-37 John 15:12-14

What does it mean to lead? Through the Gospel of John, we meet Jesus as teacher, leader, servant and friend: what can we learn about leadership by following the servant king?

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Love for the Lord’s Anointed

JUNE 26 – JULY 2

SUN 26 MON 27 TUE 28 WED 29 THUR 30 FRI 1 SAT 2

1 Sam 18:1-4 1 Sam 18:6-11 1 Sam 18:17-19 1 Sam 18:20-28 1 Sam 19:1-7 1 Sam 19:11-17 2 Sam 6:16, 20-23

Week Four JULY 3 – JULY 9

SUN 3 MON 4 TUE 5 WED 6 THUR 7 FRI 8 SAT 9

1 Sam 20:1-4 1 Sam 20:12-17 1 Sam 20:30-34 1 Sam 20:41-42 1 Sam 23:16-18 2 Sam 1:5-15 2 Sam 1:24-27

What does it mean to love the Lord’s anointed king? In this series we’ll be looking at the interactions between David and Jonathan, David and his wife Michal, and David and Saul, to see how they loved God’s chosen king.

Virtue and Vice

By Shane Clifton

Week Five

JULY 10 – JULY 16 SUN 10 MON 11 TUE 12 WED 13 THUR 14 FRI 15 SAT 16

Prov 3:1-4 Gal 5:22-24 Gal 5:19-21 Col 3:13-14 1 Cor 13:11-13 Rom 7:21-24 Rom 8:1-4

Week Six

JULY 17 – JULY 23 SUN 17 MON 18 TUE 19 WED 20 THUR 21 FRI 22 SAT 23

Matt 5:7-9 Matt 23:23 Acts 4:13 John 1:16-18 Ps 16:9-11 1 Cor 13:4-7 Matt 5:13-16

Virtues are habits of character that help you get the most out of life, and vice is selfdestructive. This series reflects on the virtues emphasised in the Scriptures, and the role of the Spirit in helping us to flourish.

Performing the Prophets

Out of Darkness

Building on Christ’s Commands

By Jeanette Mathews

By Guan Un

By Jarrod McKenna

Week Seven

Week Nine

Week Eleven

JULY 24 – JULY 30

SUN 24 MON 25 TUE 26 WED 27 THUR 28 FRI 29 SAT 30

Nah 1:1-3a Joel 2:12-13 Mich 4:1-2 Zech 3:8b-10 Zech 7:8-10 Amos 7:8-9 Jonah 1:14-16

Week Eight JULY 31 – AUG 6

SUN 31 MON 1 TUE 2 WED 3 THUR 4 FRI 5 SAT 6

Jonah 4:9-11 Zeph 3:14-17 Hab 1:2-4 Hab 2:1-2 Hab 3:16 Hab 3:17-18 Hab 3:19

The prophets of the Old Testament were performers: embodying God’s message and modelling it in their own lives; adapting older traditions to bring a fresh message to new audiences; using rhetoric and poetry to powerfully shape their words; and encouraging honest responses to God due to an understanding of faith that is active and growing in every generation.

AUG 7 – AUG 13

SUN 7 MON 8 TUE 9 WED 10 THUR 11 FRI 12 SAT 13

Gen 1:26-28 Ex 34:6-7 Prov 12:25 Ps 6:1-4 Ps 40:1-3 Ps 42 Ps 119:25

Week Ten

AUG 14 – AUG 20 SUN 14 MON 15 TUE 16 WED 17 THUR 18 FRI 19 SAT 20

John 1:1-5 Matt 11:28-30 Rom 8:38-39 Phil 4:8 Peter 5:6-7 2 Cor 1:3-4 Rev 21:3-4

There are times in life where things seem darker or more clouded.

What light can God’s word bring to those living in darkness?

AUG 21 – AUG 27

SUN 21 MON 22 TUE 23 WED 24 THUR 25 FRI 26 SAT 27

Matt 5:21-26 Matt 5:27-30 Matt 5:31-32 Matt 5:33-37 Matt 5:38-42 Matt 5:43-48 Matt 6:1-4

Week Twelve AUG 28 – SEPT 3

SUN 15 MON 16 TUE 17 WED 18 THUR 19 FRI 20 SAT 21

Matt 6:5-8 Matt 6:9-15 Matt 6:16-18 Matt 6:19-32 Matt 6:33-34 Matt 7:1-6 Matt 7:12-29

“… everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise person who built their house on the rock.” (Matt 7:24)

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Prayer points June 2016 – August 2016 June 5-11 Ecuador: Please pray for Ecuador as people try to recover from the recent earthquake which has left many dead and displaced. Please pray for Bible Society as they try to help and support the people of Ecuador.

Australia – Content and publishing: Pray for the expanded team at Eternity as they prepare for a major online relaunch this winter. Pray that expanding the online work will lead to kingdom growth and more Australians actively engaging with God’s word.

June 12-18 Myanmar: Praise God for New Testament dedications in the local languages of Rakhine state and Chin State.

Please pray also for the typesetting of study Bibles on three other languages and the Myanmar Bible Revision.

Australia – Sales and distribution: Pray for Bible Society staff as they work alongside their Koorong counterparts in co-located warehousing operations.

Please pray that the teams work well together.

June 19-25 Pakistan: Pray for Bible Society’s Strengthening and Affirming Faith and Empowerment (SAFE) project to provide Bible teaching to youth in villages and slums.

Pray that the new Android Bible app will help more Pakistanis access the Bible.

Germany: As the inflow of migrants into Germany continues, Bible Society will soon publish a bilingual Gospel of Luke in German-Arabic. It can be given to refugees, who would like to learn German and find out more about Jesus. Pray that refugees will find new hope.

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June 26-July 2 Fiji: Please pray for the restoration of hope to communities devastated by Cyclone Winston in February. Pray also for Bible Society in the South Pacific to be able to replace Bibles lost in the storm.

Australia – Remote & Indigenous ministry support: Pray for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander translators across outback Australia. Thank God that the New Testament in Kunwinjku, which is spoken by about 2000 people in Arnhem Land, is at the final checking stage.

July 3-9 United Bible Societies – Translation: Give thanks that in 2015 Bible Societies assisted in the completion of translations in 50 languages spoken by nearly 160 million people. Give further thanks as 11 other communities now have their first full Bible, six have a New Testament and 11 have their first, or additional, portions of Scripture.

Egypt: Praise God that 36 Christians have been voted into parliament at recent elections, the most in the country’s history. Twenty-two of these new officials asked for ongoing prayer when they came to Bible Society’s offices recently.

July 10-16 Wales: Pray for the Mary Jones Challenge on July 16, a 45km sponsored walk in North Wales to raise money to supply Bibles and aid to refugees from the Middle East and Europe.

Bahrain: Give thanks that Bible Society was given permission to participate in the 17th International Book Fair in Bahrain, among 317 publishers and bookshops from 20 countries. More than 20 religious publishers had stands, but Bible Society was the only Christian presence. It was a great opportunity to showcase the Bible. Give thanks for the friendly and welcoming attitude of those visiting the stand and for people’s eagerness to know about the Bible.

July 17-23 Australia – Executive office: Give thanks to God the Governor of NSW, David Hurley, who is BSA’s patron, is supporting our bicentenary next year and pray for the planned events as they unfold.

Bangladesh: Please pray for the 400,000 people, mainly Muslims, who obtained Scriptures from the Bangladesh Bible Society Book Stall at the National Book Fair in Dhaka.

July 24-30 Australia – Campaigns and programmes: Please pray for staff organising the expanded tour of Masterclass seminars for senior high school students and that students who come will grow in Christ’s name.

Slovakia: Please pray for God’s protection and strength for the three staff members of the Slovak Bible Society.

They are encouraged by the launch of two important Scripture publications, and the provision of a distribution vehicle, but they are a small team with a heavy workload.

July 31-August 6 Paraguay: Give thanks for the launching of a new full Bible in the Enxet language. The Enxet people live in the south of this vast area. Please pray that the churches in villages and colonies of the Enxet will use this Bible to engage more people with the word of God. New Zealand: Please pray that New Zealanders will readily engage with Bible Society’s new apps for children.

Pray for an expansion of the project so that parents will pass on the Bible to the next generation.

August 14-20 Cambodia: Please pray for the team beginning to revise the Khmer Standard Version project. Pray also for the Impacting Rural Cambodia with God’s Word project and the distribution of Scripture to poor churches and communities in remote and rural areas.

Seychelles: Kreol Seselwa is one of the three national languages of the Seychelles. Pray that the recently launched Kreol Seselwa Bible will reach deep into hearts so that many lives will be transformed.

August 21-27 Syria: Please ask God to encourage and protect Bible Society staff as they continue to serve the Scripture needs of believers, and offer true hope to seekers through terrible times in Syria.

China: Pray for the Church in China as it seeks permission from the authorities to print certain minority language Bibles and New Testaments. Pray that these minority ethnic Christians in China will soon have the Bible printed in their own language.

August 28-September 3 Burkina Faso: Praise God for the publication of the first Bible in San – a language spoken by more than 230,000 people in this West African country. At a dedication ceremony in Toma, Nayala Province, the new Bible was welcomed with great joy by the Christian community.

The Netherlands: Praise God that five years of work have culminated in a new Family Bible (Samenleesbijbel) published by the Bible Society to make the Bible accessible to children aged 8-12.

Lukas Budimaier

August 7-13 Israel: Please pray that the first Annotated Hebrew Bible and the new Hebrew Devotional will be completed this year, to support the spiritual growth of local believers.

Pray also for the development of a new digital app with text and audio and for a new children’s Scripture book.

Malawi: Please pray as Bible Society Malawi implements programmes aimed at increasing knowledge and understanding of the Bible among key government leaders. Join in Bible Society’s prayer that this will help change the attitude of the nation.

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Bible Societies around the world

Prayer warriors unite!

While in the US for the World Assembly of United Bible Societies in May, BSA’s chief executive Greg Clarke dropped into New York office of World Day of Prayer (WDP), where he met the international director, Rosângela Oliveira, (above right) and Samantha Figueroa, administrative and communication associate.

Hundreds of services took place across Australia on May 9 for WDP, a non-denominational global movement that each year prays for a different country. This year Cuba was the focus of the prayers.

Bible Society Australia has been blessed by the generosity of the Australian WDP committees, which are our largest donors overall.

If you or your church would like to become involved in running a service in your area, or setting up an event online for younger people, please contact WDP in your state through worlddayofprayerausttralia.org

Nepal’s Christians stay strong A year after three earthquakes devastated Nepal, Tej Jirel, General Secretary of the Nepal Bible Society, says Christians remain strong in their faith. “Church services in all the affected districts resumed almost immediately, despite the fact that they had nothing to shelter under,” comments Jirel. “A lot of them still haven’t yet been completely rebuilt, due to lack of funds, and services are held with no roof, using tarpaulins or roofing sheets to protect worshippers from the sun or rain.”

Padam Bahadur Bhujel, pictured above, who had been buried along with other worshippers when their church collapsed on them, told Jirel he had remained calm because he had complete faith that God would save them. He said, ‘If you have great faith in God, he will do great things for you.’”

Bible Society has helped provide roofing, tarpaulins and other materials to hundreds of affected families.

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