God’s Word in Closed Lands
In an area closed to the gospel, Alliance international workers and their national partners shared memorized Scripture portions with community leaders whom they had befriended.
One man in particular showed great spiritual hunger and often asked about the Holy Book from which the believers had quoted.
When our workers were finally able to present him with his own copy, which had been translated into his native language, tears filled his eyes. He held the book over his heart as he thanked them for this precious gift. Then he asked that a photo be taken of him with the treasured possession so that the event would be remembered forever.
A Precious Commodity?
In the United States, Bibles are easy to come by. Typically, the average Christian owns several, along with a couple of pocket-sized New Testaments, not to mention phone and tablet apps.
God’s Word is readily available at the nearest Barnes and Noble, Walmart, or Christian bookstore. Across the country, simply checking into a hotel affords ready access to the Holy Scriptures.
But in some countries, the Word of God is a precious commodity. In the former Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, a Bible could cost more than two weeks’ salary on the black market.*
Today, believers in many parts of the world risk arrest, torture, and even death simply to meet together in homes to study God’s Word. In places where printing and distributing Christian literature is a criminal offense, the Scriptures are a priceless treasure.
The Worth of The Word
In 1949 when Communism entered China, it was the end of Christianity in that nation. Or so it seemed. John Bechtel, a former international worker in China, visited Hong Kong in 1976, when the Bamboo Curtain opened. There he met an elderly Christian woman who lived in abject poverty. She wanted only one thing: a Bible. John describes in vivid detail her response to this gift as she turned down money and clothing in favor of Scripture.
What You Can Do
Pray
The prayers of the Alliance family allow Alliance workers to live and serve all over the world. Pray with the rest of the Alliance family using our weekly Alliance Prayer requests.
Give
Give to the Great Commission Fund (GCF) and help support Alliance workers in lands closed to the gospel as they are engaged in innovative ministries that open doors to share the hope that only Christ offers.
* Time magazine: “Religion: The Smugglers of the Word,” Mar. 19, 1979
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