Shan Dai Advocacy

#17 His Next Verse: Earthly Tents

The photo in the His First Bible for the devotional of 2 Corinthians wonderfully captures a Shan Dai grandmother viewing her own “earthly tent”. Death is certain. And the older one gets, the more certain it becomes. Beliefs of what happens after death varies and a life lived in peace or fear can largely be traced back to how death is viewed. A funeral was held for a Dai grandmother. She, her daughter and granddaughter all embraced forgiveness of sins and new life in Jesus. But due to strong Dai Buddhist community, the funeral was performed in Buddhist tradition. A monk chanted, candles were lit, and food and water were presented to “feed” the grandmother (the monks later ate this offering). Other offerings were made in the form of burning paper money, a paper car and a paper T.V. –all things the grandmother would need in the afterlife. The daughter and granddaughter were respectful to the ceremony and yet it was clear when they did not bow down that they no longer believed in the Buddhist values. Father, we pray today for the peace that You bring would be experienced by more and more Shan Dai to where whole villages see You as the way to live life and communities are changed by hope. You are more certain than death. “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.” (2 Corinthians 5:1-2)

Thank you for your partnership in praying for the Shan Dai. May God bless your days with full life in Him. Amen.

#13 His Next Verse — Plea for Burma

Thank you for the response of prayer to the recent letter addressed to the Prime Minister of China concerning the people of Burma (Myanmar). Our photographer for His First Bible journal offers us a glimpse of this plight in the photos for the devotionals for Nahum and in Zechariah. May we continually be prayerful for those whose lives are lived in continual strife.

Nahum 1:7— The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.
Zechariah 7:9-10— This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.

May God’s Word as it is prayed and lived out among His people offer eternal hope that begins today. Thank you for your partnership for the Shan Dai and the hope of God’s Kingdom of peace to expand.

His Next Verse: Can praise to God be too loud?

The Psalms are filled with praise songs to our King and it is wonderful that the His First Bible devotional from Psalms 145 is beginning to be lived out among the Dai. Here is an excerpt from a recent literacy training class for the Shan Dai:

“We got a lot of complaints from our new neighborhood because we are quite loud. Though I told the participants every time that we shouldn’t be singing too loudly especially after 11 pm, it was still very hard for them to be quiet because they were so joyful and happy that they want to learn and sing. The landlord called to warn us twice because he got a few phone calls from the neighborhoods and one neighbor came to told us directly… We prayed a lot..the Lord is so worthy to be praised.”

God, may the Shan Dai be bold to “praise your holy name forever and ever.” Thank you for the joy that is theirs (and belongs to each of your children) who with soft hearts sing of Your goodness. Protect them Lord from the evil one who may want to use neighbors to squelch the praises that are due You. Draw these neighbors to You, opening their ears to hear not just loud noise, but the joy that comes from those who trust in Your goodness. Amen. Sing on!

His Next Verse - Double Blessing

Four more passages have been translated with a present total of 8 passages of Scripture for the Shan Dai Bible!

Luke 12.13-21 (The Rich Fool)
Matt 8.1-4 (An outcast leper restored)
Luke 8.4-15 (The parable of the Seed and Soil)
Luke 14.7-11 (Self Importance = Humiliation vs. Humility = Honor)

As you read and reflect on these passages (and the first four translated) think about the wonderful aspects of Jesus and His teaching. What a great start the SD have in experiencing more of the Lord!

Happy ShanDai New Year!

The Dai New Year’s celebration is in full swing. (Look to the devotional in His First Bible Prayer Journal from Acts for more info on the holiday.) It may seem strange to us to celebrate New Year in April, but what better time to start off the New Year than with the first portions of scripture in their language! Join us in offering a huge praise to our God: the first 4 passages have been translated into the Shan Dai language!

Matt 22:34-40 Jesus Explains the Greatest Commandment
Matt 15:29-31 The Crowd is Amazed at Jesus’ Healings
Matt 7:24-27 Hear Jesus’ Teachings and Put Them into Practice
Luke 4:33-37 Jesus Helps Demonized Person

As you read these passages about our Lord, please pray for the Shan Dai to grow in their understanding and love for Jesus even more.
Thank you so much for your partnership in prayer. What a joy to see how God answers! May God bless you richly in the New Year!

His Next Verse: What’s In A Name?

What is in a name? The SD Bible translators have faced an initial dilemma. How will the names of each book of the Bible be translated? Or should they not be translated but rather transliterated? “Genesis” is a name foreign to Shan Dai speakers. Should 66 foreign words be introduced to them and learned? Should they use the same names that are used in the Chinese or the Shan Bible (which again are foreign)? The English word “Genesis” means origin, beginnings, start, birth… should the Shan Dai word for Genesis be “beginnings” or “birth”? These are lots of questions. Let’s pray together for insight.

Read further for more clarity offered by the SD Bible consultant:

Just a few points about translating the names of books and other names.
First you need to decide whether you are going to translate or transliterate. It is very seldom that you can translate proper personal names, otherwise David becomes Beloved, Joshua becomes Saviour, Jonah become Dove, Peter becomes Rock, Barnabas becomes Consoler etc. But you can usually translate the names of books. But which language you are going to translate from. The Hebrew names are just the first word of the book. The Septuagint Greek names are better. In English we have translated some book names, but transliterated others. For instance Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Ecclesiastes are transliterated from Latin, and Joshua, Samuel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, and the prophets are transliterated from Hebrew, but Numbers, Judges, Kings, Chronicles, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon and Lamentation are translated! It is probably better to follow whatever the Chinese or Shan Bible translators have done. If you prefer to translate, then the names become:The Beginning, The Departure, The Book of Levi, The Population, The Law, etc., With other names, even if you decide to transliterate, what are you going to work from? The Shan or Chinese is probably the best. If you work from Hebrew or Greek you end up with some names that are hard to identify with. Isaac in Hebrew is Yitsahak, Solomon is Shlomo, Jerusalem is Yerushalayim etc. But it isn’t a good idea to try to make up a list of all the names in the Bible. That will take you about a year to do. It is better to do the names of the books first, then only the names you are going to meet in your selected passages.

Revelation

Jesus gives us a promise that in this world we will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. Jesus does what He says He will do. The victory has been won and God provides us with a glimpse of His Mighty Warrior and King of Kings in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. For each of us who have been filling up the golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, on behalf of the Shan Dai people, take heart! The apostle John saw what we have been praying for come to fruition. There was an uncountable crowd from every nation, tribe and language, including the Shan Dai, before God’s throne praising God and the Lamb. May we join in the new song of worship to our Heavenly King, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and forever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:12). Everything will conclude in awesome praise. When that fills our mind we can take heart here and now. In the meantime, many have yet to receive the good news. The invitation offered by Jesus does not arrive on expensive stationery via the post, but it has been sent and is sealed with His very blood. “‘Come.’ Let each one who hears them say, ‘Come.’ Let the thirsty ones come—anyone who wants to. Let them come and drink the water of life without charge” (Revelation 22:17). How will we R.S.V.P.? What will be our role in extending the invitation to the Shan Dai?

Jude

“I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3 NIV). This is a ‘fight for the faith’ battle cry. The godless not only revel in their evil ways but they entice others to join in their decadence so we can not remain silent. Heretical teachers are treacherous to all societies. The finale is certain destruction for all the godless—for those that change God’s grace into a license for immoral, self-centered living and deny Jesus Christ as our Sovereign Lord. Many among the Shan Dai deny Jesus Christ as Lord. Content to figure out life on their own, they live godless lives. Lord, we pray for Christians living among the Dai to have Your mercy and peace in abundance and out of love, fight for the faith. May they use Your strength to rescue others. Jude closes with what may be the most powerful doxology in the Bible. “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen” (Jude 1:24-25 NIV). Only You Jesus are able to keep us from falling and You promise to present us to the Father without fault and with great joy. That will indeed be a glorious day. Until then, we pray for the Shan Dai to win the battle over self and trade in their godless lives for godly ones.

3 John

Traveling teachers heard there were new Shan Dai believers living in a remote hillside village. Leaving early in the morning, the evangelists began the journey to encourage those seeking to follow Jesus. The teachers were warmly welcomed and in spite of the village poverty, generous hospitality was extended by the new Christians. God’s Word was enthusiastically absorbed by those still waiting for a Bible in their own language. Both those offering the teaching and those offering the hospitality brought glory to God on that hillside. The Apostle John experienced a similar scenario of great joy. Interestingly, he didn’t write to Gaius urging him to leave his home to join the missionaries. Instead Gaius was commended for doing his part. “Dear friend, you are doing a good work for God when you take care of the traveling teachers who are passing through, even though they are strangers to you… You do well to send them on their way in a manner that pleases God” (3 John 1:5-6). It is wonderful the way God created His body, the Church, to be unified in Him and yet diverse in the way that each contributes to the Kingdom. No one can do everything, but each of us can offer something. Let us present to God our part. Lord, may we give honor to You as we contribute. We are encouraged by the believing Shan Dai villagers and by those who traveled to them. God, we call out to You today, please continue to bless Your children to work together in a manner that pleases You.

2 John

Babies are very dependant creatures. One aspect of this dependency involves their immobility. After several months of being carried it is time to learn to walk. In China, toddlers wear a form of harness that provides stability for taking their first shaky steps. A parent will hold tight to the straps as wobbly steps move toward confident ones. There is great joy when the skill of walking is mastered. John writes with this kind of excited parental joy when he hears of his spiritual children standing for truth and walking in love. With that joy concern follows; some will run off independent of God and will face pain when stumbling comes. We must walk on in obedience to God’s commandments, loving one another. God wants to save us from many terrible falls in life. Don’t wander off but stay on the path. “For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will not have fellowship with God” (2 John 1:9). Father, You desire Your children to walk in Your truth and love. We intercede today on behalf of the Shan Dai that now see You as their loving Father. New believers are taking those first wobbly steps of faith as Your Spirit leads them. God, may they have the strength to rid their hearts and homes of all things that would make them stumble. Holy Spirit, please lead them in wisdom. May they run the race of faith in confidence, teaching others that Jesus is the way to a life of love. We pray they trust You with each step.