The Translators
THE TRANSLATORS
Read Isaiah 43:10-12.
Rodney rolled a piece of paper into a ball and flicked it toward Joshua. Eric snickered.
Rodney turned toward Eric. He was glad Eric had come along to Sunday school today to hear the missionary speaker from Africa.
Mr. Telsen, the missionary, was saying something, but Rodney didn’t understand a word of it. Mr. Telsen was speaking in a tribal language. “How many of you understood what I said?” he asked. When no one raised a hand, Mr. Telsen again spoke in the foreign tongue. This time Mrs. Telsen repeated his words in English.
“We translate the Bible into languages that people can read,” said Mr. Telsen. “But many of our people cannot read. So we translate God’s message to them by our lives. Besides telling them what it means to be a Christian, we show them by helping them, sharing with them, and being kind to them.”
Mr. Telsen looked around the group. “Maybe you have friends who don’t understand the Bible. Maybe you need to translate what it means to be a Christian,” continued Mr. Telsen. “How can you do that?”
Joshua raised his hand. “By sharing our toys and stuff,” he said.
“By bringing them to Sunday school,” added Rodney.
But he gulped when he heard the next suggestion: “By sitting quietly in church so they won’t be disturbed and can hear the message.”
“Good!” said Mr. Telsen. “Ask God to make all of us good translators of His Word.”
HOW ABOUT YOU?
What kind of translator are you? Are you kind? Forgiving? Willing to share? Obedient? Friendly? Do those around you get a correct idea of what it means to be a Christian? Think about it.
TO MEMORIZE:
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8
WITNESS WITH YOUR LIFE.
From the book
