Imagine an isolated, faraway land somewhere in the interiors of Sarawak, a 20-something-year-old man is reading about how someone died for him, for the very first time. His body is bent over as his index finger traces over the sentences again and again. His brow is furrowed in deep concentration as his eyes reflect a deep sense of astonishment. For the first time ever, he is encountering the love of God through a copy of the Bible and a language that is his very own.
"So this what the missionaries really meant when they talked about how much God loves me."
Throughout the world, Bible Societies emerged whenever Christians came together and realized their need for Scriptures that everyone could access and relate to in their own language and cultural perspectives. There was great a sense of ownership and partnership as these initial Bible Societies partnered with the Local Church to see new congregations grow in discipleship and experience the Word of God in a way that truly touched their hearts. Thus, this became the guiding mission of Bible Societies around the world.
In Malaysia, organized Bible Society work has been going on since 1815. Then, on 15 October 1985, the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) was officially formed after becoming independent from the Bible Society of Singapore, Malaysia & Brunei. We continue our work today as a member of the United Bible Societies Fellowship - the international body for Bible Societies.
BSM serves the Malaysian Church by proactively advocating and being a partner-resource for the Word of God in Missions. We work with churches and organizations to fulfill the Great Commission by making the Word of God easily available and accessible to all.
BSM has also spearheaded and coordinated numerous projects to further the Bible Cause in Malaysia. Such projects have resulted in the Bahasa Malaysia Alkitab - the complete Bible in the Malaysian national language. We have also partnered with other mission agencies to translate the Scriptures into various ethnic dialects so the natives of Malaysia (such as the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak) may come to know Christ through the Scriptures in their own language.
Even so, there remains much more to be done.
With your continued financial, prayer and manpower support, BSM continues to meet the vast Scripture needs of Malaysia and beyond by focusing on three core activities:
- Translating Scriptures into the vernacular language
- Publishing Scriptures at affordable prices
- Distributing Scriptures to as many people in as many formats as possible
The man glows with pride as he breaks into a wide grin. Finally, in his lifetime, he, his family and his entire community can hear God speak to them - widely accessible, without an intermediary or a translator.
God's Word is now truly their own.