LUHYA BIBLE PROJECT

Help bring the Bible to the Luhya people in their native tongue with a donation of $10.00 (USD).  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17).  The goal is 1000 Bibles to plant seed for the Holy Spirit.  Not all may be able to go to west Kenya to preach the Gospel of Jesus the Christ, but almost all can make a small or large donation of any amount to preach, teach and reach by providing the Word of God. But time is of the essesnce.

The Luhya Language (also Luyia, Luhia or Luhiya) is a Bantu language of western Kenya spoken by over 15 million.  The various Luhya tribes speak several related languages and dialects. The Luhya (also known as Abaluyia or Luyia) are a bantu people and the second largest ethnic group in Kenya. The Luhya belong to the larger linguistic stock known as the Bantu. The Luhya are located in western Kenya and Uganda.

What are the advantages of translation of the Bible into local languages?  Translated Scriptures are a crucial element in a church becoming truly indigenous. The Bible in the local language is available for reflection and growth, removing the dependency that would otherwise limit freedom of development. 

•   Resourcing the church. The Scriptures in the language of the people become a reference for evangelism, teaching, preaching and devotion. An active, mission-oriented church needs resources for building community and for inspiring, informing and equipping Christian witness. These resources are found in, or based on, the Scriptures. Access to them is facilitated best when the Scriptures are available in form which communicates clearly.

•  Developing a truly indigenous church. Translated Scriptures are a crucial element in a church becoming truly indigenous. The Bible in the local language is available for reflection and growth, removing the dependency that would otherwise limit freedom of development. Scriptures help promote a truly appropriate worship style, teaching style and approach to evangelism. Merely to 'indigenise' our own Christian structures can be quite inappropriate. Many churches have the so-called 'independent' characteristics but still do not fit within the society where they exist. The development of an indigenous church will always be the living response of people to the life-demands of the message. The source of the information for such development may be a person who will never be much more than a catalyst. Alternatively, the source could be the Scriptures themselves, available for personal or community reflection, for study, and for application through the Spirit who inspired them in the first place.

•     Involvement with unreached people groups. African theologian Professor Kwame Bediako believed that a people group should continue to be considered unreached until the Scriptures are available in the local language. There is no doubt people can become Christians, and churches can be established, without access to the written Scriptures in a local language. But without such Scriptures, there can be a lack of ownership, relevance and integration of scriptural truth, all of which are characteristics of a healthy, vital Christian community.