Looking back over forty-six years in ministry, we recognise that there are moments in life when God moves in an entirely unexpected way, and a new and exciting opportunity suddenly appears. Such is the case with ‘Dynamics of Discipleship’, an LMI Bible teaching resource that was initially produced many years ago for an English-speaking audience. Following an extensive revision and relaunch in 2018, it has exploded in popularity and is now traversing nations in a way no-one could have predicted. With your support, and by God’s grace, we want to take this resource even further.
Going Global
‘Dynamics of Discipleship’ comes in the form of eight thoroughly biblical yet easy to follow lessons:
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Your New Life in Christ
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Being a Disciple
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The Spirit-Filled Life
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Developing the Relationship – Prayer
- God’s Word is Alive
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Sharing Your Faith
- God’s Word is Alive
- Dealing With Temptation
- Guidance
Prior to the release of the revised resource in 2018, we had not ventured into the world of translating materials in any major way. Remarkably, however, ‘Dynamics of Discipleship’ is now available in 13 languages! English, French, Bawm & Bangla (Bangladesh), Kirundi (Burundi), Burmese & Falam Chin (Myanmar), Indonesian, Telugu (India), Urdu (Pakistan), Kiswahili (Kenya & E.Africa), Kinyarwanda (Rwanda) and Hungarian.
As many languages are regularly spoken in more than one nation, happily we are able to provide this resource to Christian leaders and churches in many different locations. A good example of this is in Northwest Africa, where the French version is currently being used in Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal, Benin, Togo and Burkino Faso. Two of these nations, Mali and Burkino Faso, are extremely hostile places to be a Christian, so being able to supply resources for believers there is a major encouragement and demonstration of love and support from the wider Body of Christ.
Moreover, the Lord has used ‘Dynamics of Discipleship’ to bring several individuals to saving faith in Christ after exposure to the truth helped them to realise what it means to be a true Christian. This has happened in both Burundi and inside a prison in Indonesia, praise God!
In addition, we know of a Christian soldier who was discipled by one of our partners in Africa using these discipleship lessons. He subsequently travelled to Somalia, the second most dangerous nation in the world for believers according to Open Doors ‘World Watch List’, as part of a UN peacekeeping force. Equipped to share His faith, he did so with wisdom and care, and at least one man he met responded by making a profession of faith in Christ.
The World is Waiting – We Need Your Help
While we are thrilled with the progress made – to God be the glory! – the demand for multiple language versions of ‘Dynamics of Discipleship’ has not ceased. We have three more translation projects on the horizon, all of which are among the most widely spoken languages in the world, and we need your help to turn them from an aspiration into a reality.
By God’s grace, and with your prayerful and financial support, Mandarin, Spanish and Portuguese will all soon be added to the growing list of languages into which ‘Dynamics of Discipleship’ has been translated. According to Babbel.com, the total number of Mandarin speakers globally is 1.1 billion, the total number of Spanish speakers is 559 million, and the total number of Portuguese speakers is 258 million.
When we add these figures to the other languages in the top 10 that we already provide for – English (1.45 billion), French (274 million), Bangla (273 million) and Urdu (231 million) – we will have versions for seven of the top 10 spoken languages, covering 4.14 billion people. This is more than half of the entire population on earth!
Notably, while we want to cater for people speaking major languages, recognising the wonderful scope this provides for reaching into all four corners of the globe, we are also inspired by the vision of providing resources for often disregarded and/or unreached people groups, whose heart (native) languages may not be spoken outside of their local area. Falam Chin and Bawm are two examples of how we have set about trying to meet this need. We will continue to explore options for future translations into other lesser spoken languages, remembering that a multitude of people consisting of every tribe, tongue and nation will gather before the Lamb (Revelation 7:9).
As you might imagine, the finance required to produce, edit and design additional language versions is significant. The cost to do this for one language can often reach four figures, and that is often before printing and postage which varies widely from nation to nation and also regularly involves an additional four-figure sum.
Your Support is Vital
The financial support of Christians across the UK and Ireland is absolutely vital if we are going to see these three new versions become a reality. While the cost is significant so too is the opportunity to be part of a meaningful demonstration of love and unity in the worldwide Body of Christ, as we equip and empower our brothers and sisters overseas.
We are seeking to raise £10,000 to drive this project forwards through the production of materials in the three major languages highlighted. By God’s grace, and with your support, should we exceed this amount, then any additional funds will be used to produce further language versions as the Lord leads.
You can support this important work using the enclosed response form and return envelope, or you can scan the QR code to make a donation online at:
www.lmi-org.net/support-bible-teaching-translation-and-printing
We are truly excited about how far ‘Dynamics of Discipleship’ can travel and about the genuine, tangible and lasting difference it can make in countless Christian lives and churches around the world. We hope you share this sense of excitement and know that any support you provide will be truly appreciated.
Yours in His service,
Thomas and Yvonne McClean
LMI Co-Founders and Directors