Many years ago, I heard the story of a group of pastors that were debating the merits of different Bible translations. One pastor told his peers that he always used the King James Version in his preaching because of its richness in conveying God’s Word. Another pastor told the Amplified Translation was his favorite because it greatly enlarged the shades and meanings of various words in each verse. Another pastor stated that he loved to preach from the Living Translation because of its fluidity and ease. The discussion continued for some time until there came a voice from a young lady that was sitting in the back of the auditorium announcing that she loved her dad’s translation. The pastors stopped their discussion and asked the young lady to come to the front of the room and join them. Upon recognizing the young lady, one minister said, “I’ve known your dad for some time. I didn’t know that he was a Greek and Hebrew scholar and penned his own translation of the Bible.” The lady responded that her father had never penned a translation on paper but had translated the Bible through his daily walk with Christ. That was the end of the discussion.
Nursery teacher, Sunday school teacher, Children’s/Youth Pastor, mid-week Bible club leader, each and every time that you walk into your ministry assignment, you become a living, flesh-and-blood translation of God’s Word. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3) Those in your ministry are defining what a God-loving, devil-hating, Word-believing, Spirit-filled, faith-demonstrating, impossibility-crushing, passionately-worshipping, prayer-loving child of God is like as they watch you minister. They are reading your living epistle line by line.
Take a moment and review your last time with the children/youth. Did it reflect a Book of Acts service? If not, it might be time to pull out the correction fluid and pen to modify the contents of what is being read. Remember that the church of tomorrow is being formed by the classroom of today. Let’s be a flesh-and-blood New Testament leader. Write through your actions and teachings an accurate, powerful account of a life in the Spirit. Lives are counting on it!
What Translation of the Bible Are They Reading?
