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My dream begins with the Word
Archbishop Peter Jensen
24 August 2007
"And so, Mr Morrison, you really expect that you will make an impression on the idolatry of the great Chinese Empire?" asked the sceptical owner of the vessel which took the young man from the London Missionary Society to China. "No, sir," said Robert Morrison, "I expect God will." (See David Aikman, Jesus in Beijing, p36).
Morrison only won 10 converts in his lifetime, but he is known as the father of Protestant missions in China and the impact of his work has had an incalculable ongoing effect to this day.
Morrison was a gifted linguist and employed as a translator by the East India Company. What impelled him to sacrificial work was his love for Christ and his determination that others should also hear about the Saviour. He founded an important Christian college and talked to people about Jesus. But his central achievement was the translation of the Bible. The labour involved in such an enterprise is amazing. Having the Bible in your own language is an immense gift of love from those involved. We thank God for the dedicated labours of Robert Morrison and those who supported him.
Just think of the part played by the Bible in your own life. We learn at once of the fact that this is one world, created and owned by one God; we learn what it is to be human; we learn about marriage and work; we learn what pleases God; we learn about the redemption that God accomplished through Jesus; we learn how his death has saved us; we learn that history has a purpose and that Jesus will return to judge the world; we learn about the Holy Spirit and the church; we learn about the new heavens and the new earth. These are the great facts which give us our special worldview. How empty would be a world without them!
The Bible has a huge impact on the church. God's word is a public revelation of himself to us. Part of the joy is that it belongs to us all, and we can study it together.
English-speaking people have enjoyed this privilege for centuries and the Bible has shaped the English language at a profound level. More important, it has shaped the way we see the world and live in it. There are many testimonies to the power of the Bible to bring people to a knowledge of God. It is one of our chief evangelistic weapons. But knowledge - and ownership - of the Bible is growing less common, especially amongst younger people. This lack of knowledge will make the overall task of evangelism more difficult.
One of the earliest works done by Christians in Sydney in the 19th century was to go from door to door distributing the Bible. They saw this as a vital task if people were going to know God. In those days literacy was a problem and Christians were also very busy teaching people to read and write. Literacy and the Bible go hand in hand.
Today the challenge is a similar one. We want people to have access to the Word of God in their own language. Books remain an easily transportable and accessible way of communicating knowledge. But books are not alone.
Down through history many people could not read. But they could all listen as long as the Word made sense to them. If we wish to make the Word of God well-known, we may expect to use contemporary means of communication so that all will have access. For some this will mean reading, for others viewing or listening.
I have a dream - a dream to give all our fellow citizens in the Diocese a copy of the word of God. This would have to be a major Christian effort and would involve planning, training, publications, prayer. If we set aside the year of 2009 in particular (the 50th anniversary of the first Billy Graham Crusade) and worked together on such a great project, I think we would experience much joy in the Lord's service. It would also help fulfil the aim of our Diocesan Mission that all may hear his call to repent and believe on him.
Would it not be a wonderful thing if, over the years following such an effort, many people became Christians? Would it not be wonderful if some person to whom you gave a copy of the word of God read it and was saved? Such things happen and we ought to trust God and pray to him that he will bless the distribution of his word in our region.
--The Most Rev. Peter Jensen is Archbishop of Sydney, Australia
