Hungry for the Word of God in Malaysia

Your gifts and prayers are strengthening the church in Malaysia through the audio Bible distribution program!

There are many languages and dialects in Malaysia, which is No. 43 on the 2023 World Watch List. Though the official language of the country is Malay, many ethnic groups tend to speak their native dialect or language more than they speak Malay (or English), which is more common in urban areas. Some years ago, Open Doors local partners worked with a company to produce audio Bibles. The audio
Bibles are long-range compact radio devices that come pre-installed with audio versions of the Bible, some sermons and worship music.

The impact of the audio Bibles has been incredible! And more and more Christians in Malaysia began to ask for the Bible in their own language. That’s when local partners decided to translate the Bible into some of Malaysia’s minority languages and dialects in hopes that more believers would be able to hear and understand God’s Word in their mother tongue.

In 2021, Open Doors’ local partners distributed over 30,000 Bibles to believers, including these audio Bibles; in 2022, 30,000 additional Bibles (including audio versions) were distributed. The need for the devices has been overwhelming—but our local partners see God moving in the need!

“It’s amazing to see believers hungry for the Word of God,” says one Open Doors local partner.

God is using the prayers and gifts of Open Doors supporters—people like you!—to make His Word more accessible to Christians in Malaysia. “I am very thankful because it helps me understand the Word of God, especially in my native tongue,” one recipient of an audio device told our local partners.

Because this device doesn’t need any kind of connection to the internet to function, Open Doors partners tell us that some believers take these radio devices to their farms and workplaces so they can listen to the Word of God while they’re working. It’s especially helpful to native Christians who are unable to read.

“I’m grateful and blessed to be able to listen to this audio Bible,” another Christian says. “I can listen to it anytime, even while farming and doing house chores. It really helps because I cannot read.”

So many testimonies came out of these audio Bibles being distributed. One believer said that she’s so happy to hear the Bible being read in her native language because now her mother, who is illiterate, is able to hear the Word of God in her own language.

And God is using it to spread the gospel. “I am just a normal person, but God used me to spread His good news to others using this way [playing the audio Bible],” another Christian says. “Before this, whenever I sang praise songs, there was a burden in my heart. [I would sing the lyric], ‘God, use me as your agent while I am still strong.’ This is God’s way of using me. I am very grateful that God is using me
to share the [audio] Bible with others. Let’s continue to lift our Lord Jesus' name up high.”

“There is a teacher who has been declared to be paralyzed by a doctor for the rest of her life, but we prayed for her and she can walk again,” a church leader told our partners. “Now, she focuses on listening to the Word of God. She already experienced the miracle and power of God, and now she has responded to wanting to know the Lord more. This radio really helps her in that process.”

Another Open Doors partner uses his audio Bible as a tool to begin minister to the people in his longhouse—a traditional home where many families live under one roof. This drew a lot of attention, and many asked him for their own audio Bible!

We praise God for the work that is being done with this little device. And we are thankful for your gifts to Open Doors that make this ministry possible.

please pray

Please continue to pray for your brothers and sisters in Malaysia as they grow in their faith with the help of these audio versions of God’s Word.

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Will you consider giving regularly to the persecuted church?

Open Doors aims to “strengthen what remains and is about to die” (Rev 3:2). Your Monthly Donation can help us to provide continuous support to the persecuted church worldwide and enable us to respond immediately to emergency situations.

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Hungry for the Word of God in Malaysia

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