The Rhema Bible: The fruit of Fasting and Prayer

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (I Timothy 4:12, KJV). The following article by Pastor Peter R. describes the people and the events that God used to bring His Word to the Rhema* people in Asia, including young people from two different centuries.

The Rhema people belong to the Tibeto-Burman family of the Mongolian race, dwelling among the deep green valleys and picturesque hills of the eastern Himalayan mountains. Racially and dialectically, they belong to the Kuki-Chin group. The ethnological term “Rhema” has been sometimes corrupted and recorded wrongly by different scholars, and the language is also segmented into as many as 21 sub-clans. UNESCO has deemed Rhema “a critically endangered language” in the country (which we cannot name here); yet, God has allowed His Word to be translated into the words of Rhema speakers.

In the late 1950s, the message of the Gospel reached the Rhema people through Baptist Mid-Missions missionaries. Though the older people were reticent to receive it, the Word was well received by the young people, and they eagerly began to attend Bible studies. Through their zeal, they had more blessings from God, and the number of converts increased yearly, leaving behind their animistic beliefs and trusting in Christ. The early Rhema Christians read the Bible in various languages, but in 1974, a whole day of fasting and prayer was observed at a Baptist Church, asking God for a Bible in the Rhema language. Many years later, elders approached another Bible society to translate the Bible into Rhema. However, they rejected the request on the grounds that the Rhema were not in a position to undertake the project. While the Rhema were desperate and feeling hopeless, God guided the people at Bibles International to pave the way for the Rhema Bible translation.

In 1987, the BI Asia Translation Center coordinator learned that Bibles International was looking for communities that wanted the Bible translated into their language. A proposal was submitted to the local Baptist Association committee and was unanimously accepted. The first translation workshop for the Rhema New Testament took place from March 30 to April 16, 1987.

Rhema literacy work was also carried out to inculcate good reading skills and Bible understanding, which led to the release of the Rhema Primer in March 1992. The Gospel of John, published in 1994, was the first book of the Bible printed in Rhema, and in 2003, the Rhema people received their entire New Testament! Many hallelujahs were spoken—and no doubt shouted—at the dedication and release ceremony.

It was my privilege and joy to be appointed as the main translator for the Rhema Old Testament in 2011. I began the work on February 15, 2012, with a 9-year-old laptop computer and no battery backup, translating 24 verses a day, 6 days per week, along with family and pastoral responsibilities. The unique agreement required the first draft of the OT to be completed in seven years, so many late nights and personal and family sacrifices had to be made to complete the quota of verses. I knew that it would require persistent devotion and hard work. The agreement was never amended. Seven years, 6 months, and 2 days later, the translation of the Old Testament was completed. All glory goes to God!

On November 30, 2024, a procession led the way down the church aisle where the Rhema Holy Bible was dedicated. Four elders carried a cane box on two poles, representing the ark of the covenant. As it passed slowly down the aisle, many tears were shed, and many hallelujahs were shouted. Bibles International director Timothy L. Fink, the BI Asia Translation Center Interim Director, the Rhema Bible Translation Committee President, and I received the Bible while the entire congregation remained standing. Rev. Fink took the Bible out of the symbolic ark of the covenant and dedicated the first Rhema Bible in the name of the triune God. Thousands of people gathered for the ceremony that day—one of the largest gatherings in Rhema history.

Rhema Christians are excited to read the Rhema Bible and are thrilled with its quality. They are joyfully satisfied with how it speaks to them in their heart language. The Rhema Bible will impact the Rhema people for generations to come. Pastors, evangelists, and deacons can present God’s words to the people with a more accurate and precise understanding. They are overjoyed to use the Rhema Bible in the pulpit. Lay leaders and Sunday school teachers are immensely thankful for this wonderful gift. Less educated people can read and understand the Word better now. Children have more access to reading God’s words than ever before. Even non-believers have started reading the Bible, and we pray they will come to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior. And last but not least, the youth department has declared 2025 as the “Bible Reading Year.” Perhaps some of these 21^st-century young people are the grandchildren of those young people who received the Gospel so eagerly in the 1950s. May the fruit of those young people abound to the next generation for God’s glory.