Luxembourg - Waiting for the Scriptures

Who would have believed that there was a need for a Bible translation in the heart of Europe? Nestled between Germany, France and Belgium, where the Scriptures have been available for centuries, is the country of Luxembourg --- and there is no Luxembourgish Bible translation!

In just a few short days of visiting, I was moved by the spectacular opportunity for the gospel in the city and country of Luxembourg for several reasons.

1) Lux has a population of 500,000 people, 350,000 of whom Luxembourgish is their mother tongue! A missionary told me that although the country has been historically religious, his estimation is that there are around 1,000 evangelical Christians - less then 1/5 of 1%. Many of these Christians (most of them?) are expats living in the country.

2). The grip of traditional religion has been an oppressive force among the Lux people. Anyone who would even consider visiting an evangelical church faces significant family and clergy pressure.

3). However, the last 20 years has seen a massive cultural transition. The dominance of the church has been overwhelmed by the growing tide of secularization which has swept over this country (one of the wealthiest in the world). Though this secularization has brought with it enormous moral and ethical pressures - just like it has in many other places - it has also swept aside many of the religious loyalties.

4) The Scriptures are going to be printed in the Luxembourgish language!! The New Testament is on track for a 2017 dedication and the translation team is already gearing up for an aggressive timetable for completing the Old Testament!

Maybe God will use all of these factors - a needy population; a culture in transition; a growing secularization which can only lead to hopelessness and spiritual searching on the part of some; and the insertion of the good news of the Scriptures into a culture that has never understood its personal message - to throw open the doors for the nation transforming power of the message of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps God will allow Bibles International to partner with a team of God-called gospel messengers and church planters, who believe that NOW is the perfect time for God to do a dramatic work in this beautiful city.