The Gift of Words: How Literacy Opens Doors to the Gospel
In the beginning was the Word. And for millions around the world, that Word remains locked behind a barrier many of us take for granted—the ability to read.
Today, nearly 773 million adults worldwide cannot read or write. Behind that staggering number are real people: mothers who cannot read bedtime stories to their children, fathers who cannot sign their own names, and communities where the written Word of God remains as foreign as a distant language. For those of us called to share the gospel with all nations, this reality presents both a profound challenge and an extraordinary opportunity.
Where Literacy and the Gospel Meet
When we teach someone to read, we give them far more than a practical skill. We hand them the keys to Scripture itself. Consider the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, reading from Isaiah but unable to understand without Philip's guidance. Now imagine millions who cannot even begin that journey because the letters on the page hold no meaning.
Literacy-focused missions work bridges this gap. In villages across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, missionaries are doing the patient, transformative work of teaching adults and children to read—often using the Bible as their textbook. The results are nothing short of miraculous. A grandmother reads Psalm 23 for the first time and weeps. A young father discovers John 3:16 and shares it with his entire family. Communities are transformed not just educationally, but spiritually.
The Vital Work of Bible Translation
Yet literacy alone is not enough. What good is learning to read if the Bible does not exist in your heart language? This is why Bible translation remains one of the most critical mission endeavors of our time.
Approximately 1.5 billion people still do not have a complete Bible in their native tongue. Translation teams work tirelessly—sometimes for decades—to bring Scripture to unreached language groups. When a people group receives the Bible in their own language for the first time, heaven rejoices. Oral cultures become reading cultures. The gospel takes root in ways that transcend what any missionary could accomplish alone, because now God's Word speaks directly to hearts in the language of childhood, of prayer, of dreams.
Your Partnership Matters
Every literacy class taught, every primer printed, every translation completed represents countless hours of faithful labor—and generous support from mission partners like you. Your prayers sustain translators in remote locations. Your giving provides books, training, and resources. Your commitment ensures that this work continues until every tongue can declare the glory of God.
The Great Commission calls us to make disciples of all nations. For many nations, that commission begins with a simple yet profound gift: teaching someone to read the very words of life.
As you consider how God might use you in this mission, remember that each letter taught, each word unlocked, each Bible placed in waiting hands is a seed planted for eternity. The harvest is plentiful, and the workers—including you—are making an eternal difference.
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
— Romans 10:15