India Bible Literature

India Bible Literature's website makes it clear just how amazing some of these organizations bring the gospel to the Marathi people really are. The idea of at least one page of the Bible in every Indian home is so wonderful, and it should definitely not be considered an impossible task.

Publications
"So is my Word that goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
The heart of I.B.L. consists of our Literature Ministry. Placing at least a portion of the Scripture in every Indian home has been our vision. A vision we are working towards making a reality through committed efforts and innovative programs. Our Literature Ministry consists of primarily printing and distributing Bibles and Study materials. These are offered for small donations, so that each home will be blessed with atleast a portion of the Scripture. Our programs reach over 17 million people throughout India in 20 different languages annually. Our Bibles, New Testaments and Gospels are available in 17 languages. Study Bibles are available in English, Hindi, Tamil , Marathi and Telugu. As you know, we are a non-profit organization and all our programs are run from proceeds received from distributing Bibles and Scripture material. We request you to uphold our Ministry in your prayers and also contribute to help us bring the Word to every Indian home. Be a part of this magnificent dream and watch the blessings overflow into your home. Bibles We print and distribute Bibles and Study Bibles of varied versions in English and vernacular languages of India . Used Bibles from abroad are also given away to Bible colleges and church leaders for a small donation. Children's Bible School Books Children's Bible School books are printed every year for four grades to be used in CBS during summer. The Teacher's Guide helps the teachers to reach children effectively while the Workbook activities are both interesting and educative for the Children. These books are printed in English and 13 languages for different language groups. Help for Sunday School Teachers IBL also prints and publishes books to help Sunday School teachers in co-operation with different partners from India and abroad. Our partners from Finland have helped us to publish the Great Joy Teacher's Guide Series I - VI. They organized Sunday School Teacher's Training program in different parts of India. During this time, the participants are introduced to the Great Joy Books I- VI, covering the age groups of 3 - 14. Important topics like What God is like?, What Jesus is Like? , Learning about Hell and Heaven and Missionary Work are presented in a very simple and clear manner to help the teachers to communicate to the students easily. Each book is accompanied by a picture book as visual aid. The Teachers' Manuals I & II are printed and used during the Teachers' Training programs, by the leaders during the program. Great Joy books are available in English, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and Gujarathi. CEF Books for Child Evangelists The Child Evangelism Fellowship Specialized Book Ministry, Northern Ireland, UK , has been partnering with us in publishing books for child evangelists and volunteer teachers since 2002. It is a five-year project, printing and distributing one-pack each year. So far, we have published Children's Workers' Pack I, II & III containing text books accompanied by relevant visualized lessons along with one year Teaching plan. Sam Doherty, the author of most of these books as an expert, elicits the doctrine from stories and helps teachers to express the biblical truth in a systematic way. The titles of three sets of CEF books published so far are given below : CEF Children's Worker's Kit – I • The First Steps • The Bible - visualized lessons and text book • The Lord Jesus Christ - visualized lessons and text book • Wordless Book CEF Children's Worker's Kit – II • How to Evangelize Children – Training manual • Questions Children Ask - visualized lessons and text book • Who is God? - visualized lessons and text book • What is God Like? - visualized lessons and text book • A Wordless Book • One-Year Teaching Plan CEF Children's Worker's Kit – III • Salvation the Gift of God - Part I – visualized lessons and text book • Salvation the Gift of God - Part II – visualized lessons and text book • How to teach Bible Doctrines to Children • One Year Bible Plan • The Wordless Book RMA Picture Chart The multi-colored picture charts with 42 lessons covering from Genesis to Revelation, are available in English and regional languages. These are very popular among Sunday School teachers and child evangelists. On one side you have the lesson well explained while the other side has the relevant picture which the teacher can display on the board. It has a Teacher's Guide also. These are given to us from our partners in Ireland . ICM In cooperation with International Cooperative Ministries, I.B.L publishes Bible Study books authored by Pastor Dick Woodward. These are published as 33 books, covering both Old and New Testaments, in 11 languages. Adult Literacy Primers Adult Literacy Primers and Teacher's Guide are produced as three graded books in 16 major languages of India . Special training is given for volunteer teachers on teaching methods. These are available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Assamese, Oriya, Marathi, Urdu, Bengali, Santali, Zomi, Gujarathi, Nepali and Marathi. ACTS Renewal Magazine ACTS magazines are published in English and 7 regional languages. They are packed with powerful messages contributed by men of God with spiritual experience, biblical knowledge and commitment. The messages given by our preachers and pastors using the contents of the magazine have brought many to the feet of God. ACTS Magazine is given free to pastors, preachers, evangelists or church leaders who teach a group of 20 or more people once a week. It has articles that teach how to prepare sermons, evangelize, pray for the sick, strengthen the church, grow as a believer in Jesus, be effective as a church leader, and much more. With the help of World Missionary Assistance Plan WMAP, CA, USA , we have been printing and distributing ACTS magazine in English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali and Oriya from eighties. We also print English-International in great quantity and send them all over the world. ACTS is also published and distributed in Swahili, French and Spanish. The Shepherd's Staff The Shepherd's Staff – known by some as – “A Bible School in a Book” – is a 1000-page book designed to train and equip church leaders. It contains the spirit-filled, Bible-based writings of many authors. Ralph Mahoney, the Founder of World MAP spent many years gathering, editing and preparing this material. It is a good instant preaching guide for christian leaders. The TSS has almost everything that a preacher or evangelist needs for seven to ten years of teaching and preaching. The profound Bible study and interpretation serve as an ideal guide to anyone who wants to preach. Harvest India Harvest India is the bi-monthly English magazine of India Bible Literature. It has the reports of I.B.L. ministries, testimonies and powerful messages. Distributed free of cost for those who write and ask for it.

The Marathi People in India

India is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, with hundreds of linguistic nationalities and hundreds of different castes (tribes) residing in each state. The caste levels are based on the measure of purity in relationship to the holy scriptures. The Marathi-speaking peoples live near the west coast of central India, in Maharashtra and other surrounding states. The Marathi cluster includes four distinct unreached people groups: the Berar Marathi or Brahmani, which has a population of over seven million; the Dhanwar; the Maratha, with a population of over sixty million; and the Thakur. Each group speaks a different dialect of Marathi.

The Marathi groups vary in location and type. Some of the Marathi tribes tribes live in the hills, while others live in the Deccan Plateau. There are landowners and cultivators, as well as illiterate tribes living in small jungle villages. All levels of society can be seen among them, however, the majority belong to the lowest class of farmers. They also have differing religious practices and cultural traditions.

The Family...
The basic social unit in India is the family. Families generally are large, and extended families often live together or near each other. Rural women are responsible for the children, household, and helping in the fields. Traditional marriages are still arranged by parents, often with the consent of the bride and groom. Marriage is sacred to most Indians and is considered to endure beyond death. Chastity is the most treasured virtue of womanhood.

Appearance...
Women wear a long length of fabric or a colorful pantsuit with a knee-length shirt. They also wear considerable jewelry. The red dot on their foreheads was traditionally a sign of femininity, gracefulness, and marital status, but has become for many an optional beauty aid.

Men wear Western-style suits or more traditional clothing, such as the large piece of cloth wrapped around the waist. Hindus and Muslims may wear a long shirt with pants, sometimes accompanied by a jacket or a vest.

Most of the Marathi are Hindus. For them, Hinduism is a "way of life" defined more by their actions than their beliefs. Shared beliefs of various indigenous religions have merged over thousands of years. They worship many gods, have sacred writings, hymns, rituals, theology, social laws, and myths concerning Hindu gods and goddesses. They teach that animals have souls. Cows are sacred and other animals are also revered. They believe that the soul never dies but is reborn in a form of an animal. If a person lives a good life, the soul will be born into a higher state. A person's reincarnation continues until he or she achieves spiritual perfection. Eight percent of the Marathi are Muslim, result of invaders and wars with the Moguls that took place during the eighteenth century.

What you can do…

• Adopt the Marathi people.
• Learn as much as possible about this group
• Organize strategic prayer
• Provide financial resources to train local leaders
• Arrange short missions trips

...until there is a strong church established among the Marathi people..

How to Pray for the Marathi...

• Ask the Holy Spirit to break the power of idolatry and superstition that are keeping the Marathi bound.
• Take authority over every spiritual power that has ruled their lives from generations, and declare freedom in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Ask the Lord to call people to share Christ with the Marathi.
• Grant wisdom and favor to nationals and missionaries targeting the Marathi.
• Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Marathi through dreams and visions.
• Ask God to give us creative ways to train Christians to reach the Marathi.
• Pray that God will give the Marathi believers boldness to share Christ with their own people.
• Pray that Christian radio broadcasts, the Jesus film, and gospel recordings will have an impact among the Marathi for the Glory of God.
• Pray for God to raise up a strong local churches among the Marathi.