Preface

 

If one takes time to study words, one will soon discover that culture and traditions of various nations are built within many individual words themselves. Words are the foundation stones to communication and through understanding and translation words can become bridges for encouragement and growth. Many people do not often know the history of their language and because of that do not realize that there are so many pearls and treasures that are hidden within each individual word.

For many cultures the first books that were created are usually dictionaries and or some religious books. An alphabet gets created, then words become written, then sentences are built; those sentences lead to written communication. The dictionary becomes the foundational tool for learning and understanding. I have found people know what word is needed when they speak and when they write as well as how it should be spelled, but if you ask for the heritage and real specific meaning of the word, most often they do not know.

This booklet has three books built into one. Its purpose is to help the student to study the Bible or the Word of God so that they may be able to understand its teaching as well as to be able to communicate that truth to others. What one holds within their hands is a “mini” Bible Dictionary, Bible Concordance and a Theological Dictionary. The word "mini" is used because this is not an exhaustive in-depth word study but a summary of the most often used words that people research for personal study or in preparing a devotional, Sunday school lesson, a lecture or a sermon to be preached.

Every word can be made into a teaching or a sermon that can help equip and train the disciples of God for service. Each word when put together with other verses gives to the disciple the bigger picture of how we as disciples and we as a church should be walking and living before this lost world as Christ's ambassadors.

This book is a beginning point and our hope is that people will one day, on this foundation, build a more exhaustive work for the Kachin and the Burmese people. The student needs tools to help them understand and these tools are desperately needed in the Kachin language, as well as in a variety of other people groups within the country of Myanmar. For the Gospel to go forth, there needs to be many books to help the student who will, in turn, help other people to mature. The goal is that they will produce fruit that will last for God's kingdom and for His glory.

Rev. Dr. James Paul Humphries