As we approach the end of 2022, we thank our generous supporters for the donations made for God Is: A Devotional Guide to the Attributes of God by Mark Jones, which is now in print.  Translation ministry is essential to gospel proclamation, yet the churches and their believers have often neglected it. Thank you for partnering with us.

This year, we took up the challenge of raising funds for Joel Beeke’s Reformed Preaching; it is our biggest project to date, but why translate a textbook essentially?  We have always desired to provide sound Chinese translations of Reformed literature with a balance of theological and devotional works. In the past, we have focused on more devotional works like The Victory of the Lamb, The Cross He Bore by Frederick Leahy, and works by Puritan authors.   They are great for personal devotion, but for someone who desires to learn the art of prophecy it lacks the instructive knowledge provided by books like Reformed Preaching.

Based on his lectures on preaching at the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, “Reformed Preaching” emphasises learning to preach experientially from the Reformers and their theological successors through the centuries. It defines and describes experiential preaching, examples from reformed preachers, and practical notes for preachers, so the knowledge learned may be applied to their weekly sermons.

The second book we are raising funds for the coming year is the first volume of Voices From The Past, edited by Richard Rushing and published by Banner of Truth. These two volumes of Puritan devotions have been on our consideration list for many years; Rushing combined several pages of sometimes difficult readings into a one-page devotion, one for each day of the year, making the works of Puritans even more accessible for our time. However, due to the nature of the work, finding the right person to translate them proves challenging. So, when our newest member David Chung mentioned he has translated for his ministries in the past, we had no hesitation in urging him to translate the rest for publication. With the help of editorial staff in RTF Taiwan, it will soon be ready for publishing.

The total estimated cost for the two books is as follows:

1. Joel Beeke, Reformed Preaching (est. 122,000 AUD)
2. Richard Rushing [ed.], Voices From The Past: Volume I (est. 6,000 AUD)

We have managed to raise 25% for “Reformed Preaching” and will continue to seek funds for both publications for the coming year. If you would like to partner with us to cover the translation and initial publication costs, you may find our donation details at the end of the newsletter or on our website.
May we ask you to set aside this year’s Reformation Sunday (30st October) as Pray for China Day? We hope this will provide an opportunity for the work of RTF to be known by the Australian churches. Feel free to send your pictures of the day so we can use them for our following newsletter!

Several resources for you to spread the word about RTF.

An A4 poster template for your church noticeboard

A brief introduction to the ministries of RTF

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “You help us by your prayers” (2 Corinthians 1: 11). We valued your prayerful interest in this ministry in the past and encouraged you to continue helping those who hunger for the doctrines of grace in China and across the globe.