The Hardest Roadblock For The Bible In Rwanda
Faith on the Move
A roadblock is a barrier set across a highway—a physical or figurative obstruction designed to halt progress toward a goal. Whether erected by law enforcement, military checkpoints, or carved out by sudden natural landslides, its purpose is always the same: to stop the traveler in their tracks.
Throughout history, the Word of God has been a pilgrim on the move, traveling down the dusty highways of human history. Along the way, it has met a relentless variety of obstacles. Yet, amid centuries of fierce opposition, which roadblock has proved to be the hardest to overcome? The journey has been long, and the weight of the obstacles immense, but looking closely reveals a sobering truth about the ultimate barrier standing in the path of God’s Word.
Every faithful heart recognizes that the Bible did not originate from the mere intellect of men, but flowed directly from the heart of the Father. Through the mystery of divine inspiration, the holy thoughts of the Almighty were entrusted to fragile human instruments and written down on transient materials—papyrus, parchment, and animal skins. This initial journey was far from smooth; it was marked by immense labor, sacrifice, and spiritual warfare. Glory be to God, and honor to those faithful servants who allowed themselves to be His vessels, giving written form to eternal truth for generations to come.
Despite every hardship, the Bible found a path, pressing past every roadblock toward its true goal.
The Journey Behind
What was the ultimate destination of this sacred journey? What was the destiny toward which God’s Word was traveling all along? Its goal was never merely to inhabit library shelves or scholars' desks, but to reach the living center of humanity: the human heart. It moved from the heart of God for the hearts of men. And for how many men? For all of them.
In its original languages, copy after copy was painstakingly transcribed and circulated across the ancient world. Intolerance and persecution threatened to extinguish the light, yet in God’s sovereign providence, the Word pressed onward. It broke through linguistic barriers into Latin, allowing millions to hear the gospel in the common tongue of their empire. Hallelujah!
Yet the heartbeat of God was far larger than the Latin-speaking world. As centuries turned and technology advanced, the printing press emerged, placing the sacred Scriptures directly into the hands of the common man. In time, driven by holy conviction, faithful missionaries carried this precious treasure across oceans and mountains, until by God's rich grace, the gospel landed upon the hills of Rwanda. These servants paved the Bible road to our homeland, translating the eternal counsel of God into Kinyarwanda. At last, Rwandan hands held the very Word of God in their own tongue! Hallelujah!
The Roadblock Ahead
Men of Rwanda, can we even fathom the weight of that long journey? Consider the immense toll: centuries of persecution, physical hazards, geographical isolation, and relentless trials stood between ancient manuscripts and the Bible resting in our hands today.
Many years have passed, and the Bible sits freely in the hands of ordinary men across our land. But what has become of its journey? What is the formidable roadblock preventing the living Word from crossing the final threshold into its intended destiny today? Is it government opposition? No. Is it economic poverty? No. What is the real roadblock, then? Why this tragic stagnancy?
I must humbly confess: it is me, Joel Bishop Kaama. It is you. It is the human tendency to stand in the doorway.
The true destination of Scripture was never merely the hands of men, but the hearts of men, yet we continue to keep our heart doors tightly closed. This is the hardest roadblock of all: not the tyranny of empires, but the quiet resistance of a guarded heart.
God, in His profound grace and patience, does not invade the human soul by force. The living Word stands at the door and knocks. If we will surrender our pride and unlock the gate, the final roadblock collapses, allowing the Word to reach its true home—the heart, the true center of divine transformation.
The Way Forward
I pray with the ABC ministry to get the Bible into all the community: not only in the hands, but now in the hearts of everyone.
May a million copies sold never become a satisfying statistical record to feed our pride, but rather a testimony of a million hearts transformed by grace. Let us join together in unceasing prayer, asking God to open the locked doors of our communities, unblock the highway, and advance His holy Word to its ultimate destination.