Ahpu Nguapha

Ahph Nguapha has worked tirelessly for many years to teach the Bible to the Lisu people and help meet their need for educated leaders. Ahpu was born into a Christian family in northern Burma. His parents were Christians who fled from China in the 1950's in the face of violent persecution from Communist government officials.  Ahpu's ministry involves evangelism, church planting, leadership training, and literature production.  He has taught the Bible at three different Bible schools with the majority of his time being spent at the Lisu Bible Institute, of which he is now the director.  Ahpu obtained a Master of Religious Education from Cincinnati Christian Seminary in 1986, a Master of Divinity from Lincoln Christian Seminary in 1997, a Doctor of Ministry from Ashland Theological Seminary in 2006, and a Doctor of Divinity from International Theological Seminary in 2009.

Training seminars

Ahpu’s ministry focuses also include Bible translation and writing supplemental Christian books in the Lisu language. He also developed a leadership training model designed to equip and empower Lisu Christian leaders. The program brings Bible and theology training directly to Lisu communities through a short-term Bible education format. The full program consists of 18 courses.

In the past, he regularly traveled to remote areas of China, Burma, and India to teach these seminars. Due to the risk of arrest and increasing political instability, he is no longer able to travel safely to China or Burma, though he continues ministry opportunities in India, as time and finances allow.

Bible translation

For many years, Ahpu worked tirelessly to revise the Lisu Bible. The previous version was similar to the Old King James Version and was difficult for many Lisu Christians to understand because of its lengthy sentences, unclear wording, inconsistent language, and improper vocabulary and punctuation.

To create a translation that was both accurate and easy for the Lisu people to understand, Ahpu primarily translated from the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament and the original Greek text of the New Testament using Logos software. He also consulted several English translations, including the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the King James Version (KJV), and occasionally the New International Version (NIV).

The revised translation closely follows the original Hebrew and Greek texts while using clear and consistent language for Lisu readers. After the translation was completed, copies were distributed to 15 pastors, church leaders, as well as leaders from OMF organization (Overseas Missionary Fellowship) for proofreading and review, followed by multiple rounds of editing. In 2024, the final version was completed and prepared for printing and distribution to the Lisu people.

books

Ahpu has written 9 books titled: God's Plan for Church Leadership, Hermeneutics, Minor Prophets, An Overview of Old Testament History, Study of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology), New Testament Church, The Seven Churches of Revelation, Biblical Theology, and Walking with the Holy Spirit.  These books are essential to help the Lisu people learn as there is little to no Christian literature, besides the Bible, available in the Lisu language. Ahpu has been working on writing another book titled Major Prophets. Distributing these books to the Lisu people has been huge in helping them learn and grow in their faith, as they previously only had the Bible to learn from. There have been about 1,000 copies of each book printed and distributed throughout Thailand, China, and Burma.