"Enough,
enough. Stop! Don't hit him like that!" A Biem
lady shouted out loud from the back as the Roman soldiers (Brandon) put a
beating on Jesus (Thomas). On the last day of the teaching, we acted out
Jesus dying on the cross, the burial and the resurrection. People looked
on intently, trying to understand what it all means. After the drama, we
taught...
Jesus is our sin substitute. The penalty of sin is death. But God always provided, just like the Old Testament. We brought them back to Noah, God provided a boat (with one door). Abraham and Isaac, how God would not let Abraham kill his son but provided a substitute. In the Passover, the blood on the doorpost was the only way to avoid death. People have been thinking hard about these OT stories for weeks and now they are all making sense.
Jesus defeated death. Jesus rose again and death no longer has power over Jesus and those who trust in Him. Death is feared no matter where you live but in a tribal culture like Biem, it is openly, regularly exhibited. The endless wailing at funerals, the finality of death and the pure dread of dying...death is a big deal to our guys here.
When we believe in Jesus and what He has done on the cross, our spirits become alive again in God's eyes. We used a permanent black marker on a white board and wrote some names on it and said, "whoever believes in God's talk, God will put his name in the book of life and it will never be removed."
We concluded with the Great Commission and Jesus' ascension. We told them it is because of this "talk" that we all left our families in Taiwan, Germany and US and came here.
Guys, there is so much more I can type here but let me just get to some of the responses after the lesson yesterday.
"Mali? Mali? Mali Muel?" (Really? Really? REALLY?) The top fisherman on the island just kept on asking this question, in total astonishment in what Jesus did on the cross for him. He just kept on looking at everybody around him and popped the question, "Really? really?"
"This is God's talk. I've heard it. See, it's just one story, from the Old Testament to Jesus. There is no other road but Jesus. God meant it this way from the beginning."
"I am so free (the Biem expression is I am no longer carrying a heavy load on my shoulder)! I used to think all the good things I do would get me to heaven. But every night when I go to sleep, I knew I had not the slightest clue where I'd go if I die. So I'd get up the next morning, trying to do more 'works' so I can go to heaven. Now I know that Jesus paid for my sin debt and He said it is 'finished. I am so free."
A young guy sat next to me, with a biggest smile on his face. He didn't say anything so I asked him, "what's on your mind?" He said, "Wayne, I had a big question yesterday. Why didn't God the Father help Jesus on the cross? I thought about it all night and I didn't know. But after today's lesson, I don't have any more questions. I got it. I understand it. I am just going to sit here and be happy." He smiled on...
And one young Biem man has a message for YOU. Yes, YOU. He said, "I know I should thank God for you guys but I want to thank all three of your families for bring God's talk here." Then we told him that, no, it's not just the three families. There are literally thousands of people praying for you guys to understand God's talk all over the world. He then said, "Ok, then you go and tell them, ALL OF THEM, THANK YOU. God's talk has come to our island. THANK THEM for praying and sending you guys here." This young man, along with a few others, began to discuss how they need to take this talk to other islands and even different language groups in Papua New Guinea. I shook my head and just marveled at the Holy Spirit. He is at work already! It took me how many years after salvation to even wrap my head around the need for "missions" but but these guys are talking about it minutes after they trusted in Jesus! At that moment, I was no longer "the missionary" but a fellow brother in Christ, learning from our Biem brothers in Christ.
Guys, again, this is just the beginning and there is much growing ahead for our Biem believers. Persecutions will come (and have come already). Many people are still against this talk. But as John 1:5 says, "The light shines in the darkness and darkness can never extinguish it." The light broke through and it is here to stay.
More to come but want to get this out to you guys first...
Because of the Road Man,
Wayne, Gail, Abby & Kala
Jesus is our sin substitute. The penalty of sin is death. But God always provided, just like the Old Testament. We brought them back to Noah, God provided a boat (with one door). Abraham and Isaac, how God would not let Abraham kill his son but provided a substitute. In the Passover, the blood on the doorpost was the only way to avoid death. People have been thinking hard about these OT stories for weeks and now they are all making sense.
Jesus defeated death. Jesus rose again and death no longer has power over Jesus and those who trust in Him. Death is feared no matter where you live but in a tribal culture like Biem, it is openly, regularly exhibited. The endless wailing at funerals, the finality of death and the pure dread of dying...death is a big deal to our guys here.
When we believe in Jesus and what He has done on the cross, our spirits become alive again in God's eyes. We used a permanent black marker on a white board and wrote some names on it and said, "whoever believes in God's talk, God will put his name in the book of life and it will never be removed."
We concluded with the Great Commission and Jesus' ascension. We told them it is because of this "talk" that we all left our families in Taiwan, Germany and US and came here.
Guys, there is so much more I can type here but let me just get to some of the responses after the lesson yesterday.
"Mali? Mali? Mali Muel?" (Really? Really? REALLY?) The top fisherman on the island just kept on asking this question, in total astonishment in what Jesus did on the cross for him. He just kept on looking at everybody around him and popped the question, "Really? really?"
"This is God's talk. I've heard it. See, it's just one story, from the Old Testament to Jesus. There is no other road but Jesus. God meant it this way from the beginning."
"I am so free (the Biem expression is I am no longer carrying a heavy load on my shoulder)! I used to think all the good things I do would get me to heaven. But every night when I go to sleep, I knew I had not the slightest clue where I'd go if I die. So I'd get up the next morning, trying to do more 'works' so I can go to heaven. Now I know that Jesus paid for my sin debt and He said it is 'finished. I am so free."
A young guy sat next to me, with a biggest smile on his face. He didn't say anything so I asked him, "what's on your mind?" He said, "Wayne, I had a big question yesterday. Why didn't God the Father help Jesus on the cross? I thought about it all night and I didn't know. But after today's lesson, I don't have any more questions. I got it. I understand it. I am just going to sit here and be happy." He smiled on...
And one young Biem man has a message for YOU. Yes, YOU. He said, "I know I should thank God for you guys but I want to thank all three of your families for bring God's talk here." Then we told him that, no, it's not just the three families. There are literally thousands of people praying for you guys to understand God's talk all over the world. He then said, "Ok, then you go and tell them, ALL OF THEM, THANK YOU. God's talk has come to our island. THANK THEM for praying and sending you guys here." This young man, along with a few others, began to discuss how they need to take this talk to other islands and even different language groups in Papua New Guinea. I shook my head and just marveled at the Holy Spirit. He is at work already! It took me how many years after salvation to even wrap my head around the need for "missions" but but these guys are talking about it minutes after they trusted in Jesus! At that moment, I was no longer "the missionary" but a fellow brother in Christ, learning from our Biem brothers in Christ.
Guys, again, this is just the beginning and there is much growing ahead for our Biem believers. Persecutions will come (and have come already). Many people are still against this talk. But as John 1:5 says, "The light shines in the darkness and darkness can never extinguish it." The light broke through and it is here to stay.
More to come but want to get this out to you guys first...
Because of the Road Man,
Wayne, Gail, Abby & Kala
Praising the Lord with all of you!!!
ReplyDeleteFlooded with joy! Thank you for posting this. Praising God for new believers! Love you!
ReplyDelete