“It’s not just about the story of the cross and how Jesus died on it, it is about belief,” one of the Patpatar men told me after hearing the Gospel presentation yesterday on Good Friday. I questioned him further, “Belief? Belief in what?” “Belief that Jesus’ died to make the payment for sin,” he replied. I again asked him, “Why though, why would he die to pay for sin?” My Patpatar friend shook his head took a deep breath and said, “He died in my place.”
Thank you to so many of you who have been praying for the evangelistic teaching that has been taking place in the 3 groups here among the Patpatar. Yesterday, on Good Friday, we woke up to blue skies and bright sun for the first time in nearly 2 weeks. We had good attendance for the lesson on Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection with only a few people unable to attend. Afterwards we were able to visit individually with 5 of those who had heard and all 5 of them gave clear testimony indicating their faith in Christ’s death on their behalf.
· Please continue to pray for us and the Bible teachers this coming week as we follow up with others and share with those who were unable to attend yesterday.
· Pray also for the other two groups who will be taught the good news of the Gospel this coming Wednesday and next Sunday.
· Praise the Lord with us for our new brothers and sisters in Christ and for their continued growth and understanding of God’s Word.
In hearing the testimony of the those who had been in the ‘clan of Satan’ but entered in the ‘clan of God’ through their faith in Christ on the day we mark as the day He died, I couldn’t help but think of the conversation that Jesus had with one of the two men that hung on a cross next to Him. Mark tells us that the two thieves mocked Jesus, but as some point on the cross, Luke lets us know that one of them realized that he was a sinner deserving of his punishment but that Jesus was sinless. He expressed his faith by reprimanding the other thief and asking Jesus to remember him. Jesus replied to him and said, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Because of His death and Resurrection, Aaron
