Giving Thanks for Discipleship! | Aaron and Stacy Jex

We’ve come to the end of a long workday. Everything is busy and bustling as usual, just like any other day. Oh, and it’s Thanksgiving Day.

Here in Papua New Guinea, we don’t celebrate all the American holidays. Even after being here so many years, it’s still strange to have a regular workday on Thanksgiving Day. Without any turkey or football. Good thing THAT is not what Thanksgiving is all about!

We are thankful and grateful to be serving God here in Papua New Guinea. Thank you for making that possible!

Tribal ministry is cooking along here in PNG. We always think of the highlight as being the Gospel presentation. That IS a highlight as it took years of training, years of culture and language study, Bible lesson preparation, Bible translation, and literacy classes – all in the tribal language. After all that, then the Gospel is presented after teaching the background in the New Testament. People have to know who GOD is and believe they are a lost soul drowning in their own sin in order to see the value in a Messiah. So, after months of teaching, the Gospel is finally presented! That is a highlight! That happened in a record 4 tribes last year in the space of about 9 months!

HOWEVER, that is only part of the Great Commission. The Great Commission talks about making disciples. That is what we are to be about. And, even though it’s been quiet as far as high-profile Gospel presentations, disciples are STILL being made! God is working even through a pandemic, even though the world seems to be falling apart – and who knows how long it will stay together. Even through ALL that, disciples are still being made! Hallelujah!

Take, for example, what is happening in the Iski tribe (from the Williamsons):

“This is my disciple right here!” Disciple-making is a huge need for the church right now, and during my trip in there we put a big emphasis on the Matthew 28:19-20 mandate to make disciples. During our recent trip to the Masa church plant, I was so encouraged by what I saw. Jon (an Oguru village Bible teacher) told me how he had been discipling a man down there named Steven. He told me, “Jason, we have been learning about making disciples, well this is my disciple right here. Whenever Steven and his wife have had marital problems, or other issues, I’ve made time to sit with them and help them think how God would want them to respond.” He then told me how Steven had been making other disciples. Steven’s sister lives across the river from Masa village. After the people in Masa heard the creation to Christ teaching and many believed, Steven’s sister showed great interest. Rather than waiting for another outreach to start, Steven took it upon himself to go across the river every day and teach his sister all 63 lessons in the Iski creation to Christ teaching. Praise God, after she heard it she placed her faith in Christ! After that her husband, Rudolf, who had been out in town came back and saw a change in her and he also wanted to hear the teaching! So, Steven started all over again with him. He crossed the river 5 days a week and took Rudolf through the chronological teaching. I recently got to sit down with Rudolf and ask him about it and he said to me, “I had lived close to the other religious mission here all my life and never understood the meaning of Christ’s death. Now I understand it clearly in my language and I want all my family here in my village to hear this message! Can the Bible teachers come and start an outreach here soon?” I love what God has done through this relationship of Jon and Steven. There is a long way to go before other believers catch the fire of disciple-making. Will you pray for boldness for others to follow their lead?