1st Month of Teaching Completed
We have been teaching every morning Monday through Friday for a month now. We are about a third of the way through this course. We started in Genesis and are up to the story of Joseph. On Monday when we got to the teaching site in the village there were people already sitting there waiting for the teaching. That was encouraging since usually we have to wait up to a half hour for people to get there. This last week the attendance was down a little so please keep praying.
A Sheep Takes Isaacs Place in Death
The Simbari people are animists and know all about many bush spirits, ancestral spirits and totems. They could tell you about the kumamndo, iko menyiulo, a’mwo gwambo, munjindo and nomilya but they couldn’t tell you what the God of the Bible is like. The Simbari’s are getting introduced to who God is by seeing Him in action. In the creation and in his dealings with Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham and more. They are also seeing that through history while many refuse to follow God and His Word, there has also been a “line” of people who believed in God. For example even though Abraham was a sinner, when he believed God, then God saw him just as if he wasn’t a sinner. (Gen. 15:6) One guy told me afterward how that really stood out to him. Then God provided a ram to take Isaacs place in death. God himself provided a perfect ram (caught by the horn so it wouldn’t be damaged) A perfect God can only accept a perfect sacrifice. After that lesson several came up to me to thank me for how clearly they were able to understand the teaching of God’s Word in their own language.
Translation
In the middle of a translation session yesterday the kids told me Jason was choking on a piece of cucumber so I dropped everything and dashed in to help Shari. It was pretty scary but God protected him and after trying all kinds of things he finally got it down. My translation helper who is a believer saw me dash out of the office and he was really scared too. He stood outside listening to everything and praying for Jason. He said that he knew that if anything tragic happened it would probably stop the teaching. Later he also told us how he was thinking about the awesome power of God that he had seen as we had worked through the translation of the how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt. Whatever was happening to Jason he believed that the all-powerful God was more than ABLE to help him. It is so exciting to see God’s Word changing peoples thoughts from fear of ancestral spirits to faith in the Living God.
In Him,
David and Shari Ogg
(Esther, Simon, Rachel and Jason)
Praise and Prayer:
- Pray for good attendance.
- Praise for rain that filled up our water tank which had gotten really low after a month with no rain.
- Praise for David’s translation helper coming faithfully to work every day.
- Pray for God’s protection of our family, especially during this teaching.
- Pray for continued clear understanding of the teaching of God’s Word in their own language.
- Pray for God’s Love to shine through us and be evident to the Simbari people.
This Week’s Teaching Highlights:
- Lot chose his way of life based on increasing his worldy wealth. He chose to live near Sodom.
- God repeated His promises to Abraham. God never changes. Even though a lot of time passed by, God always does what He says.
- God promised that Abraham’s wife, a barren old woman, would have a baby. God is the giver of all life. He can do anything.
- Although there were multitudes of people, God considers each individual. (Lk. 12:24)
- God had been watching the wickedness of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah for a long time. Just because they had not yet been punished didn’t mean that God was going to ignore their sin.
- Lot believed God. God always saves those who believe in Him.
- God’s anger of sin does not lessen over time. God punishes sin. Those sinful people who did not believe in God were destroyed with fire. God saw the heart of Lot’s wife and she was punished.
- God is the same today. No one can escape God’s judgement. Abraham was told to sacrifice his son as a test of his love. Abraham believed that God could raise his son from the dead. He believed and obeyed God and God provided a ram to take Isaac’s place in death.
- Esau cared not for the promises or things of God. Jacob wanted God’s promises for himself. He believed God. He was given the dream of the ladder to heaven, a prophetic vision of the Messiah who is the way to God. (Jn.1:45-51, 14:6)
- Isaac’s son Joseph has prophetic dreams. Joseph believed God. He is then sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt. He resists Potifar’s wife and is thrown into prison. God took care of him even in prison.