The ‘Few’
The worst of the weather seems to have passed and although we are still having some rain it is not the kind of rain that keeps people from doing what they want to do. Which brings up the fact that listening to God’s Word is not a priority for the majority of Simbari people. Several men from the small group that has been attending regularly have expressed their own frustration that more people won’t come to hear God’s Word. One day this week when we were just getting ready to start the lesson, and there was only a small group there, a plane came. So we put off starting until after it left. Of course whenever a plane lands people come out of the woodwork, so to speak, and there were instantly 100 to 200 people there. The whole time the plane was on the ground one of the regular attenders tried to encourage more people to be coming to hear the teaching of God’s Word. After the plane left that day we had about 70 people but then the next day we were back to the same group. When we are gathered there for meetings it is so sad to watch people just walk by and turn their backs on God and His Word. Some people have the impression that just because some people are asking for missionaries in PNG that all these people are begging to hear the Gospel. Sadly, many have other motives for asking, even if they would never admit it. But we should not be surprised because God’s Word says: “…strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matt 7:14. Should we stop proclaiming the truth just because it is not the most popular thing? NO WAY! So if people want a missionary, false motives or not, let’s send them one! And let the Spirit use the Word of God which “is living and powerful…” to remove the blindness that holds them captive. Just to illustrate this blindness: The big talk around here lately is centered around a man who is getting the credit for stopping the rainy weather. (Here we have “medicine men” to stop rain instead of to make it) When he says for them to stop working in their gardens so he can perform the rain magic, they all listen. Yet they don’t want to listen to the Creator who gave them rain. BUT, there are some who do want to hear. Please pray for them not to be led away by “the cares of this world” or anything else.
Reading!
This is Shari writing now. Last week when I taught my first class I was a bit nervous, but after the first day, I was really excited about teaching. The literacy manual is so simply laid out that even the exact words that the teacher is supposed to say are written in bold print. I’ve been so grateful that even though Lori is out in town for medical reasons, she is still able to make up the lessons and e-mail them to me. I was really encouraged this week as I listened to the students reading out loud in class. They have really come a long way in their reading and writing abilities. It was so fun listening to them laugh as they read the story about the boy who loved bugs. It assured me that they were understanding what they were reading and that they were seeing for themselves that reading can be enjoyable. Most of all, I am thrilled that they can now read the Bible lessons in their own language.
Tape Library
Several regular attenders are checking out cassette recordings of the Bible teaching and re-listening to them on the hand-crank players. Some extended family members and friends who don’t come to the meetings are hearing the message this way.
In Him,
David and Shari Ogg
(Esther, Simon, Rachel and Jason)
Praise and Prayer:
- Pray for interest in the teaching to increase as we continue teaching in the New Testament.
- Pray for the Spirit of God to convict hearts, of their hopeless condition without a Savior.
- Pray for co-worker Lori who is still in town. Her medical problem has been hard to diagnose.
This Week’s Teaching Highlights:
- Israel rejects God and follows idols and God punishes them by allowing them to be taken away captive. Just as was prophesied.
- When they turned back to God and believed in Him, he brought some back from captivity.
- The Prophets spoke many prophesies about the coming Deliverer. (Many of which we listed on a chart and fill in the verse when it get’s fulfilled in the New Testament.
- Many of the Jews came to the temple but their hearts were far from God. The scribes were teachers of the Law, but confused about the truth. The Pharisees didn’t think they were sinners like other ‘bad’ people. The Saduucees were more concerned about their position in church and government.
- But there remained a remnant who believed God, were waiting for the Deliverer, and came to Him according to His Word.
- Elizabeth, an old, barren woman, becomes pregnant and gives birth to John who would prepare the way for the coming Deliverer.
- Angel tells Mary she would have a child who would be the Promised One. He would be called, Jesus, which means Savior.
- He had no earthly father so he did not inherit sin like all of us who decend from Adam.
- He would be God and a man at the same time.
- John is born, his father prophesies that the Deliverer would be a light and would show us the way.
- He would be the Christ. Which means he would be God’s Prophet to show us the way to be be saved. He would be the final high priest(of those who brought offerings of blood into the temple year after year) He would take His ancestor David’s place as King.
- Jesus born in Bethlehem as the prophets said. Micah 5:2
- The wise men worshipped Him. But God had said in the law that He alone should be worshipped, so was it wrong for them to worship the child Jesus? No, Jesus was God so it was right for them to worship Him.
- Satan knew about the Deliverer and wanted Him killed. He led King Herod to murder the babies. He still fights with God and so he wants to stop the truth and lead us all away to destruction.
- Jesus escapes to Egypt as the prophets said. Hosea 11:1