Suicide
Thursday morning we woke up to a lot of noise around the village. It turns out that a man from a nearby village had committed suicide by hanging. He had just had a fight with his wife and he had been injured during the fight. He was ashamed, miserable, and without hope. For those who have not trusted in Christ to be redeemed from the power of sin, Satan and death, there is no real hope. It is very sad that this man who was not attending the Bible teaching, chose to reject God and His Word but we are praying that God’s Spirit will use this to cause others to think about their need for eternal salvation.
Gospel Presentation on Monday
We had planned to present the Gospel on Thursday of this week but by Wednesday attendance started to go down so we talked with those attending and they agreed it would be better to teach the last 2 lessons on Monday and Tuesday. It turned out to be a good decision because the next day everybody was taken up with the suicide and went to go mourn with the family of the deceased. A campaigning politition just arrived on Friday and there are a lot more people milling around here than usual. It’s good that there will be a lot of people to hear these crucial lessons but please pray that the extra activity would not hinder the message being clearly heard by all those wanting to hear. A mentally disturbed lady has also been a distraction during the Bible teaching this last week. There is truly a spiritual battle going on for the souls of the Simbari people.
In Him,
David and Shari Ogg
(Esther, Simon, Rachel and Jason)
Praise and Prayer:
- Pray that the people would be thinking more of their spiritual condition as a result of the suicide.
- Pray for good attendance for these final lessons.
- Pray for few or no distractions during the teaching.
- Pray for David as he teaches the Gospel in the Simbari language, that God would speak through him and that the truth of God’s Word would “shoot” through the hearts of those listening.
- Pray for many Simbaris to clearly understand in their hearts what was accomplished for them through the substitutionary death of Jesus, the Lamb of God.
This Week’s Teaching Highlights:
- Jesus did not come to be served with good works but He came to give His life. (Mark 10:45)
- Like blind Bartimaeus, we too who decend from Adam are kept in darkness, blinded by Satan’s lies.
- Bartimaeus could not heal himself. Only God could heal him. In the same way we can do nothing to save ourselves. We need to have faith in Jesus, only He can remove the blindness, just like He did when He healed Bartimaeus.
- Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey. They praised him as he came but they were only thinking of making Him king so they could be rid of the oppressive Roman rulers.
- The Jewish leaders still wanted to kill Jesus but were afraid because he was so liked by the crowds.
- Judas plots to betray Jesus. Judas had spent 3 years with Jesus and was his friend. Psalm 41:9 and Zechariah 11:12, 13 are fulfilled.
- Without anyone telling Him, Jesus knew that He would be betrayed. God did not force Judas to betray Jesus. Judas did not see himself as a sinner that needed saved. He could have repented when confronted by Jesus but didn’t.
- When celebrating the Passover Jesus breaks bread symbolizing His body that would be broken.
- Jesus pours wine which symbolizes His blood that would be poured out in His death. In His death He would take the place of all people so that they wouldn’t have to die.
- Jesus goes to Gethsemane to pray. He is God but also a man so he is very heavy thinking about His suffering to come.
- Jesus is betrayed in the garden. The mob who came did not know that they were being led by Satan. But those who don’t believe in Jesus are still under Satan’s power.
- Jesus followers fled in fear.
- They held a mock court to convict Jesus fulfilling Psalms 27:12.
- When asked, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” He answers, “I am.” But he gives no answer to all their false accusations in fulfillment of Isaiah 50:6
- The Jewish leaders influence the crowd to ask for the murderer Barabas to be released instead of Jesus who had done no wrong. They demand His execution by crucifixion.
- Jesus is beaten and mocked and a crown of thorns is placed on His head. Thorns are part of the curse as a result of man’s sin in Gen. 3:18. So also the thorns placed on Jesus head symbolize the sins of man placed on Him.