Here is the latest on what is happening in the tribe from our coworkers Jeremiah and April Markley….
Along this church planting road, there are many crossroads, where the basis of what you believe concerning certain Biblical doctrine will determine the grid through which you filter all the rest of the teaching. For example, if after hearing the teaching on the Garden of Eden, you didn’t believe that everything truly was perfect before sin, and you believed that death existed before sin did, then death (physical and eternal) as punishment for sin does not seem like a punishment for sin as much as merely a part of life. It would be impossible to understand the gravity of sin in contrast to a righteous and Holy God, and therefore even cancel out a true need for a Saviour.
This week we came to another crossroad: The teaching of the Law. The Crossroad: Would they understand that by breaking one single law, one single time, they are guilty of sin and therefore deserving of death? To demonstrate, on Wednesday the teachers did a skit showing how the purpose of the Law was not so everyone could obey it and be righteous, but rather, it is like a mirror, showing us our sinfulness and revealing our need for a Savior. We cannot ‘wash ourselves’ with this mirror, but we can see how sinful we are in contrast to God’s standard of righteousness. According to Ralf’s report, the Lord was really at work convicting hearts and the people were really responding to the truth of what they were hearing. Baumo’s comment was, “We are just like the Egyptians! This talk is killing me!” Bun is a very interested young man, maybe in his late teens. On Monday, the teachers taught about the Passover. In regards to this, Bun said, “The Israelites were able to escape the penalty by putting blood on their door posts. What do WE do to escape the penalty of sin?” Praise the Lord with us for the understanding that provokes this type of question! These foundational lessons are necessary so that when the time to teach about Christ comes, the significance of His perfect sacrifice will not be lost, and by God’s grace, at that time, they will be able to place their trust fully in Him who died for them, with no misgivings about trying to “be” good enough, and no confusion about what God thinks about sin.
Your prayers are being answered! Galap has returned to the teaching, and David’s Mom (I’m sorry, I don’t know her name!) has begun coming. Ok, it’s not his dad that’s coming, but one step at a time, right? Thank you so much for standing with us! We appreciate so much your encouraging notes, we love to hear from you! Do not cease your prayers for the villagers! Some are still openly involved in their ancestral practices, and yet still coming to the teaching regularly. Our heart and prayer is that God would enlighten their blinded eyes with the Power of His Word. Pray that they ALL would be saved! And pray that those who are walking the fence do not set their sights on those who are sincere in their desire to understand the Truth and try to pull them away!
Please continue to pray for the teachers as well. The last couple of weeks have been challenging, and they haven’t had as much support from the village as we would like to see. On the other hand, it has been a great couple of weeks here in the home village as we are walking with them through the book of Romans. It’s such a joy to see them begin to internalize what it means to be “In Christ” and no longer a slave to sin. Please continue to pray for them as they seek to live out these truths in their day to day lives, and pray for their missionaries, for wisdom and strength to be able to disciple these precious souls to that end!
Thanks for reading this ( I know I can get long winded!)
In Christ Alone!
Jeremiah, April, Jordan, Judah and Alayna
This week we’ll teach:
Monday:
– God gave the Ten Commandments (Part 2).
– God told the Israelites to build the Tabernacle (Part 1).
Tuesday:
– God told the Israelites to build the Tabernacle (Part 2).
– The Israelites worship a golden calf.
Wednesday:
– The Israelites did not believe that God would give them the land He promised to give them.