Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24
Week 8, Wow! We are a little more than half way there for this stage of teaching Creation to Christ, but as most of you know, that’s when the real work of teaching, training, and discipleship begins! 🙂
We are excited to share with you the following quotes from this week’s teaching. They taught about the Ten Commandments, the Tabernacle, along with the story of the Israelites worshipping the golden calf. Here’s what a few people had to say:
Piriye stood up and said that he has broken God’s laws and deserves God’s punishment. He said he feels sorry for himself and everyone else. (This statement is specifically significant because in PNG culture, it is typically easy for people to confess their sin as a group, i.e., ‘Yes, we’ve all sinned!’. But it is much more uncommon for people to admit to personal sin.) Piriye was crying as he confessed to everyone that he knows he is not good enough to be accepted by God.
Royu (David’s wife): “My sin is not small, it is very big. I have told lies, and done other things, and didn’t think it was a big deal but now I know that it’s big. I too deserve hell.” She was also crying.
David (yes, David, whom many of you have been praying for by name): “I used to be a leader in a church, so I thought I was ok. The church told me that if I went to church and gave offerings, it would take away my sin. I saw the skit of the paper man holding on to the rope with ten knots in it, each knot representing a commandment. When he broke one commandment he was guilty of them all, and fell into the fire. My breath was taken away. I know I am a sinner too, and nothing I can do can take away my sin.” He also told everybody that he was going to go burn all of his ginger, which is used for many of their animistic rituals to protect them from spirits.
Sawang: “You all know me, you know that I do sorcery work. But now we are studying the Bible from Genesis and I know that what I’m doing is wrong. I’m not going to do that work anymore. You don’t know if I’m going to keep my word or not, but God knows.”
This understanding of personal sin is the work of the Holy Spirit among the village. Through the hearing of God’s Word, the foundation for Faith in the Saviour is being laid, for understanding our position as desperate sinners in need of a Saviour is key to the work of salvation that God wants to do in their hearts! God be praised for His awesome work among these precious souls! And thank you for your faithful prayers on behalf of the villagers, our teaching team, and our family! We are humbled and blessed beyond measure when we consider the sacrifice of time, energy and finances that so many of you are making for our Lord and His work, so that we can be here. We have avoided major sickness and catastrophe, our hearts are encouraged, and we know His presence moment by moment as He guides us and enables us in teaching and discipling. We can’t wait to get home in a couple of months and hopefully be able to see many of you and thank you in person for what your partnership has meant to our family!
Thankfully serving a God whose strength is made perfect in weakness, Jeremiah, April, Jordan, Judah and Alayna
PS- In the picture of Alayna (3), she is welcoming Daddy home after his trip to the village this week, and letting him know that all of her ‘friends’ missed him, too!