 A member from our Single Focus group is currently training in Roach, Missouri with New Tribe Missions. She recently sent me the story below regarding the Biem tribe in Papua New Guinea – a tribe that just received and responded in faith to the gospel! Apparently, about every 45 days, another tribe hears the gospel from New Tribes missionaries for the first time. The story below is, according to this source, the "first re-birth reports" from this Biem tribe! I hope you will respond to this awesome report in two ways:
"Enough, enough. Stop! Don't hit him like that!" A Biem lady shouted out loud from the back as the Roman soldier (Brandon) put a beating on Jesus (Thomas). On the last day of the teaching, we acted out Jesus dying on the cross, the burial, and the resurrection. People looked on intently, trying to understand what it all means. After the drama, we taught...
Jesus is our sin substitute. The penalty of sin is death. But God always provided, just like in the Old Testament. We brought them back to Noah, God provided a boat (with one door). Abraham and Isaac, how God would not let Abraham kill his son but provided a substitute. In the Passover, the blood on the doorpost was the only way to avoid death. People have been thinking hard about these Old Testament stories for weeks and now they are all making sense. Jesus defeated death. Jesus rose again and death no longer has power over Jesus and those who trust in Him. Death is feared no matter where you live. But in a tribal culture like Biem, it is openly, regularly exhibited. The endless wailing at funerals, the finality of death and the pure dread of dying...death is a big deal to these people here. When we believe in Jesus and what He has done on the cross, our spirits become alive again in God's eyes. We used a permanent black marker on a white board and wrote some names on it and said, "whoever believes in God's talk, God will put his name in the book of life and it will never be removed." We concluded with the Great Commission and Jesus' ascension. We told them it is because of this "talk" that we all left our families in Taiwan, Germany, and the US to come here. There is so much more I can type here but let me just get to some of the responses after the lesson yesterday. "Mali? Mali? Mali Muel?" (Really? Really? REALLY?) The top fisherman on the island just kept on asking this question, in total astonishment in what Jesus did on the cross for him. He just kept on looking at everybody around him and asking the question, "Really? really?" "This is God's talk. I've heard it. See, it's just one story, from the Old Testament to Jesus. There is no other road but Jesus. God meant it this way from the beginning." "I am so free [the Biem expression is I am no longer carrying a heavy load on my shoulder]! I used to think all the good things I do would get me to heaven. But every night when I go to sleep, I knew I had not the slightest clue where I'd go if I die. So I'd get up the next morning, trying to do more 'works' so I can go to heaven. Now I know that Jesus paid for my sin debt and He said it is finished. I am so free." A young guy sat next to me with the biggest smile on his face. He didn't say anything so I asked him, "What's on your mind?" He said, "I had a big question yesterday. Why didn't God the Father help Jesus on the cross? I thought about it all night, and I didn't know. But after today's lesson, I don't have any more questions. I got it. I understand it. I am just going to sit here and be happy." He smiled on... And one young Biem man has a message for YOU. Yes, YOU. He said, "I know I should thank God for you guys, but I want to thank all three of your families for bring God's talk here." Then we told him that, no, it's not just the three families. There are literally thousands of people praying for you guys to understand God's talk all over the world. He then said, "Ok, then you go and tell them, all of them, THANK YOU. God's talk has come to our island. THANK THEM for praying and sending you guys here." This young man, along with a few others, began to discuss how they need to take this talk to other islands and even different language groups in Papua New Guinea. I shook my head and just marveled at the Holy Spirit. He is at work already! It took me how many years after salvation to even wrap my head around the need for "missions," but but these guys are talking about it minutes after they trusted in Jesus! At that moment, I was no longer "the missionary" but a fellow brother in Christ, learning from our Biem brothers in Christ. Again, this is just the beginning and there is much growing ahead for our Biem believers. Persecutions will come (and have come already). Many people are still against this talk. But as John 1:5 says, "The light shines in the darkness and darkness can never extinguish it." The light broke through and it is here to stay. |
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