A number of years ago the gospel message came to the Inapang people of Papua New Guinea. They received the Word of God and a church was born. In recent years, Inapang believers were taught how to reach other villages with the gospel. For the past 4 months they have been doing just that. Inapang Bible teachers have been making the long hike to Tangguat each week to preach the Gospel to those who also need to hear the wonderful message of salvation.
A few weeks ago many among the Tangguat also placed their faith in the Savior. Here are a few of their testimonies.
Tresia said “There is nothing we can do to bring ourselves back to God. It is God alone! Jesus came and died for our sins and it is only because of Him that we can come to God!”
Aranzing said to Tim (the missionary helping Inapang Bible teachers), “God sent his Son to this ground to be born from a woman and He followed God’s thinking all the way until he was grown, and it was all to pay for our sin. I believe what I have heard and I can’t do anything to save myself from my sin. I heard that the Imbungguma Kani (Deliverer) would come and I thought about him and I thought about him and wondered how he would save me. He came to become our sin-person and defeat Satan and get us back from him. I heard about him and I believed and trusted in him as I heard his story all the way until yesterday and today’s story (death, resurrection and ascension). I am giving God a big thank you that He sent His only Son to save us. I am getting a very big thank you and giving it to God because He was thinking of us and sent His Only Son whom He loved very much. All the sins that we were doing before and that we will do, we couldn’t save ourselves from those, but God sent His Son for us and for all the bad people. True, true, true, true... This is God’s story. Jesus is with us. He is the one door to God. His blood was shed for us and if we believe in Him, then by that road we will come to God. He has completely erased all our sin and because of that I am so happy. Thank you, Tim, so much for coming. We were nothing, we were just bush people who were going astray, but God by His strength sent you to Papua New Guinea to the bush people to preach His word. And Jesus is with us now. He died for us. I am completely believing in that. He is coming again and those that believe in Him, He will come back to get us. But those who do not believe in Him will go to the place of fire. I cannot save myself from this... only God.”
Taitus said, “We always thought that we could help ourselves and that we could stand on our good works and the law so that we would be good in God’s eyes. But now we’ve heard this story and these things we’ve heard, we did not know before! Some might not want to hear it or accept this story, but me, I am believing it. Before I thought that because I was one that was religious, that I was a good man. But now I have heard this story and I know that there is only one road and God knows all of our hidden thoughts. God knows us completely and we are all really messed up. Now God’s Son has shown us the road and we must believe in Him. There is no other road! He came down to this ground and His blood was shed for our sins and he made one way, one door, for us to go through and it is that we must trust in Him.”
Michael, who was a former Cult leader, said, “When the Bible teaching was ready to come here, I was in the [Cult] and because of this I was staying far away. I was against this teaching coming. I did not know what to think about it and for two weeks the teaching went on. I thought about it and thought about it and then I decided I had to come and hear this message and so I came with my family and began to listen. Long ago in the [Cult] we had heard some Bible stories, but the things we were taught were not the meanings of the stories and we didn’t understand them. It didn’t penetrate our hearts so that we would believe in it and trust it. But then I came to this Bible teaching and now I am truly believe what I am hearing! I am very much, completely believing only in God. Now I have heard this whole story and I understand it and it is shooting into the core of my thoughts and my heart.”
Note: A few weeks ago, the Cult was having a week long training session for their leaders and so they called to Michael to come join them, but Michael said, “No, I have left this [Cult] completely. I have heard this good story and it is so sweet to my thoughts. I have learned more from this teaching than I ever have in the [Cult].
Zibatai said, “We are so happy to hear this message! That the way for us to come to God is open and that now as we believe in Him we can talk to him and he hears us because our sins are paid for.”
A new church was born among the Tangguat because believers from Inapang brought them the gospel. A church was born in Inapang because church planters trained at the Missionary Training Center in Missouri brought them the gospel. Those church planters were equipped here at the MTC, because I and other teachers were able to impart our knowledge to them. I have had the privilege to train Tim and many other church planters because many faithful believers have supported my ministry and offered prayers of on my behalf. I am so thankful for all my family and friends who have been part of this amazing team taking the gospel to the remote corners of the earth.
Bob
* * *
Hang in There
Two frogs fell into a deep cream bowl.
One was a wise and cheery soul;
The other one took a gloomy view
And bade his friend a sad adieu.
Said the other frog with a merry grin,
"I can't get out, but I won't give in!
I'll swim around till my strength is spent,
Then I will die all the more content."
And as he swam, though ever it seemed,
His struggling began to churn the cream
Until on top of pure butter he stopped
And out of the bowl he quickly hopped.
The moral, you ask? Oh it's easily found:
If you can't get out, just keep swimming around.
Hang in there!
