Retirement or Change of Ministry?

Many retired folks tell me that their lives are busier now than when they were working. Well, I guess I will find out. After teaching for 33 years at the New Tribes Missionary Training Center, I plan on retiring. My official status with NTM will be “retired” at the end of 2016. But whoever “really” retires?

Actually, there are a number of ministry opportunities available to me as I enter into this new phase a life. Last month I mentioned a few opportunities in the area of research and writing for both New Tribes Mission and Bold Grace Ministries. Recently I have been talking to an NTM co-worker who trains pastors in Africa. There is a possibility that I could be involved in writing Bible curriculum for him. Another ministry opportunity is working with the Information Technology folks at the NTM retirement center. We have retired missionaries down there who continue to work on projects such as Bible translation. There is always a need for someone who has computer skills which is right up my alley. I also plan on continuing my involvement with the NTM Missionary Training Center in Missouri. I often consult with folks here regarding course related issues. For instance, I setup our current grading system in Quick Schools. Just yesterday, I helped one of our staff members with his Quick Schools gradebook. The sign on my door in Florida will probably read: Bob’s Computer Help Desk. There is also a need here at the Missionary Training Center for someone to play the role of a native from Papua New Guinea for our Culture-Language Acquisition course. The tentative plan is for me to fly back to Missouri next fall for 2 months in order to fill that need.

New Tribes Mission’s retirement center is located in Florida near the NTM headquarters. I will be moving there in January 2017. The apartments at the retirement center are duplexes. I will be living next to Bob and Marilyn Meisel who worked many years in the Philippines. I met Bob a number of years ago when he was visiting our training center here in Missouri. We hit it off immediately. Bob plays a number of stringed instruments including guitar and mandolin. He borrowed one of my guitars and we had a great time playing gospel/bluegrass music together.

When I found out what apartment that I would be living in, I wondered if I would know anyone on my block. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out the my gospel/bluegrass buddy would be my next door neighbor! I immediately gave Bob a call and said, “Guess who is going to be living next to you.” I could not have planned that any better.

My new address as of January 2017 will be:

Bob Nyberg

608 Mexico Ct.

Sanford, FL 32771

My current plan is to begin taking social security in 2018. So even though I will be “retiring” in 2017, I hope to meet my monthly expenses for this next year through donations from my current supporters. But I also know that might not be realistic. The cost of living for me in Florida will be more than what it is here. And the fact is that when a missionary retires they often lose part of their support base.

Prayer Requests:

·         Saying goodbye to friends and coworkers in Missouri.

·         The logistics of getting my stuff to Florida.

·         Transitioning into a new home, ministry and climate down south.

·         Sufficient support to meet my needs for 2017.

I appreciate your prayers on my behalf!

Bob

* * *

Imputed Righteousness
by Lance Latham

There is simply no possibility whatsoever that a person can achieve standing before God on the basis of his own defaced, despicable righteousness. A Christian, therefore, is not merely one who has been through the emotion of a moment, or who has newly purposed or has newly promised. Rather, a Christian has abandoned all hope of his own personal moral credentials and receives as his sole and complete basis for standing before God the finished and complete righteousness which Jesus Christ purchased on Calvary's cross and imputed to him. To “impute” means to “ascribe,” to “put to one's account.” Personal righteousness does not save us; imputed righteousness alone satisfies divine holiness and makes the sinner acceptable before God.

 

The Berean Challenge

In the Fall of 1982 I was sitting in a classroom at New Tribes Language Institute near Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Our chapel speaker that day was Lance Latham who brought a series of lectures on the book of Hebrews over the week. At the time, I had no idea who Doc Latham was. I recall watching a white-haired gentleman, who was nearly 90 years old, saunter down the aisle and take a seat at the piano. My jaw nearly dropped to the floor as he began to play the William Tell Overture. Lance was a musical prodigy. He began taking piano lessons at age three. Although his performance of the William Tell Overture was impressive, I was even more captivated with his exposition of Hebrews. Lance Latham was a student of the well-known Bible teacher William R. Newell. Like Dr. Newell, Lance was also an excellent teacher of God's Word. Doc Latham’s knowledge of God’s Word and explanation of God’s grace had a profound effect on my own life.

Acts 17:10-11 says: “Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

Through Doc Latham’s series on Hebrews I was challenged, like the Bereans of old, “to find out whether those things were so.” As I began to dig deeper into God’s Word, I soon discovered my own understanding of God’s grace was quite deficient when compared to the writings of the apostle Paul and the other New Testament authors. That was the beginning of a life-long quest to explore various doctrines proposed by Bible scholars and compare them with the teachings of scripture.

As I look back over the years, I can see how this journey has prepared me to participate as a member of the NTM Theological Consultation Group. My quest to understand the teachings of Calvinists has certainly equipped me to work on the revision of NTM’s resource paper on Calvinism. Our NTM members website has a number of doctrinal papers on various topics. Over the years I have enjoyed contributing to the papers posted there. Recently, Bold Grace Ministries (http://boldgrace.org/) has asked me to help develop some theological workbooks. They are involved in training national pastors in Africa. That is another ministry opportunity that I would love to help with. I would appreciate your prayers as I consider various avenues of ministry relating to writing and research.

Bob

* * *

The Sole Basis of Salvation
by Lance Latham

There is something within the heart of a man which constantly presses to make a perverse addition to the sole basis of our salvation, the work of Christ on the cross. Constantly pressed by the sin of pride, the mind of the natural man is ever reluctant to admit its sinful, helpless condition.

Many who understand the gospel refuse to come to Christ because they will not admit that they lack a shred of goodness, righteousness or desirability within themselves that God can accept.

Religious leaders try to add baptism, church membership, faithful living, personal sacrifice or some other human work to the work of Christ to the hope of salvation for the believer. Such philosophies may have filled the coffers of religion but have confused the issue of salvation and thus damaged countless souls.

One who discovers the gospel will instantly realize that the sole basis of his salvation is the work of Christ on Calvary’s cross. Saving faith depends alone on the value of Calvary. All other possible sources for the assurance of salvation are counterfeit.

Avoiding Mission Drift Part 2

Last month I wrote about the problem of mission drift. Many organizations have drifted from the original goals of their founders. New Tribes Mission recognizes this as a potential problem and has proactively taken steps to combat this organizational tendency.

New Tribes Mission was founded in 1942 by Paul Fleming. Lance B. Latham, who founded Awana Clubs International, was also a co-founder of New Tribes Mission. In the early days of NTM, Doc Latham was known as “the theological watchdog of the mission to keep the fledgling organization on the straight and narrow doctrinally.” Even at its outset, the leadership of NTM was concerned about the potential for mission drift.

Over the last few years NTM’s Theological Consultation Group, of which I am a member, has examined our current doctrinal statement to make sure that it is clearly worded and leaves no room for misunderstanding. A clearly worded doctrinal statement is a good foundation for combating mission drift. Over the last 20 years NTM has developed a number of doctrinal resource papers which are available to our members. These papers elaborate on specific doctrinal issues which face believers and Christian organizations today. As NTM’s Theological Consultation Group discussed various aspects of our doctrinal statement we recognized the need for some of the doctrinal resource papers to be revised and updated. Last summer I worked on revising the paper dealing with Calvinism. That project was fascinating as I enjoy both writing and researching doctrinal topics. There are other NTM doctrinal papers that I could possibly help to revise in the future. I hope to become more involved in a ministry of research and writing down the road.

As a side note, Lance Latham was a student of the well-known Bible teacher William R. Newell. Lance followed in the footsteps of his mentor and became an exceptional teacher of God’s Word himself. It is an honor to have a small part in carrying on the legacy of Doc Latham’s “theological watchdog ministry” for New Tribes Mission.

Bob

* * *

The Value of the Gospel
by Lance Latham

Down through the ages of history, Christianity has been subjected to a multitude of influences. There have been creative ideas, new programs, fascinating personalities, fresh approaches to theology, evangelism, missionary activity, and a myriad of other diverse developments in the ongoing mission of the church. It is probably undeniable that, with true spiritual discernment, these developments should be viewed with guarded favor, and given the opportunity to have their part in the cause of Christ.

However, that special and changeless message called “the gospel of the grace of God” must never be subject to creative ideas or diverse developments. The hope of eternal life, the central message of divine revelation, is based upon the finished work of Christ on Calvary’s cross and the offer of divine mercy which issues therefrom. The death of the Son of the living God in space and time and the meaning of that sacrifice is what constitutes this glorious message called the gospel.

Should that message ever be changed, then the door to life is instantly closed and Christianity becomes a mere humanistic religion, fascinating perhaps, but valueless. The most valuable and sacred commodity, therefore, on the face of the earth is the truth of the gospel. This is a sacred message worth living for, worth sacrificing for, and worth gladly dying for. It is the only real value on earth today; it is the truth of all truths to which the church must be dedicated to propagate and protect.

 

Avoiding Mission Drift

In the early days of the U.S.A. a well-known university set very high standards for their students. As you read the following paragraph, can you guess which university that was?

“Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let everyone seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of Him (Prov. 2, 3). Everyone shall exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein.”

That paragraph was from "The Rules of Harvard University" written in 1636. Back in those days Harvard was where ministers were trained to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of our Founding Fathers were educated at Harvard and believed that the Bible was the Word of God. Yet today there is hardly a hint of Biblical Christianity at Harvard. The University of Harvard has drifted far from the Biblical moorings of its early days.

Peter Greer wrote a book titled "Mission Drift: The Unspoken Crisis Facing Leaders, Charities, and Churches." He proposed that without careful attention, faith-based organizations drift from their founding mission.

New Tribes Mission USA realizes the potential problem of mission drift. Recently they hosted a forum to discuss this topic as it relates to our organization. As a mission, we are proactively working to stem this organizational tendency. New Tribes Mission formed the Theological Consultation Group of which I am a member. We have been examining our current doctrinal statement to make sure that it is clearly worded and leaves no room for misunderstanding. A clearly worded doctrinal statement is a good foundation for combating mission drift.

We also have a number of resource papers available to our members which elaborate on specific doctrinal issues that are hot button topics within Christianity today. These are very helpful in understanding some of the doctrinal issues facing Christians in the world that we live in.

Please pray for us as we seek to combat the potential for mission drift.

Thanks.

Bob

* * *

The Object of Our Faith

Some people say faith moves mountains. That is not true. God moves mountains.

Faith is no better than its object. Faith in faith is nothing but positive thinking. If you put faith in positive thinking, you are going to become discouraged.

There are some who teach that if you will simply believe God for something, that He will give you that thing. That is simply not true.

If you try to apply that teaching to your life, after a while Satan is going to say, "You really don't have what it takes."

Don't get the idea that because your faith is weak that your prayers are not reaching heaven. Weak faith in God is better than strong faith in anything else. Faith is what counts. It is not the size of your faith, it is the object of your faith that really counts.

—Adrian Rogers

 

Jesus paid for all our sins!

What a privilege it is to train men and women to take the good news of Jesus to folks who have little or no access to the gospel. I love hearing the testimonies of those new believers who are the fruit of the training that students receive here at our MTC.

In the last few months I have been sharing with you some of the testimonies from a people group located in the Asia-Pacific region of the world. After Matt and Craig finished teaching through the chronological Bible lessons, many of these folks placed their faith in Jesus. Here are a few more testimonies from the new believers.

Weti with tears in her eyes said, “Jesus did that for me. He died in my place and paid my price. I can now go to be with him!”

Emenius really understands the message presented by Matt and Craig and has been a big help. He has explained concepts to others in his village who are not quite understanding the gospel message. As the missionaries explained about the resurrection Emenius said, “God raised Jesus from the dead because our sin debt was paid. Every bit of it was paid and God was happy with it so he raised him up from the dead. Now we can live with God.” He also explained, “Jesus paid for all our sins! Even the ones we have not done yet. If we sin again, God will not say, ‘Hey, you aren’t my child now.’ No, he won’t say that, because those sins are paid for as well!”

Mani said, “I believe God’s word. I believe that Jesus paid my sin price so now I can be with him. I am connected with God because of that.”

Miena said, “I wanted to tell you that I have received Yawe’s talk! I am a sinner but God sent Jesus to save me. When he died on the cross he paid my sin debt.”

As we teach students about the importance of language and culture study, we emphasize the importance of communicating a clear message. Obviously these new believers are understanding the clarity and simplicity of the gospel.

Even though our Spring semester has ended, things are still busy around here. The MTC is hosting a couple of forums this summer in an effort to improve our curriculum. NTM missionaries from around the world will be meeting here to discuss various topics related to our training. Please pray for those involved in these meetings to have sensitivity and gain clarity to the Lord’s will as we seek to enhance our training program.

Thanks!

Bob

* * *

Mercy Versus Grace

By William MacDonald

When a condemned criminal receives a reduced sentence, we say that the judge has shown him mercy. Imprisonment rather than death is an act of mercy. Grace is better than that. It acquits the guilty sinner, imputes righteousness to him, and silences the law’s condemning voice.

It Should Have Been Me

Previously I wrote about Matt and Craig who were students of mine at the Missionary Training Center. They work with a people group in a remote location in the Asia-Pacific region. After teaching through the chronological Bible lessons with this people group, many placed their faith in Jesus. Here are a few more testimonies of some of the new believers.

Nggoro: “I just can’t stop thinking about this. Jesus died, but that should have been me. I should have died and gone to the place of fire. But Jesus took my sins and died in my place. He paid for them so now I don’t have to. Through the blood of Jesus, I am connected with God!”

Uo — Little Uo is probably one of the youngest ones to believe. Not sure how old he is, but maybe like 7 or 8. He said in his squeaky little voice, “Jesus paid for my sins as he died on that tree. He died in my place and if we believe that, we can be with God. I believe that so now I am connected with God.”

Pelina: “Jesus lived a perfect life when we could not. He lived the perfect life and then died even though he had no sin to pay for. He died in my place and paid for my sins. Because of that I am connected with God!”

Alesina: “For so long, I was trying to be good, to be good for God. Now I have learned that I am a sinner and I can’t be made right with God because he can’t be with sin. Jesus came and died and took my sin debt on himself. He took it all! He is like the shepherd, who is the door of the sheep pen—we can only get in through Him! My heart is so happy, I can now be with Yahweh when I die!”

We have just finished another semester here at the Missionary Training Center. What a privilege it is to have a part in training students like Matt and Craig to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. I really appreciate my partnership team that has had a part in helping to train these men and women how to learn an unwritten language and to plant a church among animistic people groups. God is using the gifts and prayers of His saints to make a difference in the lives of so many people around the world.

Bob

* * *

Who are you depending on?

By C.H. Mackintosh

If we can do nothing, self-confidence is the height of presumption.

If God can do everything, despondency is the height of folly.

 

Got IT Skills?

Today’s job market is wide open for those who have skills in the area of Information Technology. Businesses are crying out for network administrators, software developers, computer technicians, etc. The same is true in the world of missions. Currently NTM has needs not only here in North America but all around the world for people who are trained in the area of Information Technology.

Please pray that God would raise up people to meet those needs. Also if you know of anyone who has I.T. skills and a heart for missions, please pass on this link to them:

https://usa.ntm.org/go/find-opportunities/technology

Thanks!

 

How precious is God's Word to us???

When I read this from a missionary prayer letter, I had to ask myself, "How much do I value God's Word? How much of an effort am I making to spend time studying His Word?" The prayer letter describes some folks who live in a remote location. They do not have missionaries living with them at the present time, nevertheless they want to study God's Word with their missionary friends. The prayer letter certainly is a challenge to all of us:

 

"They had to take a dugout canoe for the first day of their trip out, and then walk a day and half for the rest of the trip to where they could catch a small plane to the city where they could get a bus and travel 14 hours to our place! They go to all that trouble just to study the word of God together with us. God’s word is that precious to them!"

 

Now that is commitment! That type of dedication makes my feeble excuses—such as I am too busy—look extremely pathetic!

Bagwido Bible Dedication

I just saw this video and was moved as I recalled my former students. It seems like it was only yesterday that Brian and Mark were sitting in my phonetics class. What a privilege it is to have played a part in getting God's Word into the Bagwido language through these dear brothers and their families. I am so thankful for all those who have supported me in the ministry of training missionary candidates to take God's Word to the ends of the earth! Thanks for your part in helping to get God’s Word into the language of the least reached people groups around the world. Your gifts and prayers are making a difference in lives of people with little or no access to the Word of God.

 

 

https://vimeo.com/108613838

Sitting with Job's Comforters

I was going through the book of Job and something popped out at me.

Job’s so called comforters, probably thought that they were the Theologians who had all their ducks in a row and were doing their utmost to defend the integrity of God.

After all the dialogue is over, God confronts Job.

At that point I wondered if Job’s comforters actually witnessed what God said to Job. Let’s say that they did, for the sake of argument. I could see them cheering on the sidelines as God takes Job to the woodshed. They might be shouting, “That’s right God! Give it to him good! We were right and he was wrong!!!”

And then we read:

Job 42:7  And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.

I could just see their collective jaws drop at that point! They were probably thinking, “Wait a minute! What?! We were just trying to defend You, God! We are the conservatives who are doctrinally correct!”

Sooooooooooo, I wonder how many times I have blasted someone else out of the water thinking that I am the one who has all his theological ducks in a row!!!

If they assign rows in heaven based upon theological smugness (or lack thereof), I just hope I don’t have to sit in the same row as Job’s comforters!!!

Jesus Took My Place

Last month I told you about Matt and Craig who are former MTC students. They work with a people group in a remote location in the Asia-Pacific region. After sharing the gospel with the people they are working with, many placed their faith in Jesus. Here are a few more testimonies from some of the new believers there.

Dori: “I am now connected with God. It should have been me on that tree paying for my sins, but Jesus took my place. I believe that so now he has taken away my sins!”

Am: “I believe that Jesus took my place and died for me. As he did that, he paid my sin price. I am now joined with him and will go to be with him when I die. What matters is that I believe what he has said and so because of that I am his child and his spirit lives inside me.”

Olotina (Am’s wife): “I am a sinner. Jesus came down to save me. When he died, his blood paid my sin debt. He paid for all my sins – past sins, present sins and future sins. I am so happy about this news. I just want to learn more about Jesus. I want to learn to read so I can read God’s word!”

Netiana: “Yesterday my heart was so heavy. But now it is light! God ripped the curtain from top to bottom, and when he did that he was saying, ‘You can come and be with me now!’ Jesus paid my price so now I can go to be with God! I am connected with him because of what Jesus did when he died.”

Anius: “I am a sinner. We are all sinners in God’s eyes. But God has taken my sins and has paid for them. He did that so that I could be connected with God. So now I am connected with God based on what Jesus did for me when he died in my place.”

Elena: “Jesus paid for my sins both past and future. Even if I sin in the future, Jesus has paid for that! I will still be God’s child!”

Yesterday in church were reminded of the Jewish Passover story. In Exodus 12:13 God said, “when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” This is a beautiful picture of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. These new believers understand that message, because Matt and Craig laid a foundation by teaching through Old Testament stories such as the Passover, before presenting the message of the gospel. Because of the training they received here at the MTC another least reached people group have heard the good news of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

It is a privilege to have a part in the lives of those who are going overseas to share the good news of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for all those who have partnered with me in this ministry.

Bob

* * *

Where Are You Looking?

If you want to be distressed, look within.

If you want to be defeated, look back.

If you want to be dismayed, look ahead.

If you want to be discouraged, look around.

If you want to be delivered, look to Christ.

If you want to be delighted, look up!

 

He Paid My Sin Debt

On March 27^th we celebrated our Lord’s resurrection from the dead. As think about the details leading up to the discovery of the empty tomb, I can’t help but think about those people groups around the world who are hearing the resurrection story for the first time.

Matt and Craig are former MTC students who are working with a people group in a remote location in the Asia-Pacific region. Recently they had the privilege to share the gospel in the heart language of the people they are working with. After hearing the message of the gospel, many of them placed their faith in the Savior who died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Here are a few of their testimonies.

Miena: “I wanted to tell you that I have received Yahweh’s talk! I am a sinner but God sent Jesus to save me. When he died on the cross he paid my sin debt.”

Kwereanus: “I love this talk! I get it! I understand. Jesus paid my sin price and now I am a child of God! He died in my place and now I will go be with him! I get it, I  understand!”

Mibit: “For the last 30 years I have thought that I could be good enough to be with God, but it was not true. I am a sinner and nothing I do on my own pleases God. I can never pay my own sin debt. But now I know that I don’t have to! Jesus already did! He died in my place and paid my sin debt! I am now connected with God!”

Yogona: “I believe that Jesus paid for my sins and died in my place. So now I can go be with him when I die. I am now connected with God!”

Watina: “I am a sinner so based on that I cannot be connected with God. But Jesus died in my place and paid my sin price. So based on that, I can be with him! I am now a child of God based on what Jesus did, not on me being a good person.”

In many parts of the world people are hearing the Easter story for the first time. What a privilege it is to have a part in the lives of those who are going overseas to share the good news of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for all those who have a part in my life supporting me through their gifts and prayers.

Bob

* * *

When Your Hut Is on Fire

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of drift wood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?' Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal, ' they replied.

The Moral of This Story:

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

 

Six Degrees of Separation

In 1993 Kevin Bacon starred in a film titled Six Degrees of Separation. It was based on a theory that anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. Or to put it another way, any two people are six or fewer steps away from each other through a chain of friends. While the theory is unproven, I think that it will be interesting getting to know other people in heaven and seeing just how close those chains of acquaintances were between us and other brothers and sisters in Christ.

With that being said, I have a message for you from a believer in Papua New Guinea who has less than six degrees of separation from you.

I first met Wayne back in 2007 when he was a student here at the Missionary Training Center. Wayne and his wife Gail moved to Papua New Guinea so they could plant a church among the Biem people. In 2012, the message of the gospel was presented to the Biem through the Firm Foundations chronological Bible lessons and a church was born.

The testimonies of the Biem people of Papua New Guinea demonstrated their utter amazement at the goodness of God. The fact that He sent a Savior who died for them is almost more than they could imagine.

“This is God’s talk,” said one of the Biems. “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 can’t stop thinking about this talk,” another Biem stated. “It’s what I think of when I first get up. Yesterday, I woke and that’s what I started talking with my wife about. We went to the garden and were there all day talking about this talk. Then all of sudden it’s night and we have to stop. But in the morning, we start all over again. It’s always on my mind.”

“A young guy sat next to me, with the biggest smile on his face,” wrote Wayne. “He didn’t say anything so I asked him, ‘What’s on your mind?’”

“He said, ‘Wayne, 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.’”

One young Biem man told Wayne, “I know I should thank God for you guys but I want to thank all three of your families for bringing God’s talk here.”

Then Wayne told him that, no, it’s not just the three families. He said, “There are literally thousands of people praying for you guys to understand God’s talk all over the world.”

The Biem man 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.”

As I read the Biem man’s words, it reminded me of Romans 10:14–15 which says:

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

And we could probably add to that, “And how shall they preach unless they can speak the language? And how can they learn an unwritten language unless they are trained?”

That brings me back to six degrees of separation. From a Biem believer in Papua New Guinea to Wayne to Bob to you: “Thank you for your part in getting the gospel to the far reaches of the world!” Whenever you pray for a missionary or help to support their ministry, you are part of that chain taking the gospel to least-reach and unreached people groups around the world.

Bob

* * *

A Secret for Christian Growth
by John Nelson Darby

One of the great secrets of growth is looking upon the Lord Jesus as gracious. How strengthening it is, to know that He is at this moment feeling and exercising the same love and grace towards me as when He died upon the Cross for me.