Communicating Truth

Scripture tells us that lost men and women in their sinful state are alienated from God. For instance, Paul wrote:

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).

You were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Eph. 2:12).

But how would you communicate that concept to a native living in Papua New Guinea? The Bible teachers to the Dinangat people found a unique way to do just that.

With one quick slash from the large bush machete, the branch that was once being fed by life giving sap from the tree was now separated, with no hope of being restored. Although it still looked alive — the leaves still lush and green, the branch still pliable — in truth the branch was dead, because of its separation from the tree. To illustrate the separation that happened when Adam and Eve sinned by eating the fruit, the Dinangat Bible teachers cut a branch off a nearby tree and hung it in the teaching area. When the people of the village saw this branch they were reminded that they too were cut off from a holy and righteous God because of their sin. Various ones who heard this teaching came to the Bible teachers and told them that they knew they were in big trouble because of their separation from God. The leaves were dying and falling off. The once flexible branch was becoming stiff and rigid. The death of that branch was a very tangible reminder of how they stood in relation to God — separated. An older man from the village, Mundengke, came to one of the Bible teachers named Jaspa and said, “I am just like that branch. Because of my sin I have been ‘cut off’ from God. You, Jaspa, say that there is a promised deliverer. Can you ask him to somehow join me back to God?" Excited, Jaspa told him that this is what the teaching is all about. He told Mundengke that as they continue to teach, he would learn about the Kidaak Aamna (the saving man) and would learn how to be saved and joined back to God.

It is not always easy to communicate the truth of God’s Word in another culture and language. But learning to communicate clearly is at the heart of what our students are learning at the Missionary Training Center.

We are currently in the middle of teaching our phonetics course. Please pray that our students will learn the phonetic sounds well so that they will be able to speak clearly when they learn languages in their future ministries. And pray for us teachers as we attempt to clearly communicate the principles of phonetics to our students.

Bob

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Astounding Facts about the Exodus

How many people were there?

According to Numbers 1:45-46 there were more than 600,000 fighting men. Add to that an equal number of women, plus an average of four children per family (remember, the Egyptians were afraid because the Israelites were multiplying so rapidly, Exodus 1:7-10), and the population looks like this:

Men..................... 600,000
Women................ 600,000
Children........... 2,400,000
Total................. 3,600,000

How long a column would that make?

Marching 50 abreast, it would stretch for 40 miles into the desert. At a modest pace of 2 ½ miles per hour, the people would require more than 16 hours to pass by the same point.

How much food and water did the people require?

Just to provide the minimum ration of food and water for the people (not including provisions for their animals) would take the equivalent of 30 boxcars of food and 300 tank cars of water every day of their 40 year journey.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:19

 

Working ourselves out of a job

Jeremiah and April Markley were students in my phonetics class in 2000. They left here to establish a church among the Dinangat people of Papua New Guinea. Last year they had spent some time away from the Dinangat village that they had been living in. When they went back they were encouraged to find the Dinangat Bible teachers faithfully teaching God’s Word and leading their church. During their absence, Markley’s left an HF radio with the Dinangat people so that they would be able to communicate with them from the city that they were living in. Unfortunately, the radio broke and they lost communication with the Dinangat believers. Jeremiah wrote:

While we missionaries were frustrated about this, we discovered later that the church in Dinangat was actually devastated! In their minds, losing contact made them feel a bit lost, they worried about us, not knowing how we were faring in the town of Goroka. Not knowing much about this town, they worried about their missionaries: Were they attacked by “rascals (criminal gangs)”? Were they finding enough food? In this time, they also had some major natural events; heavier wind than they’d experienced in many years, rainstorms that caused major flooding that sent man-sized boulders careening down the mountainside, carving new gorges as it went, wiping out gardens and ruining some houses. Many people in the villages who oppose God’s Word pointed and mocked, “Now that your missionaries are gone, God is going to punish you for letting them come in! You won’t survive!” We weren’t there to help them process these events, to lead them and advise them. They couldn’t even reach us by radio. What could they do?! They prayed! They trusted the Lord, they depended on Him, and they came through victorious! Not one person lost their life, no one was even hurt! They saw the Lord provide everything they needed, and their faith grew. Later, Epepe said that even though they were so distraught that the HF radio didn’t work, she thinks now that it was a very good thing. They were forced to depend on the Lord, and they can now give Him the glory for how He protected them when they prayed (not because the missionaries prayed!).

Students in our church planting classes have as an end goal to establish a mature church that can stand on its own. As church planters we are always “working ourselves out of a job.” We do not want the church we plant to be dependent upon us missionaries.

Please pray for us as we train our students in all aspects of church planting. We begin phonetics Feb. 4^th. I would appreciate your prayers as we begin to teach a new semester of phonetics.

Bob

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Failure Cannot Negate Grace
by Michael Card

When Jesus is your friend you know you will never be excluded by your failures or shortcomings. We cannot earn more of His love with good behavior. Even as we do not forfeit His love when we fail. He loves us as we are and not as we should be. We don’t change so that He will love us. He loves us so we can change.

 

Is there hope for me?

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Elvio is a Pai Tavy Tera man who grew up in Paraguay. He had a rough life. Elvio had not just been a victim of violence, he also knew how to dish it out. He had a nagging question that had been troubling him: “Is there hope for me?”

“Is there any hope for peace from my past?” Elvio asked. “Is there forgiveness for a murderer? See my scars? I fought with my stepfather and he stabbed me, then I shoved the knife back into his shoulder. See this scar on my nose? It is from a fight. I have spent time in prison. My life has been one of fighting and turmoil. Is there peace or hope for someone like me?”

Don, a missionary to the Pai Tavy Tera people, knew there was only one hope: Knowing Christ. And he knew the only way Elvio would know Christ was if Scripture was unfolded for him, one story at a time, precept upon precept, so Elvio could understand it. He encouraged Elvio to come to the foundational Bible teaching lessons.

Elvio was determined to listen to the series of lessons that began with Creation. “Twice Elvio came to the Bible class with his eyes swelled almost shut from bee stings,” wrote Don. Another time only one eye was swollen shut, after his wife accidentally hit him in the face with a catfish while they were fishing. It didn’t seem to matter how painful or difficult or downright absurd his situation was. He told Don, “No matter what happens I don’t want to miss a lesson.”

He and his wife were not just listening. “We took the lesson home so we could read it over and over. We wanted to understand about God.”

When the lessons reached their climax in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, Elvio and Miria understood. He found not only the answer to his sordid past, but the hope he sought, and so much more. Elvio found the peace that he longed for as he placed his trust in The Prince of Peace.

The clear foundational Bible teaching prepared Elvio and Miria to learn and grow in Christ, and now they are teaching Bible lessons to their own people. Foundational Bible Teaching, Worldviews & Story Telling, and Biblical Frameworks are just a few of the courses taught here at the Missionary Training Center that help prepare our students to reach people such as Elvio and Miria.

Please pray for us to finish strong as we approach the end of the semester.

Bob

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God is Love

One day C. H. Spurgeon was walking through the English countryside with a friend. As they strolled along, the evangelist noticed a barn with a weather vane on its roof. At the top of the vane were these words: GOD IS LOVE. Spurgeon remarked to his companion that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message. “Weather vanes are changeable,” he said, “but God’s love is constant.”

“I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles,” replied his friend. “You misunderstood the meaning. That sign is indicating a truth: Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.”

 

Maikol's Request

“I was amazed by what I saw,” Maikol said. “The people were reading Bibles in and around their huts.”

Maikol saw something that he desired for his own people when he visited two Hewa villages in Papua New Guinea. He wanted it so badly that he hiked three long, hard days to the Hewa so that he could ask the missionaries for help.

As he was speaking with the missionaries, Maikol reported that in one Hewa village Ken stood in front of the group and taught them in the Hewa language using the scriptures which were translated into the Hewa language. Maikol said, “I looked around and realized the people who were attending the service could hear and understand because it was in their own tongue.”

Maikol said, “I was amazed by what I saw. The people were reading Bibles in and around their huts. Not just a few people and they didn’t stop when it got dark. That evening the boys read out loud by flashlight after we ate our sweet potatoes, and the same thing was happening in the other huts. I couldn’t believe it.”

Maikol has never seen this in his years as a religious leader in his own village.

He said, “I preach from the Pidgin Bible on the weekends but since my villagers don’t know how to read and they are unfamiliar with the language of town there is little interest in God, and no change in their lives. Then I come here and see that people are not only reading the Bible in their homes but they are also completely different than other people. That’s what I want for my village.”

So far, no missionaries have been allocated to Maikol’s people. No one is available to meet this need.

Please pray that God would raise up a team of missionaries that could meet the request of Maikol and would be able to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ to these people. Also pray for us here at the Missionary Training Center as we prepare missionary candidates for the ministry of reaching those who do not have God’s Word in their own language.

Bob

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Back To The Bible

1Timothy 3:15 describes the mission of the church as being the pillar and support of the truth.  Whatever else the church does, it must take this commission from God seriously.  No one but God’s church is interested in such a project – it falls on God’s people, the true church, to be the one place where truth is believed, upheld, and gloriously proclaimed.  Of course, the truth that the church has to offer has a source – the Word of God.  All the church does must emerge from the Scriptures.  Every method, program, evangelistic effort, and message the church declares must find its roots firmly planted in biblical truth.  -Selected

 

A Palawano Prophecy

The Palawano people of the Philippines have a story about an old man named Erot — whose name meant “Guide.” This story occurred before World War II. One evening Erot sat down with his children and some of the other young people of the village.

“I have something important to tell you,” he told them. “One day an American will come to you bringing a book with him. When he comes, you should believe what he teaches, because the book that he will teach from tells of the true God, and how to have eternal life.”

Nearly 40 years passed. The old man’s prophecy lingered in the minds of the clan, still unfulfilled, until missionaries from America moved in among them. They began teaching from a book that they claimed was the Word of God.

Inting wondered, “Could this be the one my father Erot spoke of?” She had to know. And there was only one way to know for sure. She asked her husband repeatedly to go listen to what the American with the book had to say.

Putek was reluctant, but he finally went. He listened and the eyes of his understanding were opened. Putek realized that this was indeed what Erot told them to wait for! This was the true story of the true God.

He listened and believed. Then he couldn’t wait to get home to tell his wife. What joy Putek had when she listened and also believed.

Years passed by. The Palawano church grew, but they did not have God’s Word written in their own language. They were still like newborn babes, dependent on their spiritual parents for truth.

Then in June of 2014 the Palawano New Testament was finished. It was proofed, printed and ready to place into the hands of the believers. A joyous celebration took place as the Palawano believers received God’s Word in their own language for the first time.

“This book is a treasure to us worth more than gold or money,” said Abil, one of the church leaders, as he held the Palawano New Testament in his hand. “We are so thankful to our white uncle that God sent to us to bring us God’s Word in our own language so that now we can read it and understand it for ourselves,” he continued as he wiped tears from his eyes. “Now that we have God’s Word we are responsible to be faithful to study it and obey it.”

Paul wrote to Timothy, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2).” Each year faithful men and women leave here having been trained to serve as missionaries among the unreached people groups of the world. Thanks to all who help make it possible for folks like the Palawano people to have God’s Word written in their own language. Without the prayers and support of God’s people, I could not serve here at the Missionry Training Center.

Bob

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The Sole Basis of Salvation
by Lance Latham (founder of AWANA)

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.

Using Beads to Communicate Truth

Picture this: You are working with an unreached tribal group in Papua New Guinea. Your goal is to explain to them the message of the gospel. But they do not have a clue about the awesome Creator God who sent His Son to die for them. They lack the context to understand what you want to tell them. The gospel? A Savior? God? You need months of lessons before they’ll begin to grasp those concepts. Where would you begin?

Missionaries to the Pal people in Papua New Guinea face that challenge. So to pique their interest, the team working with the Pal people used a method that many others have found effective: a string of beads. Using 200 beads out of 6000, Chris introduced the Pal people to a history record that goes beyond the years of the stories which were passed down to them from their ancestors.

Chris started by showing a length of about 200 beads. He talked about what the beads represent. Chris wrote. “As they come to understand that each bead represents a year in history, we shift the talk to moving backward in time and see what they know or can remember from 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, and so forth.”

“Before we get even 200 years into the past, their knowledge runs out. … We ask … do you know how old the ground is? When the sun was born? How about the moon and stars?”

The Pal reply, “We don’t know the truth. We’re waiting for you guys to tell us the truth.”

“We then pull out the 6,000-bead timeline and watch their eyes grow wide .... We say, ‘God has told us what happened at the beginning. God has told us about the middle. And God has told us about the future, all in His Word. And we’re going to share with you God’s Word so you can know it, too.’”

It’s not easy to teach the gospel to a remote people group who have absolutely no context for the message you want to share with them. Our staff at the Missionary Training Center are committed to the task of equipping students with the tools that they will need to effectively communicate the gospel message to those who have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ.

Today missionaries continue to teach evangelistic lessons to the Pal people of Papua New Guinea. It is exciting to have had a small part in that work by training those missionaries for their current ministry.

I am so thankful for all those who have supported me with their prayers and financial gifts making it possible for folks like the Pal to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Let’s pray that God will open up the eyes of their understanding as the gospel message penetrates the hearts of these Pal people for whom Christ died.

Bob

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The Value of the Gospel
by Lance Latham (founder of AWANA)

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.

 

Communicating a Clear Gospel Message

Aaron and Lori Luse were in sitting a phonetics class here in Missouri back in 1999. Today they work with the Patpatar people of Papua New Guinea.

In 2012, Aaron shared the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus to some Patpatar folks who had not yet heard the Gospel message. It was on that day that their lives were changed for eternity.

Stanley, a Patpatar believer, shared his testimony with Aaron. He said, “I knew that Jesus had died on the cross, but I just never knew the reason. I had been told a long time ago that Jesus was the road, and I told others that. But that road of Jesus’ work so I could go to God wasn’t clear to me. Now that I clearly understand, I can no longer believe in fireflies, ginger, and rituals [the traditional beliefs]. It is not my works, but only the death of Jesus, the work of his death and resurrection in our place for our sins. I believe in God’s road only.”

My own experience was similar to this Patpatar believer. I went to Sunday school as a child. I knew that Jesus died on a cross. But no one ever explained to me why He died on a cross. I am so thankful that someone finally explained the gospel to me clearly in a way that could be understood.

The goal of our Missionary Training Center is to teach missionary candidates how to present the gospel in a clear and understandable way. In order to do that they need to understand not only the language but also the culture of the people that they wish to reach with the gospel message.

Dr. Charles Ryrie’s challenge to keep the gospel clear is vital to understanding this important message. He wrote: “Keep the issue clear: The issue is sin, and Who is going to forgive it. Keep the direction clear: It is from the Giver to the recipient. The gift of righteousness is given when you believe. Keep the requirements clear: It is salvation through FAITH. There is nothing more!”

We begin a new semester here in a few short weeks. I appreciate your prayers as we train our students in the principles of communicating a clear gospel message in a cross-cultural context.

Bob

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A Restful Heart
by J. F. Strombeck

The alternative to a heart "established with grace" is a restless and fearful heart. That is the experience of vast numbers of believers who do not understand the abounding grace of God. Surely a believer's striving in his own power, with the accompanying failures, and the fears of possibly being lost, do not establish the heart. That causes uncertainty, distress, and fainting. But when it is seen that God's work of grace cannot fail, because it is of Him, and that back of His purpose is all His infinite power and grace, the heart does find rest and becomes established.