Rejoicing Angels!

This email update is from our dearest friends who are working in PNG with New Tribes Mission. I hope you will be encouraged by this too, as you read testimonies from our new brothers and sisters in the Lord...from the Dinangat tribe of Papua New Guinea!! :)

“WORTHY are YOU to take the book and to break its seals; for YOU were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from EVERY TRIBE and TONGUE and PEOPLE and Nation!”
Revelation 5:9 (emphasis added)

Everyone was there. One man hiked the three hour trail from their coffee garden to make sure he didn’t miss the final talk. He hiked back again that afternoon, after the teaching, to set the beans out to dry, then hiked back again in the middle of the night for the teaching the next morning.

Gary groaned in agony as Ralf drove the long, merciless nails in between his fingers. With every blow of the hammer, you could see the faces cringe, others just hung their heads and would barely look up. Jeremiah strained to balance the Cross between he and Ralf, and they hefted it into position in the pre-dug hole. And there he hung. Face dripping with mock blood, he cried out in another language, “Father, forgive them!”

And then, in answer to your prayers and the desire of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Father reached down to this small, remote village in PNG. As one by one, individual hearts cried out to the Father in confession of their sin, and thanks giving for the price that HE paid in their place, the God of the Universe did indeed forgive them for their sin!

There was no dancing or singing. No lifting up of the hands in spontaneous outbursts or worship. In fact, after the scene at Calvary, you could have heard a pin drop for a full five minutes. But as we work our way through the village to talk with people one on one, what we are hearing is God’s name being praised! We are seeing hearts bursting with joy! Many have told us that they know they have been in darkness for so long, but now they know the truth. There is nothing they can do to resolve their sin problem, but Jesus has paid the debt. He did it all. Read these snapshots of the testimonies we are hearing, and rejoice with us that HE is building His church! HE has redeemed his people!

Peso: Before I was in Satan’s family, but now we know that Jesus died for our sins. I know I can't do anything to be put in Gods family, only by belief in what Jesus did, only He can save us.

Maangit: Jesus took my place and died for my sin.

Mesari: What Jesus did is true, He died for my sin. He shed his blood for me.

Takido: "Before you all came to us we were living in sin and were going to die and go to hell. But now we understand that God sent Jesus to die for our sin so that we can be saved. That's what I know is true. God is true."

Kombu: “I believed in God and Jesus, but I didn't understand how to wash my sin away, but now I see that Jesus washed it away by dying on the cross for my sin. I am not able to do it, but because of what He did I can go to God when I die. I'm just so happy about this."

Juretnuwo: He said over and over again that he knows that because of his sin he deserves death, but Jesus died for his sin so now he is in God’s family.

Itiringke: "I understand that I should go to hell because of my sin, but Jesus took my place so that I can go to God."

Raukepe: Jesus died for my sin, He saved me, later I will go to God.

Felix: Today I don't worry anymore, I know that it's because of what Jesus did for me that I'll go to God.

Bau: My head is just breaking open as I think about what Jesus did for me. Thank you God!

Epox: I'm in God's bilum because of what Jesus did for me on the cross.

These are a few quotes that we’ve heard, and of course I’ve not included all the testimonies that the people have given. Nor have we spoken to everyone in the village yet. What we are witnessing is also hugely emotional. (Being saved from your sin for eternity is an emotional thing!) God Himself only knows the sincerity of their hearts, who is professing faith in Truth, and whose hearts are secretly unbelieving. We know that there are years of teaching ahead of us, for these new babes in Christ will need nourishing food, and lots of it! But for now, we want to say a huge THANK YOU for standing with us in this spiritual battle for the souls of the Dinangat people! REJOICE! God in His faithfulness is winning the battle, He has added many Dinangat names to His church, and one day you will meet them in Glory!

REJOICING in HIS FAITHFULNESS,
Jeremiah, April, Jordan, Judah and Alayna