Like most tribal people in Papua New Guinea, the Bagwidos love hearing stories and watching dramatic presentations. This week they were on the edge of the seats as evangelistic Bible teaching entered its fifth week.
Last week the missionaries "realized there was something we were missing," wrote Brian Holmquist. The people were not seeing their lost condition before a holy and righteous God.
"Many people that we asked questions to seemed to be thinking that by coming to hear the teaching, by trying to do good things, and by trying to 'follow God's way' (whatever that may be), they were already in God's family," Brian wrote.
This week, after several illustrations, and the lesson on Sodom and Gomorrah, the mood was heavy. Silence hung in the air like a dead weight when the teaching time was over. Heads were down and people were mulling over the things they had heard.
"Look at God's judgment again," someone said. "We see it again and again. You know that is us. He could come and destroy us all at any time he wanted to."
"While it is very difficult to see your friends sad," Brian wrote, "we felt it was important that they think long and hard about the fact that they are lost, dead in sin and cannot get themselves to heaven."
God's message appears to be getting through to some of the Bagwidos though.
"Our ancestors' stories have no base to them, and they don't have the Bible in them," Jenetin told his fellow Bagwidos. "You guys listen! Our ancestor stories have no witness to the beginning, but we are hearing the talk from the Witness Himself."
"We have followed lies for years, God," Sepi prayed. "Now we are hearing the Truth! Thank you, God."
After one teaching session Bonipas and Rafael talked with Brian. "This has been our problem for years," said Bonipas. "We have been joining together our ancestors' talk with the pieces of the Bible that we have heard. Now we don't know what is true."
"I am telling you, our stories are not true. God's Talk is true!" said Rafael.
After one illustration Jenetin said, "Mark [Woodard, Brian's co-worker], I heard that story and I thought to myself, this is just like Noah's day and Mark and Brian and their families are Noah standing up on top of the mountain saying, 'You guys, this is true talk. God is real.' … The question is, will we get in the ship and believe that God's Talk is true or will we be like the people in Noah's time and think you guys are lying to us and just go our own way and be destroyed?"
Please pray that the Bagwidos will continue listening to God's Talk and get into His ship by placing their faith in Christ.
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