New Guinea News                                                                      12 October 2008

We Have To Be Good

Patpatar men listening intently to God’s Word.

An area that has surprised us since the teaching has started here among the Patpatar is how vocal they have been with us about their thinking concerning the Bible lessons. It has been incredible to hear them share with others what they are learning and how they all need to apply those things. This week we heard them testify to realizing the Greatness of God. They’ve also told us of how they are learning that God’s Word is our guide to living, and that we should follow what God wants us to do. Those were all great things. However, there were many people who voiced this conclusion, “we have been taught we are sinners and it is true, so we have to try harder, we have to be good, we have to try our best so God will accept us.”

A similar cry rose out from the Israelites after there exodus from Egypt when they told God that they wanted God’s blessing and would follow all of His ways to get it. Then the law came. The laws of God: God’s standard by which we are judged; God’s measure by which we all fall short.

The fact is, as sinners, we can never appease the wrath of God with our actions. The fact is that Jesus Christ was the only one that fulfilled law and made a way for us to be accepted by a holy God.

The Patpatar people’s conclusion of trying their best so God will accept them is bound to be shattered this week as we teach on the 10 commandments. We will show how God teaches that we have broken his laws. We will teach how the breaking of just one makes us as guilty as breaking all of them…the standard is perfection. As the Israelites needed to know their incapacity to get to God of their own accord, so that reality needs to sink into the hearts of each one of us, and each of the Patpatar. After all, Christ came to call sinners to Himself, not the self-righteous. We won’t be covering the fulfillment of the law this week in the person of Christ, but we pray that God will prepare the Patpatar people for the promised Messiah. Pray that they will see their shortcomings. Pray that they will see themselves as “lost” so that they can be “found.” Pray that after they hear these principles that they will want to come hear more to find the answer to their predicament. The teaching this week will be contrary to what they have lived and heard their whole lives.

Prayer and Praise (aside from what is mentioned above):

• Remember we asked prayer for those who were only attending periodically to be there regularly? This week (aside from our introduction week) was the largest amount of people per day we have seen. Most of them had been coming at some point in the teaching, now they are all coming at once. Thanks for praying and keep it up.
  We are pretty healthy right now (even that boil on Aaron’s face is now just a lump).
  We are so grateful for the good weather God has given us. Sunshine in the morning and an occasional shower in the afternoon.

Coming this week:

God provided manna and water in the wilderness.
God gave the Israelites His law.
God gave instructions for the Tabernacle.