Good questions

For the past 4 months, the Inapang Bible teachers and many faithful women have been making the long hike to Tangguat each week to live out the Great Commission and preach the Gospel to those who have been bound by the enemy's lies for generations. This past week they heard the amazing story of God Himself giving his life as a sacrifice for the sins of man. It has been a joy and a privilege to partner with and labor alongside the Inapang church and to see God bring glory to His name in this corner of the jungle. As Tim (missionary) sat with the Bible teachers late in the evening after the crucifixion lesson had been taught that morning, the Bible teachers were saying, "God has certainly prepared this place for Himself and His word! They are embracing it and believing it in such an amazing way. This is only God!"

Here is one of the testimonies that was shared with us after the finale of the Gospel presentation ..."God sent his Son to this ground to be born from a woman and He followed God's thinking all the way until he was grown, and it was all to pay for our sin. I believe what I have heard and I can't do anything to save myself from my sin. I heard that the Deliverer would come and I thought about him and I thought about him and wondered how he would save me. He came to become our "sin-person" and defeat Satan and get us back from him. I heard about him and I believed and trusted in him as I heard his story all the way until yesterday and today's story. I am giving God a big thank you that He sent His only Son to save us. I am getting a very big thank you and giving it to God because He was thinking of us and sent His Only Son whom He loved very much. All the sins that we were doing before and that we will do, we couldn't save ourselves from those, but God sent His Son for us and for all the bad people. True, true, true, true... This is God's story. Jesus is with us. He is the one door to God. His blood was shed for us and if we believe in Him, then by that road we will come to God. He has completely erased all our sin and because of that I am so happy. Thank you, Tim, (missionary) so much for coming. We were nothing, we were just bush people who were going astray, but God by His strength sent you to Papua New Guinea to the bush people to preach His word. And Jesus is with us now. He died for us. I am completely believing in that. He is coming again and those that believe in Him, He will come back to get us. But those who do not believe in Him will go to the place of fire. I cannot save myself from this... only God."

I love this testimony of God's work through missionaries who stepped out of their comfort zone to take light into these dark places.  Here the thing though...that darkness is all around us in America too.    Just a few days ago I sit across from a young women who was in darkness.  How did I know that?  By asking a few simple questions, such as, do you believe there is a God, a creator?  Have you heard of Jesus and who do you think he is?  Out of those few questions she begin to tell what she believed.  

 She truly believed she was re-incarnated several times and it was God who did that. She had heard of Jesus but did not know Jesus Christ was the perfect Son of God, God in the flesh. She did not know He came to die for her.  Just because there is a church on every corner and religious programs on the TV does not mean people have an understanding of the Bible.   We tend to think just those living in the remote jungles do not know the answers to the Bible.  

Occasionally I  watch, Watter's World on fox news.  He goes around asking specific questions about history which is embarrassing because it really shows how little American's know about America.   Good questions will reveal what we believe or know. 

       Below is a few questions to use when witnessing to someone. 

1. Transitioning question:  Can I ask you an interesting question? May I ask you what you think will happen to you after you pass away?
2. Where are you on your spiritual journey?
3. What is happening spiritually in your life.  
4. If you died tonight, are you 100 percent sure you would go to heaven and why?
Those are only a few questions that can bring the information needed to proceed in presenting the gospel.

  The young women I wrote about was willing to meet with me because I had earned favor with her by caring about her in general ways.  I did not have to travel to the jungle, only to McDonalds, or learn a new language to ask some eternal questions.  All I had to do was care more for her soul then what she ate that day.   This young women will now meet those Tangguat believers in heaven.  But just like those missionaries serving across the ocean our work is not done.  There is much disciplining yet to come to help these new believers mature in their faith.  

I Peter 3:15 tells us to be ready to give an account (explanation)  for the hope that is in you with gentleness and reverence.  Lets reach the tribe we live around.