Pioneer Bible Translators – Prayer Partner Letter | April 2018

A few years ago, he gave a New Testament to a highly respected village elder he refers to as TM (name withheld for security reasons). John Mark then says:

When people of this group encounter Scripture, one of the most common reactions we hear is amazement at the sense of history that is gained from hearing what God has done through His prophets and servants of old. When I asked TM what he was getting after reading the New Testament I had given him he expressed these sentiments, but he didn’t stop there. In comparing the writings of the New Testament with the holy book of the major world religion practiced here, he had said, “When one is seeking wisdom, who should one listen to, an old person or a young person? …. Truth is found in the religion that came first. I have traveled in our land and among our people—there is no righteousness in the religion we have agreed on.” After picking my jaw up off the ground, we went on to discuss at length what it meant to have righteousness through the sacrifice of Christ.

I was thinking about how God is working here, even if often imperceptibly to our human eyes – behind the scenes, in the hearts of the people where God’s Word is quietly planted. Leaving that religion, as TM said, “we (the community) have agreed on,” is still culturally taboo and unthinkable in people’s minds. Yet I knew God was doing an amazing thing in TM’s heart, and the time had come to see what he would do with Jesus in his own life.

When I had the opportunity to sit and visit with TM again, he began to talk about the lostness and purposelessness of the younger generation. We discussed what it takes for people to change, and whether any meaningful change of heart is really possible without God. This led us to talk at length about the saving and transforming work of Christ. After going over the gospel several times, I asked TM what he personally had come to believe about Jesus. I had to hold back the tears as he shared with me in very clear and sincere terms how he knows and has come to trust that Jesus is the Chosen One of God who was sacrificed for us. He knows the debt of his own sin has been paid in full by Christ and he is no longer afraid to die. He has put his faith in Jesus and has entrusted himself to Him. He said that he knows the truth about Jesus, and that he no longer will be deceived by anyone into believing differently. Then speaking what is completely counter-cultural in this context and could only have been revealed to him by God, he looked at me with quiet conviction and said, “I know that Jesus is God.” I was blown away. How great is God’s grace in revealing Himself to this man; in convicting his heart of the Truth, the good news about Jesus, even though he has been surrounded by and taught something very different for his entire life! We prayed together and I was overwhelmed by the holiness of the moment.

Eventually, our discussion turned back to the young people and how badly they needed to know the truth about Jesus. I emphasized how important it was for him to share his new faith in Jesus with them—with his children, nieces, and nephews. He agreed with me and said, “If someone gives himself up for you, you have to know that person…. We will tell them, we will tell them about Jesus. They may not follow our example at once, but we will tell them.”

We have long prayed for heads of families and community leaders to be drawn to Jesus. In this tightly-knit communal society, people like TM are considered gatekeepers. We have invested a lot in this group of people, operating under the premise that if the gospel were to go through them it would have a better chance of making deeper inroads in the society which would lead to lasting transformation in more people’s lives.