Does Acting Like a Christian Make You a Christian?
“Not So Sure”
Death is never easy. It’s harder yet when it is an unbeliever that has just died. And then there are those that missionaries John and Jessi George would say land in the “not too sure” category.
They just faced a death that falls into that category.
Knowing the Right Words
Though they hope she is with Jesus, John and Jessi just don’t know. This has challenged them to think long and hard about how they communicate salvation to these villagers in Papua New Guinea.
“We still deal with those who claim to be believers, who can quote our chronological teachings from start to finish getting every word correct, but who show no fruit of the Holy Spirit in their daily lives,” the Georges wrote. “We have those who can give a clear [verbal] testimony, … but who stir up drama [and] dissension.”
Knowing Jesus
Have they really understood or are they simply adding this to their animistic belief system?
John and Jessi shared how “one of the major tools in the animist’s tool belt is the use of ‘magic words ... to manipulate the spirits … to give them what they need to make life work.
“The question we must ask ourselves ... is do these people know Jesus or do they just know the stories we have translated and taught about Him? Are they trusting in the person of Jesus and His work on the cross, or are they trusting in the ‘magic words’ that we have so neatly .... bound together as a book?”
Pray that the Hewa people would trust in the person of Jesus.