Ambox pays the cost of discipleship
There’s a bright spot in Chad Mankins’ ministry to the Tobo people. His name is Ambox.
Ambox is Chad’s Bible translation co-worker and 1 Corinthians is their current project. Chad writes, “Ambox is a man of few words … he is a very humble, unassuming brother and a joy to be around.”
Ambox is not an “in-your-face kind of Christian,” Chad explains. But he is humbly willing to go against the flow, and going against the flow is always tough. Ambox is not confrontational and he longs for more boldness. But he continues to quietly lead his own family in daily reading of God’s Word and prayer and does not participate in events that compromise his life witness.
The cost of discipleship for Ambox is that he is often ignored and sidelined by the community, dismissed by both unbelievers and apathetic believers who are struggling with wrong choices and prideful denial of their sin.
The message of Ambox’s life speaks quietly and faithfully to the Tobo community, which is currently experiencing a difficult spiritual climate.
Chad shares, “We see a satisfaction with the old status quo among the community in general, and sadly, in the lives of several of the believers. We are praying that God will continue to work in the hearts of some of our friends who have either turned aside from the truth or are unwilling to ‘get real’ with God and with us as to how they need to engage with the Word of God in their daily lives.”
Chad urges the Tobo people to remember that God wants a relationship His children that is “rooted in reality and in the everyday-ness of our lives, not just at a church meeting.” He has had opportunities to share that in Jesus’ words, “those who worship Him (God) must worship in spirit and truth.”
Chad is thankful for the quiet encouragement of Ambox’s life. He says the response of the Tobo people to his teaching often falls short of what he would hope, but this reminds him that this work is God’s work to do in hearts. He remembers, too, how patient God has always been in his own Christian journey. And he adds, “That puts things into a better perspective for this knucklehead American translator in the mountains of Papua New Guinea and helps me realize that I need to ‘chill’ and let God do His work in His timing!”
Pray for Chad and Ambox as they work on the challenging translation project of 1 Corinthians. Pray for Chad and Janeene Mankins and their family as they teach and live out the Gospel for the Tobo people. Pray for Ambox and his wife, Nailen, and their three children as they read and grow in God’s Word. Pray for courage for them to boldly live out their lives of faith. Pray for God’s faithful work in the Tobo community, for an awakening from apathy and a powerful rooting of their faith that is demonstrated in the reality of their daily life.