Believer's death trying
The death of Mesonowae, a Siawi woman in Papua New Guinea who helped missionary Linda Krieg learn the Siawi culture and language 25 years ago, provided a test of faith for other believers.
Mesonowae, who became a believer in 1992 when she heard that Christ paid for her sins, died last week. Linda was told that Mesonowae had a dream about dying and going to Heaven just a few days before and she told her family, "When I die, don’t cut down my garden trees and bananas. When I die, I will be going to Heaven, so don’t do the old ways."
When the believers met Sunday morning, Beiyeme -- Mesonowae’s foster son -- testified, "My grief for her was like something strong pulling me to go back to the old ways of belief. That grief was telling me to leave my work (of helping with Bible translation) and just go off into the bush, turning my back on everything. It was pulling me, but God’s Spirit was in my heart, and He was strengthening me and helping me, so that I wouldn’t do that. And I know that Mesonowae is in a wonderful place now."
Kwaelom, who hadn’t spoken in church for several months, also stood to speak. He shared from Romans 8.
"If we have God’s Spirit, we can know that we are His and that we will go to be with Him when we die. If we don’t have God’s Spirit, we are not His. Just coming to church isn’t going to help you. It would be awful if, when you die, we all say, ’He came to church every Sunday, but he never truly believed and so now he is in Hell.’ We know that our sister, Mesonowae, truly believed and now she is in Heaven. Don’t you be one who dies without having the Holy Spirit. It would be awful if you died like that and went to Hell."
Pray that the Siawi believers will continue to stand true to God’s Word and be a testimony to those who have not yet put their faith in Christ.
Mesonowae, who became a believer in 1992 when she heard that Christ paid for her sins, died last week. Linda was told that Mesonowae had a dream about dying and going to Heaven just a few days before and she told her family, "When I die, don’t cut down my garden trees and bananas. When I die, I will be going to Heaven, so don’t do the old ways."
When the believers met Sunday morning, Beiyeme -- Mesonowae’s foster son -- testified, "My grief for her was like something strong pulling me to go back to the old ways of belief. That grief was telling me to leave my work (of helping with Bible translation) and just go off into the bush, turning my back on everything. It was pulling me, but God’s Spirit was in my heart, and He was strengthening me and helping me, so that I wouldn’t do that. And I know that Mesonowae is in a wonderful place now."
Kwaelom, who hadn’t spoken in church for several months, also stood to speak. He shared from Romans 8.
"If we have God’s Spirit, we can know that we are His and that we will go to be with Him when we die. If we don’t have God’s Spirit, we are not His. Just coming to church isn’t going to help you. It would be awful if, when you die, we all say, ’He came to church every Sunday, but he never truly believed and so now he is in Hell.’ We know that our sister, Mesonowae, truly believed and now she is in Heaven. Don’t you be one who dies without having the Holy Spirit. It would be awful if you died like that and went to Hell."
Pray that the Siawi believers will continue to stand true to God’s Word and be a testimony to those who have not yet put their faith in Christ.