Dinangat believers more active
Bible teachers among the Dinangat people in Papua New Guinea, sensing that their church meetings were becoming a little tired and needed some waking up, have been discussing how to motivate the church to move ahead and get to know God even more.
"I think that the families should sit together in the church service," Lukas said. "Why do we men always separate ourselves from our women?"
"And we sit way too scattered," Felix added. "Maybe we can build a fence or plant bushes to make the people sit closer together."
"I think the young people need to be integrated more," said Jaspa. "Maybe the young girls can sit by the boys with the guitars and lead the songs together?"
"I really miss it that the older people don’t share what they have heard and learned from the sermons," Basa included. "They need to say more in order to strengthen our talk."
"Yes, that’s right," Felix spoke again, "and we need to encourage the people to get up and share what they have learned to encourage others also."
The missionaries are already seeing a difference. After a recent message about following the Holy Spirit’s leading instead of the old nature, some of the believers shared.
"As I got up this morning," said Boringke, "and saw how the sun slowly came up and the darkness became more and more light after a while, I was thinking about my own faith and how I was in darkness. But now as I’m hearing more and more of God’s Word I understand more and my faith becomes more and more like a light to me."
"We need to truly take to heart what we have heard this morning," said Emma, "and we need to put it into practice. Let us all learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit!"
On Sunday the believers received chapters 1-8 and 12 of the book of Romans printed in a little booklet.
"We are excited about the fact that we can hand out the Word of God to them," wrote Ralf and Ellie Schlegel. Please pray that they will get better at reading and that they will read the Word regularly and learn much from it."
"I think that the families should sit together in the church service," Lukas said. "Why do we men always separate ourselves from our women?"
"And we sit way too scattered," Felix added. "Maybe we can build a fence or plant bushes to make the people sit closer together."
"I think the young people need to be integrated more," said Jaspa. "Maybe the young girls can sit by the boys with the guitars and lead the songs together?"
"I really miss it that the older people don’t share what they have heard and learned from the sermons," Basa included. "They need to say more in order to strengthen our talk."
"Yes, that’s right," Felix spoke again, "and we need to encourage the people to get up and share what they have learned to encourage others also."
The missionaries are already seeing a difference. After a recent message about following the Holy Spirit’s leading instead of the old nature, some of the believers shared.
"As I got up this morning," said Boringke, "and saw how the sun slowly came up and the darkness became more and more light after a while, I was thinking about my own faith and how I was in darkness. But now as I’m hearing more and more of God’s Word I understand more and my faith becomes more and more like a light to me."
"We need to truly take to heart what we have heard this morning," said Emma, "and we need to put it into practice. Let us all learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit!"
On Sunday the believers received chapters 1-8 and 12 of the book of Romans printed in a little booklet.
"We are excited about the fact that we can hand out the Word of God to them," wrote Ralf and Ellie Schlegel. Please pray that they will get better at reading and that they will read the Word regularly and learn much from it."