Not the god they know
The Siar people in Papua New Guinea are coming closer to the day they will hear God’s Word in their own language.
The team of missionaries ministering to the Siars recently met with community leaders to plan when and where to begin teaching evangelistic Bible lessons.
Chris and Erin Lujan, Lane and Karrie Sanford and Jonathan and Melissa Jackson are all working hard to make preparations for teaching.
The lessons are now being written and checked and the corresponding chapters of the Bible are being translated and checked.
They are teaching the fourth literacy class and look forward to the day when many Siar people will be able to read God’s Word for themselves.
The team is especially concerned that God’s Word be taught accurately in a culturally relevant way. The Siars worldview can significantly affect how they understand the teaching of God’s Word.
When Jonathan was checking Exodus 6 with Kamlapar, they ran into a snag.
After reading it to him, Kamlapar told Jonathan, "It is clear; it is my talk, but there is something that I keep bumping up against." Jonathan waited for him to continue, and he said, "What I am stuck on is this Yahweh. If you had called him Suilik then I would have understood. I don't know who this Yahweh is."
The Siars have had teaching in the past that was contrary to the truth of God’s Word. They have a god called Suilik. Many of them say that Suilik is the same as Jesus; some say that he is Jesus’ father. What they have learned about this god has often been meshed with stories about their ancestors.
In order for the Siars to understand Jehovah God and His Son Jesus they need clear teaching on the characteristics of God. If the team just began teaching about God, many Siars would have confused Him with their god.
Jonathan wrote, “All of us are involved in comprehension checking, whether it is Melissa, Karrie and Erin going over translated portions of Scripture with Siar women, or Chris, Lane, and I going through Bible lessons with Siar men. It is very time intense process, but with all the confusion that is already here, it is paramount. The Siars need to understand clearly who our God and Father is, that He loves them dearly, and that He has made a way for them to be reconciled to Him.”
Pray for wisdom as the team prepares the lessons. Pray that Kamlapar will clearly understand who Jehovah is. Also pray that the lessons will be clear and accurate and that the Siar people will understand God’s message of grace for them.