Tying the knot
After hearing about Lucifer's fall, the Mengen people in Papua New Guinea are starting to understand what belief is and Satan's desire to deceive everyone.
Missionaries Dave and Judy Wright explained that the spirits of the dead the Mengens have called out to in the past are really Satan and his demons. Dave wrote, "The spirits of the dead are at the center of [the Mengens'] world, calling to them to watch over gardens and traps, calling on them to avenge and heal and to protect and to teach them the required magic that they need to live and survive."
"[One] lady, known for her fear of the spirits, shared after hearing the teaching on Lucifer that she'd been deceived by [her] ancestors about the spirits," wrote Dave. Many people in the tribe seem to be enthusiastic about hearing and learning more.
This week the Wrights will teach through the results of the fall, ending with Cain and Abel. They'll be demonstrating things visually with the aid of a debt rope. Among the Mengens, when someone "wanted a debt repaid, they'd take a piece of vine and tie a knot in it and send it to the one that owed them," wrote Dave.
The missionary team will be using this to demonstrate sin. Dave wrote, "We're taking this and saying that God has sent each of us a sin debt rope, with knots on it signifying each sin that we have done against Him, and the payment that He requires for each will be our death/separation from Him.
"Initially we'll just put one knot in it for being born … Then for the teaching of the Ten Commandments, we'll … have them start tying knots in their ropes to signify each time that they've broken each commandment. All of this will culminate with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ where he took all of our sin debts upon Himself and died in our place."
Please pray for the Mengens to open their hearts while the teaching continues, and that the lessons will be clear and speak to them.
Missionaries Dave and Judy Wright explained that the spirits of the dead the Mengens have called out to in the past are really Satan and his demons. Dave wrote, "The spirits of the dead are at the center of [the Mengens'] world, calling to them to watch over gardens and traps, calling on them to avenge and heal and to protect and to teach them the required magic that they need to live and survive."
"[One] lady, known for her fear of the spirits, shared after hearing the teaching on Lucifer that she'd been deceived by [her] ancestors about the spirits," wrote Dave. Many people in the tribe seem to be enthusiastic about hearing and learning more.
This week the Wrights will teach through the results of the fall, ending with Cain and Abel. They'll be demonstrating things visually with the aid of a debt rope. Among the Mengens, when someone "wanted a debt repaid, they'd take a piece of vine and tie a knot in it and send it to the one that owed them," wrote Dave.
The missionary team will be using this to demonstrate sin. Dave wrote, "We're taking this and saying that God has sent each of us a sin debt rope, with knots on it signifying each sin that we have done against Him, and the payment that He requires for each will be our death/separation from Him.
"Initially we'll just put one knot in it for being born … Then for the teaching of the Ten Commandments, we'll … have them start tying knots in their ropes to signify each time that they've broken each commandment. All of this will culminate with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ where he took all of our sin debts upon Himself and died in our place."
Please pray for the Mengens to open their hearts while the teaching continues, and that the lessons will be clear and speak to them.