Of things that come to light.

When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God of Heaven's Armies.

-         Jeremiah 15:16

 

Zeal and conflict

 

“God’s Word is straight. When I hear it I know that it is the truth. There is not a hidden meaning there. He speaks to me clearly and that is what I desire most!”

-         Meyup, believer, teacher in training

“I used to be swayed by some of the things that people were talking about, but when you and Chris and Axel showed us from God’s Word that real hope is knowing that He loves us, I quit following all of that talk. Now I just want to hear His Word!”

-         Evelego

 

So some pal guys heard about some false teaching that was going around among the believers and, incensed about the false content, (Hooray! They are filtering things through God’s Word!) they decided to take matters into their own hands, (Good. That’s taking responsibility…)  and tell the guys (who themselves are believers) that they are from the devil and that they are going to burn in hell (uh oh…This is going to get hairy.). Then those who had been told that they would burn in hell decided that condemning someone to hell is not a thing that true believers do so they came right back with. “Nope, it’s you guys who don’t understand, you guys are the ones on the outside (meaning: under condemnation).” All this came to light about a week ago. It has revealed a split in the church that has been fueled by remembrance of years old conflicts between clans and some good old fashioned gossip.

 

And yet, I am feeling so encouraged about the Pal church right now. Why? Let me tell you:

-         Almost every single person in the church is showing deep care and respect for God’s Word.

-         Each side of the conflict is actively submitting to God’s guidance through His Word and through us.

-         All of the people we have talked with are showing that they really want the truth.

-         There are a number of guys who are freshly aware of their need for strength as they seek to forgive major offenses – and they are willing to be taught how to seek God’s strength for victory there.

-         People are seeing God’s work through Christ as real and relevant to their daily lives.

 

Please pray fervently for us as we confront this again publicly this Sunday and as we have many conversations in the lead-up to and then again after the meeting.

 

Nogonok, light on his feet, claimed that he’d hit 90 in a row before he was through. While that was optimistic, we had great fun encouraging him to try.

 

Please pray for our co-workers Axel and Sandra Fachner as they continue to navigate the challenges of ministry; life, love, and discipleship in the church here in Pal. They are doing a great job, but we know that it is much bigger than us missionaries – and is especially challenging when only one family is here to do it.

 

Please pray for us as well – Mom and I will be leaving Monday to spend a couple of days helping orient new missionaries to the field and then we’ll begin the long trek homeward.

 

 

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