April 1, 2015

April 1, 2015

This month I’ve been working with men and women in Loming, Lalonga and Lacharok to try and teach them Bible stories from memory. Since all of these guys have heard the gospel numerous times from Chuck and me, we’re able to commit a “no-no” in normal storying settings, we connect each story to the story of Christ and the gospel. Last week I taught the story of Cain and Abel to Paul. Paul Learns the stories quickly, there are many Old Testament stories that he’s just never heard or read, so he’s excited to hear them. As we were discussing the Cain and Abel story, Paul started asking me questions like, “What application do we make from this story?” He wanted to know how to teach the story to the people in his church and in the other villages where he is leading most of the teaching.

After discussing the story for a while, I asked Paul, “What was the cause of Cain’s anger?” Many animist people who hear this story for the first time immediately assume that God was displeased with Cain’s offering because it did not involve blood, and I wanted Paul to see the sin in Cain’s heart. Finally I asked him, “Imagine you are standing in front of Jesus right now, and giving Him the best of everything you have: children, crops, livestock, money, whatever it might be. Now, imagine that Jesus looks at your offering with disgust and walks away. What is your response? Do you get angry because you are expecting something different? Do you get bitter because you think your offering deserves a better response? Or is your heart broken because you realize there is something wrong with your relationship? Your answer will tell you a lot about your soul, and your motivation for serving Jesus.”

Please pray for the men and women in these three villages. Pray that they will serve and follow Jesus out of love for Him and not because of some material expectation (from God, from the missionaries, etc.).

Thanks!

Justin and Amy Culp