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Feb 03, 2005
Truth Finaly Reaches Isolated Indians
ASUNCION, Paraguay (New Tribes
Mission) - A once isolated group of Ayore Indians are beginning to hear about God from their own people.
This group came out of the jungle for the first time on March 3, 2004. They weren’t seeking to make contact but saw where some men were working. In the middle of the night they approached their tent with the idea of killing the workers and taking whatever they might find useful.
But the workers weren’t there. They ransacked the tent and took a shovel. The next day they encountered the workers and two Ayore men working together on building a new Ayore village.
When the Ayores realized some of their people were still living in the jungle they approached them and established contact. The man in charge of the building immediately contacted government groups and anthropologists.
This new Ayore group was placed under a special medical quarantine that lasted from March through October.
When the quarantine was lifted, missionaries made plans to begin a systematic teaching program that will assist these Ayores in making an intelligent decision about God’s Word.
Missionaries John Keefe and Bruce Higham, with Carodi, Ojoi, and Ajitai, Ayore church leaders from Campo Loro, explained to this group their desire to begin a teaching program.
"We videotaped their responses," wrote Bruce. "They very whole-heartedly invited us to come to do this teaching and expressed their desire to have us teach them."
John has visited the group twice and reports that the interest remains very high.
Today John is traveling with Carodi and David, a promising new Ayore teacher, to visit this group. This begins their weekly trip to teach them from God’s Word.
Pray that nothing will hinder these Ayores in their hunger for truth. Pray also for the missionaries and Ayore Bible teachers as they approach their task with wisdom and sensitivity.
[Editor's Note: New Tribes Missionaries John Keefe and Bruce Higham are friends of ours. We have visited Campo Loro where they work with the Ayores. When this last group of Ayores came out of the bush last year the anthropologists isolated them under the "special medical quarantine." Yet it seems only the missionaries were forbidden contact with these people. The anthropologists allowed them to be exposed to the news media. In addition, they gave the Indians western clothes and provided them with candy and other "modern" foods. Thankfully, the "quarantine" has been lifted and now the Truth may be shared with these people. Pray that this group of Ayores will continue to be receptive to hearing the Gospel from John, Bruce, and the other Ayore believers.]
* This article may be freely reprinted provided it is used in its entirety without modification and includes the following sentence:
Article reprinted from Pryors of Paraguay [http://pryors.net/] - Gods Work in Gods Way! The Pryors are missionaries to Paraguay, South America who are purposed to pursue the Biblical plan for missions and prove that New Testament principles still work today
Posted by David Pryor in Paraguay | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Feb 01, 2005
Every Christian is a Missionary
Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." - John 4:35c
Every Christian is a Missionary - This is a statement of fact, not a question nor an exhortation.
Some, however, may doubt the validity of such a statement. So, let us consider the word Christian for a moment.
The word Christian only appears three times in the Bible. Its first appearance is in Acts 11:26c, "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
The title Christian was not originally used to describe the believers in Jerusalem. Instead, it was applied first to the believers who had begun to obey Christ’s command to "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15b, KJV) and be witnesses for Him "both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8b, KJV)
Of course, these disciples fled to Antioch because of persecution, but the Lord was with them and many people in that city believed and turned to the Lord (Acts 11:21). Eventually, the first "missionaries" sent out of a local church (Paul and Barnabas) would come from this same assembly of believers.
Considering the setting in which believers were first called Christians, we can develop an accurate definition for the title Christian. A Christian is both a "follower of Christ," and "one sent by Christ."
This brings us to the title Missionary. This word never appears in the Bible. However, the dictionary defines it as "one sent on a mission." The root of the word, mission, means "to send." We may therefore justifiably define the title Missionary as "one sent on a mission by Christ."
What then is the mission of every Christian? To obey our Lord’s command and preach (proclaim) the gospel, as did the believers first called Christians at Antioch. However, fulfilling our mission does not always mean going off to some far away place.
Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17:18 concerning His disciples saying, "As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." Jesus left us in the world after our salvation so that we might serve and proclaim Him right where we are.
Speaking to His disciples, Jesus said, "Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:13-16) Notice that He said "you," not "they." He was speaking to all His disciples, not just those called to some special service somewhere. What Jesus explained to His disciples in that passage applies to us today. It reveals God’s will for your daily life and mine.
Salt and light are used as illustrations of how our lives should have an effect on the world around us. We do not have to strive to become these two things that are found in any home anywhere in the world. Jesus said that as believers in Him, we already are salt and light.
What attributes do these two substances have that should also be found in our lives? Salt is a preservative and prevents decay. On the other hand, if salt loses its savor, it is good for nothing. Light has nothing in common with darkness. In fact, its very presence dispels darkness. Our lives likewise should display these attributes of preservation and illumination.
Does our presence stop certain kinds of conversation? Does our life affect the conduct of friends and acquaintances? Do people know that we are a Christian by both our words and deeds? Do we make a stand against sin and evil in the world?
It has been said that the best witness is not to try to convince others that our way is the right one. Instead, the best witness is living in such a way that our lives make no sense apart from our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
* This article may be freely reprinted provided it is used in its entirety without modification and includes the following sentence:
Article reprinted from Pryors of Paraguay [http://pryors.net/] - Gods Work in Gods Way! The Pryors are missionaries to Paraguay, South America who are purposed to pursue the Biblical plan for missions and prove that New Testament principles still work today.
Posted by David Pryor in Devotions | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
