Clay Pots ~ Their Mouths Were Stopped!

Welsen

We all know the story of Stephen, the first martyr for Christ. His defense speech before his accusers is a masterpiece. He articulated the whole word of God in a 15 minute speech. And in the face of those who were pointing their fingers at him and saying that he was blaspheming God and the law of Moses by preaching Christ, he turned and pointed his finger back at his accusers, and said to them, “No, I am not blaspheming God, but proclaiming to you the very word which He spoke for thousands of years. Only you did not listen, just as your fathers did not listen. And just as they killed the prophets who proclaimed to them the way of forgiveness and life; in the same way, you killed Jesus, the only one who could give you forgiveness and give you life.” What a fantastic story! What an encouragement to us to stand in the face of our accusers and proclaim the way of life.

I wondered why Welsen did not come to our Sunday afternoon men’s bible study. The next day he was quick to come and tell me why. He said that he put his string bag over his shoulder and came down out of his house to come to the meeting, but some guys stopped him on the way. There were six guys, all leaders of the Cargo Cult, and all wanted to ask him questions about what he did every Sunday. So they took him into a house and grilled him with questions. They asked why he left their cult, if he was a part of a new “church”, if he was going to get baptized, and why he was turning his back on and rejecting his former beliefs. Sound familiar? So he boldly told them that their cult was a lie of Satan. That Jesus did not come to give us paradise or a comfy life on earth, but that Jesus died to save us from our sins and give us life in heaven. He told them that, “No, I am not part of a new church, but I am simply a believer in Jesus, which makes me a true child of God and part of Jesus’ clan.” He also told them that he was going to get baptized because it was just a sign to them of what Jesus did to him when he believed. He also told them that they were on their way to hell if they didn’t believe in Jesus’ death and that hell was eternal even though they did not believe that either. He told me that he talked for 3 hours to these guys, and their mouths were stopped. When faced with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they had no answer and their mouths were stopped. It is the same thing that happened in Acts 6:10 where it says, “But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.”

Welsen claims that two of those men believed that day! Two men who are leaders in the Cargo Cult and who, during our teaching last year, sat in their houses waiting for cargo to miraculously appear from the ground. What a testimony of the power of God’s Word. I know it was not easy for him to stand up against 6 guys like that. In Tobo culture you just don’t do that sort of thing. But Welsen did, and he witnessed to them, and their mouths were stopped. Praise God!

Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ here in Lengbati. They face opposition, but they have already won! They are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.