Whitewashing the Fence

This Jambi Malay woman is using a very thin white paint to whitewash her bamboo fence in front of her house. The paint is such poor quality that it will need to be done at least once a year, but she has more time than money. When it is newly done it looks just as good as if she had used quality paint.

The process of whitewashing is similar to the method they use to take care of their sin problem. Sumatrans try to cover over their sin problem with a thin veneer of good works. When it is newly applied it looks just as good as the finished work of Christ, but underneath the root problem remains and soon shows through again.

Pray for the peoples of Sumatra to realize the problem with a works based salvation.

Pray for believers to rest in the finished work of Christ and not fall into a legalistic works religion.

Pray for the Gospel to be boldly and broadly proclaimed on Sumatra.

White is Beautiful

This Tamiang woman probably uses creams and masks to keep her skin as white as possible. In the minds of many Sumatrans white is beautiful. Those who have a deep tan from working in the fields are often called black – which is not a complement. It is funny how people the world over often decide that what is beautiful is what other people have. It is yet another example of the grass being greener on the other side.

In many cases the treatments that people use here to lighten their skin ends up causing rashes and other skin problems. They are not safe, but people are willing to take the risk in order to be beautiful. Deep down many people are not happy with who they are, and they want to change. They want transformation. They feel trapped by circumstances.

The problem is that changing the color of your skin will not change the condition of your heart. Ultimately mankind will not be comfortable in their skin until God radically changes their hearts. When a person’s heart is right with God then every hue of skin becomes beautiful.

Pray for the people of Sumatra to encounter Jesus and the heart transformation that He brings.

Pray for Sumatrans who feel trapped by circumstances to find freedom in the Gospel.

Pray for Sumatrans to feel comfortable in their beautiful, multi-hued skin. The true beauty of a person is more than skin deep.

Photo from Lampung

To Fix a Flat

This is a common sign to see on the roads of Sumatra. Bengkel/Tampal Ban means that there is a mechanic who can fix your vehicle and also fix flat tires. Even in the smallest villages there are shops like this, which is good news if you get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. On average it costs between 50 cents and $1 to patch a tire. It usually costs a little more for the foreigner.

While it is relatively easy to patch a tire, or fix a problem with a broken-down car it is not so easy to patch up a life broken by sin. Yet many people on Sumatra are trying to patch things up with God through good works. They pray multiple times a day, although many Sumatrans sheepishly admit that they often forget. They fast during a special month, yet again many admit that they don’t always keep the fast. They go on a special religious trip, but many shrug their shoulders and say they are not financially able to make that trip. Still, they hope that their good works will outweigh their bad deeds.

The problem with sin is that it creates a debt far greater than we realize. Even a small offense is huge in the eyes of Holy God. The compounding problem is that our good works are not as good as we’d hoped. Even our best “good-deeds” are mixed with impure motives and imperfect execution.  God not only looks on the deed, but on the heart of each person doing the deed. The result is an astronomically large sin debt offset by a disappointingly small bank of good-deeds. It’s hopeless, unless someone steps in to pay the debt for us.

This, of course, is the Good News of the Gospel. Jesus lived the perfect life, with perfect motives, and execution. He paid the huge sin debt with the sacrifice of His own life-blood. It is not a fixer-upper. It is a complete exchange. He takes our debt upon Himself, and gives His credit to us. It’s an amazing deal; far better than a 50 cent patch-job! But the catch is people have to give up their old way of trying to merit heaven by good-works. This is a very difficult thing for many Sumatrans to do. In fact, it takes a miracle of grace for such a decision to be made.

Pray for Sumatrans to understand the hopelessness of paying their sin debt through good works.

Pray for bold and broad Gospel sharing to let Sumatrans know how to pay the sin debt through faith in a perfect substitutionary sacrifice.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of those who will hear the Gospel on Sumatra so that they may experience the miracle of saving faith.

Rejang People Group Profile

“But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29, ESV).

Located primarily in the Bengkulu province, the 350,000 Rejang are people of the soil. Their primary vocation is farming. They live in areas still dominated by dense jungles. The Rafflesia Flower (the world’s largest flower) and many varieties of beautiful orchids grow wild throughout this area. The Rejang are a patriarchal people with a proud heritage for bravery in battle.

Each Rejang village is called a marga. The eldest male, also called the tua dusun, in the marga has great influence. He is seen as a ceremonial leader in all major celebrations, and is often sought as the mediator of disputes in the marga. The Rejang have their own language, which has four major dialects.

 

Education is readily available among the Rejang, but many youth choose to marry early instead. Unfortunately many of these early marriages end in divorce. Because of their low education rate, unemployment is high among the Rejang.

Most Rejang identify themselves as Muslim, but animism runs deep within their belief system. One fearsome spirit the Rejang believe in is called masumai. They believe masumai can take the form of either a man or a tiger. Rejang hold strong beliefs in the unseen spirit world. They often use magic for many purposes. There are no indigenous Rejang churches, and only a handful of believers.

Pray that:

The Rejang will seek the LORD with all their hearts.

Believers will show the power of Christ over the spirits that they fear.

More workers will be sent out to reach the Rejang.

The Holy Spirit will bring deep conviction of sin and of righteousness.

 

New Rejang believers will be faithful to the Word and bold to share the Gospel.

Wisdom for workers doing follow up and grouping new believers into house churches will be given.

Rejang people of influence will be open to the Gospel and to the Lord’s servants.

Say the Words

This group of Minangkabau children are being taught how to read Arabic. They are not being taught how to understand Arabic, but just how to pronounce the words. Many Muslims on Sumatra believe that understanding is not that important, it is the very words of the Koran that have power. Therefore if the children can pronounce the words correctly they can exercise spiritual power in their lives.

Many Muslims only know what they are told by their Mosque leaders about the meaning of the words in the Koran. This belief about the words themselves having power can be seen in the use of Arabic writing hung on the walls of Muslim owned businesses and homes. Many people believe that these words can ward off evil spirits and misfortune.

Well educated Muslims do not believe such superstitions, but they also study Arabic to understand the meaning as well as the pronunciation. Many Muslims feel that translations of their holy book corrupt the original meaning of the message. Therefore to understand the Koran a person must be able to read it in the original Arabic.

The belief in magic and magical charms is deeply rooted in many of the cultures on Sumatra. One of the challenges of sharing the Gospel on Sumatra is helping new believers to let go of their long-held trust in magic to protect them from spiritual forces that they encounter in their day-to-day existence. It is hard for them to trust in Jesus alone to protect them from the evil spirits that they fear.

Pray for the peoples of Sumatra to know the truth that will set them free.

Pray for new believers on Sumatra to grasp that Jesus is able to protect them from other spirits.

Pray for people on Sumatra to be emboldened and enabled to think independently of their spiritual leaders.

Pray for God to prepare the hearts of the 5.5 million Minangkabau to hear and receive the Gospel.

Happy Easter!