Weighed in the Scales

This Kerinci man is leaning against a scale used to weigh rice and other produce to determine how much the buyer will pay to the grower for his crop. This scale is very important to the people of this village as most earn their livelihood as farmers.

Many Kerinci believe in another type of scale. This scale balances the amount of good works they do against the sins they commit. It is their hope that their good deeds outweigh their bad so that God will receive them into heaven. Most people who follow this belief admit that they will likely have to spend some time in hell to pay for their sins.

Proverbs 20:23 shares that dishonest scales are hated by the Lord. The scale that many Kerinci people are trusting with their eternal destiny is a dishonest scale. It over values the worth of good deeds, and underestimates the debt incurred with even the smallest of sins. All who trust in such a scale will meet with judgment and destruction at the end.

The only thing that can balance the scales of God’s just wrath against sinful mankind is the great blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Only His imputed righteousness can tip the scales in man’s favor. The Good News of what Jesus has done is little known among the Kerinci.

Pray for workers to go and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the Kerinci so that their sins may not just be balanced, but be completely forgiven.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring deep conviction to the hearts of Kerinci people regarding the true wages of sin.

Pray that long-held traditions and beliefs will not keep the Kerinci from hearing and accepting the Gospel as God’s way, truth, and life.

Pray for multiplied groups of Kerinci believers gathered around God’s throne in heaven at the end of this age.

Pasemah People Group Profile

"So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us" (1 Thessalonians 2:8, ESV).

The Pasemah or Basemah are an energetic and enthusiastic people. They have played an important role in South Sumatra. Historically they have held key leadership positions in government and educational institutions. Many of the 330,000 Pasemah make their livelihood with farming. The center of the Pasemah territory is on the rich volcanic slopes of Mount Dempo.

 

 

Most Pasemah follow Sufi Islam. The teachings of Sufism are focused on subjective feelings and stress that it is more important to know God than to merely observe religious rituals. On Pasemah plateau there are 26 historical, religious sites. The Pasemah use these sites as special places for making sacred pledges to their ancestors for protection and good fortune. The Pasemah are also prone to seek help from a dukun (shaman) for many purposes including healing the sick.

Pray that:

 

One of the pressing needs in many Pasemah villages is for better medical care. Currently there are no Pasemah churches.

God will call workers to live in Pagar Alam and Lahat and focus on reaching the Pasemah.

The Holy Spirit will create a hunger in the hearts of Pasemah to hear and receive the Gospel.

Bold and broad Gospel-sowing will increase among the Pasemah.

Christian medical professionals would plant their lives among the Pasemah to serve them while sharing the Gospel with them.

God will strengthen new believers as they endure persecution and spiritual attacks.

An indigenous, resilient, courageous Pasemah church will be planted soon.

Signs, wonders, healing powers, visions, and dreams would be given to Pasemah people as the Gospel is shared in a clear, culturally sensitive way.

Just JUMP!

This Musi boy is getting ready to jump into the river. He is jumping off an embankment that is about 12 feet high, but that was not enough of a thrill. So, he climbed a mango tree that put him another 15 feet off the ground. Besides being about to lose his pants, it begs the question if he hasn’t also lost his senses! Doing stuff like this is how you have fun in the village or kampung.

A far scarier jump is the leap of faith needed to receive the Gospel. While it makes perfect sense to jump off a branch 27 plus feet in the air to plunge into the river, it does not make sense to receive the perfect sacrifice for sin. Such a jump as that goes against everything Musi are taught about God from the time they are small children.

Coming from our American mindset, it is difficult to even imagine the magnitude of this decision for those on Sumatra. There are deep social and economic realities that new believers have to face when they decide to make the jump from what they have always known to receive what the Gospel offers to them.

Pray for Sumatrans who have heard the Gospel and are counting the cost to be a follower of Jesus.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen and encourage new believers who are facing persecution on Sumatra.

Pray that many Musi will make the jump of faith to become Christ’s followers.

Unusual Roadblocks

This photo was taken on one of the main roads going through the Rambang people group in Southern Sumatra. While in language school, one worker was advised to avoid hitting a pregnant goat at all costs when driving through the villages of Sumatra. On this particular trip the worker saw three dead goats that had been killed by traffic.

It’s not unusual to have to dodge goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, cows, water buffalos and occasionally monkeys on the road. That’s in addition to HUGE pot holes and other vehicles of all shapes and sizes going all different speeds. One worker’s child described driving on the roads of Sumatra as being a cross between a pinball machine and a video game. The way you know you’ve won is if you make it to your destination alive and without killing anyone or anything!

Similar to the challenge of navigating the roads is the challenge of navigating culture and language to share the Gospel. It’s not unusual to experience roadblocks that are as varied and surprising as the ones encountered on the roads of Sumatra. Both driving on the roads and regularly sharing the Gospel result in an increased prayer life. Without God’s power, guidance and protection it’s impossible to reach your desired destination.

Pray for travel safety for workers who go many miles on Sumatran roads to share the Gospel with those who have never heard.

Pray for wisdom and boldness for workers as they share the Gospel with the peoples of Sumatra.

Pray for the intervention of the Holy Spirit to take the witness of workers and penetrate the hearts of lost people so that they understand and receive salvation.

Modern Day Cowboy

This Kluet man is hearding water buffalo between family fields. It is unusual to see a man doing this work. But it is very common to see a motorcycle being used. This work is normally done by a 10 to 15 year old boy.

A water buffalo is an expensive animal. Depending on the size, these animals can sell for $1,000 to $1,500 dollars each. That is a huge amount considering the normal day wage of a common worker on Sumatra is $5.

The water buffalo is often killed for special occasions such as weddings or after an extremely lucrative business success. When an animal like this is offered it is a show of wealth and prosperity in the community. This cultural concept shows a common truth. The greater the value of the sacrifice, the greater the love that is shown.

God reveals both His generosity and His great love by the value of the sacrifice that He freely made to redeem the Kluet from their sin.

Pray for the Kluet to hear and receive the Good News of God’s great sacrifice made for them.

Pray for the Kluet to value Christ above the status of many water buffalo.

Pray for new Kluet believers to follow in the footsteps of Christ in both generosity and love to other people around them.

Walk & Talk are Both Important

This is a Transmigrant Javanese (TJ) man. He is part of the largest people group on the island of Sumatra. Most TJ people are Muslim, but there are enough who have become Christian that it’s usually accepted if a TJ person decides to follow Isa Almasih (Arabic for Jesus the Messiah).

Late one evening a worker was sharing about the great sacrifice of Isa being the only plan of God to pay for the sin debt of mankind with a TJ man about the same age as the one pictured here. The worker shared about the importance of following Isa without reserve because in Him there is new life including the power to live in a holy way before a Holy God. The man listened with interest, but he was not ready to follow Isa.

After the worker finished sharing the TJ man said, “I am not a smart man to figure out what is true and what is not regarding religion, but one thing I’ve noticed. You’re kind to your wife and children in ways I have never seen before, and it touches my heart. I have a friend who has been on the Hajj (Arabic for pilgrimage). He’s considered holy, but I know he still likes to gamble. It seems that religion that doesn’t make you holy isn’t very good religion.” The worker restated that it’s Isa who alone can pay for sin, and alone can help a person to live in a holy way.

Pray for this TJ man to meet Isa and give his life to Him.

Pray for workers on Sumatra to live in a holy way so that their lives will match their testimony about Isa, the life changer.

Pray for the TJ people to be convicted of sin and righteousness by the Holy Spirit.

Pray for revival among TJ churches on Sumatra.

Krupuk

This Transmigrant Javanese woman is making a traditional snack called krupuk or fish crackers. There are many different types of krupuk and this snack is enjoyed all over Southeast Asia. Krupuk likely originated in Indonesia. It takes three days to produce krupuk from start to finish using traditional methods. This particular family was new to the business. They learned from a family from Solo. Most people who produce Krupuk have had the tradition handed down for generations.

Many industries on Sumatra are time and labor intensive, because time is readily available and labor is cheap. As Indonesia modernizes snacks like Krupuk will be mass produced, but the quality will not be the same. Much of the flavor will be lost. The time and effort put in does make a difference in the taste.

The process of making krupuk is similar to the effort of making disciples among the peoples of Sumatra. It’s time intensive and labor intensive. There have been attempts to streamline and modernize the process, but the results are not as good. You can no more microwave discipleship than create instant krupuk. The difference can be seen in the quality and flavor of the end product.

Pray for workers who are going through the difficult time and labor intensive process of helping new believers become established disciples of Jesus Christ.

Pray for wisdom for the Indonesian people as they weigh the tradeoffs between their current culture and traditions and the promised economic prosperity of modernization.

Pray for the Transmigrant Javanese people to have the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel on Sumatra. The Transmigrant Javanese are the largest people group on Sumatra.