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Stories & Blog
Public Confession of Murder
PAPUA — 1970. An argument turns violent, and two Nalca men are shot. One is killed and cannibalized by his enemies. The other hides and is rescued by a missionary under the cover of night. The enemy retreats in anger to their adjacent valley, but fear of reprisal spreads and vengeance reigns.
Then the Nalca tribe meets Jesus. No more murder; no more revenge. But deep in Nalca hearts, bitterness remains.
Fast forward to present day. So many Nalca people have trusted Jesus that one building can’t fit them all! Instead, they gather outside under the shade of branches stuck in the ground. That was the situation when Crossworld workers Dave and Jim visited last year to teach God’s Word.
Late in the afternoon after Dave and Jim had finished teaching, four Nalca men stood up to speak. One by one, they reviewed their past way of life. Then two of the men told how they had been involved in the killing and wounding of the two men in 1970.
“We have never publicly admitted our participation that day,” they said. “But these grudges and this bitterness have haunted us these many years. We would like to be released from them by publicly confessing them before God and putting them behind us.”
Tears fell from the men’s eyes as their own people gathered around them.
“We are not what we were,” they continued. “The gospel message has changed us. We want to become true Christ-followers, responding properly to God’s Word and sharing it with others.”
When they finished speaking, the believers began to gather dry leaves, twigs, and small branches to start a fire. One of the men who had been speaking opened the net bag of items that symbolized the tribe’s past bitterness. One by one, he dropped each item into the flames.
One of the leaders shouted, “If there is bitterness or other sins of the past haunting you, come and place these on the fire!”
Many of the believers crowded around the fire, lifting up their hands to confess their sins and surrender those grudges to be consumed and forgotten forever.
One of the men prayed over the group for forgiveness and allegiance to Jesus. Then the leader urged the people to turn around with their backs to the fire.
“Run!” he shouted. “Run away!” The people fled to freedom as the flames consumed all of the anger, bitterness, and indifference to the gospel they had just confessed.
Then, in forgiveness and peace, they chatted long into the evening.
Read more from Dave’s trip to Papua in his blog, “The Glow of the Gospel.”
Then the Nalca tribe meets Jesus. No more murder; no more revenge. But deep in Nalca hearts, bitterness remains.
Fast forward to present day. So many Nalca people have trusted Jesus that one building can’t fit them all! Instead, they gather outside under the shade of branches stuck in the ground. That was the situation when Crossworld workers Dave and Jim visited last year to teach God’s Word.
Late in the afternoon after Dave and Jim had finished teaching, four Nalca men stood up to speak. One by one, they reviewed their past way of life. Then two of the men told how they had been involved in the killing and wounding of the two men in 1970.
“We have never publicly admitted our participation that day,” they said. “But these grudges and this bitterness have haunted us these many years. We would like to be released from them by publicly confessing them before God and putting them behind us.”
Tears fell from the men’s eyes as their own people gathered around them.
“We are not what we were,” they continued. “The gospel message has changed us. We want to become true Christ-followers, responding properly to God’s Word and sharing it with others.”
When they finished speaking, the believers began to gather dry leaves, twigs, and small branches to start a fire. One of the men who had been speaking opened the net bag of items that symbolized the tribe’s past bitterness. One by one, he dropped each item into the flames.
One of the leaders shouted, “If there is bitterness or other sins of the past haunting you, come and place these on the fire!”
Many of the believers crowded around the fire, lifting up their hands to confess their sins and surrender those grudges to be consumed and forgotten forever.
One of the men prayed over the group for forgiveness and allegiance to Jesus. Then the leader urged the people to turn around with their backs to the fire.
“Run!” he shouted. “Run away!” The people fled to freedom as the flames consumed all of the anger, bitterness, and indifference to the gospel they had just confessed.
Then, in forgiveness and peace, they chatted long into the evening.
Read more from Dave’s trip to Papua in his blog, “The Glow of the Gospel.”
Your part in this story...
Crossworld worker Dave asks you to pray for these requests.
- Pray that the people’s hearts are genuine with personal repentance and a new freedom to grow in their faith.
- Pray for the local pastors along with national and Crossworld workers to seize the opportunity of interest in sound biblical teaching.
- Pray for a Nalca church missionary effort to reach other villages and tribes around them.
- Pray that this experience will cement the decision of the church to reject their past and move into the future with a vibrant active faith.
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