Worship is life
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When the Yagaria believers in Papua New Guinea did not know God's truth, they worshipped spirits. Fear dominated every area of their lives. Now that they have trusted Christ, the love of Jesus permeates every area.
As they walk along the trails, sit in their homes or work in their gardens, they find reasons to praise God. Everywhere they look they see the wonders of God's creation.
Even before the Yagaria people fully understood salvation, they applied music to God's Word. When missionaries taught evangelistic Bible lessons, the Yagarias wrote songs about them.
"You would walk by their homes at night and hear songs about Abraham or Noah," said Carol Kaptain, former missionary to the Yagaria people and now ministering worldwide helping NTM missionaries with Bible translation.
Once the Yagarias trusted Christ, they started writing songs about their lives and about Him. A piece of sweet sugar cane became a reason for praising God. They sang about how wonderful He is and how He made the sugar cane sweet for them.
When Carol moved to the Yagaria tribe as a single lady, Jonah, one of the first Yagaria believers, was her "tribal father." They developed a close relationship and he watched over her like a daughter.
Jonah had been a head-hunter and an important chief in the tribe. He had tremendous prowess as a warrior and killed many people. When he publically declared his belief in Christ, many were amazed and the Gospel was elevated among the people.
Jonah became a joyous worshipper who delighted in singing about the Lord. Perhaps because of his former life, he was extremely grateful for his salvation. He was an orator when he trusted Jesus and used his gift to praise God.
The former killer and head-hunter became an evangelist, witnessing to many other villages. He used his strong "orator's voice" to tell others about Jesus and would compose long songs praising God.
A few years ago, Jonah's voice grew so weak he could barely talk. He told the Lord, "If you are not going to take me home, I want my voice back so I can praise You." God honored that prayer and Jonah's voice became as strong as ever and he was able to sing praises to God once again.
As they walk along the trails, sit in their homes or work in their gardens, they find reasons to praise God. Everywhere they look they see the wonders of God's creation.
Even before the Yagaria people fully understood salvation, they applied music to God's Word. When missionaries taught evangelistic Bible lessons, the Yagarias wrote songs about them.
"You would walk by their homes at night and hear songs about Abraham or Noah," said Carol Kaptain, former missionary to the Yagaria people and now ministering worldwide helping NTM missionaries with Bible translation.
Once the Yagarias trusted Christ, they started writing songs about their lives and about Him. A piece of sweet sugar cane became a reason for praising God. They sang about how wonderful He is and how He made the sugar cane sweet for them.
When Carol moved to the Yagaria tribe as a single lady, Jonah, one of the first Yagaria believers, was her "tribal father." They developed a close relationship and he watched over her like a daughter.
Jonah had been a head-hunter and an important chief in the tribe. He had tremendous prowess as a warrior and killed many people. When he publically declared his belief in Christ, many were amazed and the Gospel was elevated among the people.
Jonah became a joyous worshipper who delighted in singing about the Lord. Perhaps because of his former life, he was extremely grateful for his salvation. He was an orator when he trusted Jesus and used his gift to praise God.
The former killer and head-hunter became an evangelist, witnessing to many other villages. He used his strong "orator's voice" to tell others about Jesus and would compose long songs praising God.
A few years ago, Jonah's voice grew so weak he could barely talk. He told the Lord, "If you are not going to take me home, I want my voice back so I can praise You." God honored that prayer and Jonah's voice became as strong as ever and he was able to sing praises to God once again.