The Last Stronghold
Bisorio Bible teachers in Papua New Guinea expect to present the death, burial and resurrection of Christ beginning Friday in the last Bisorio village to hear the Gospel.
For the past six months the teachers have faithfully taught key Old Testament stories and lessons about the life of Christ to prepare them for these final messages.
The route to this last village has been a long one. The journey began when the Gospel was first presented to the Bisorios in 1981. Gilimase, a man from this village came to the missionaries while they were discipling that first group of believers. He called out the names of the people in his village as he threw sticks on the ground to represent them – people who needed to hear the message.
A short video about this incident – Each Stick had a Name – was produced in the mid-1980s.
At the time, the missionary team was involved in teaching and establishing the new believers in God’s Word and had no one to send to another village. Later, someone came from Gilimase’s village to say the people now had their own god, so no one needed to come anymore. He said “Dinaiya” had appeared to them, given them their own language, and told them not to listen to the white man’s talk. The grip of Satan has been very strong over the years.
The Bisorio church leaders have made it a priority to see churches planted among all the Bisorio villages. They have prayed for this last village during their years of antagonism to the Gospel, and God has answered their prayers and honored their steps of faith and perseverance.
Missionary Bob Kennell, who was one of the missionaries who first presented the Gospel to the Bisorios, has returned to see the work God is doing in the people’s hearts.
“Please pray for the people to listen well, understand clearly, and believe in Christ’s gift of redemption for them,” he wrote. “Pray that Satan will be bound from keeping the people in darkness. This is his last stronghold in Bisorio land and he will not give it up without a fight.”
For the past six months the teachers have faithfully taught key Old Testament stories and lessons about the life of Christ to prepare them for these final messages.
The route to this last village has been a long one. The journey began when the Gospel was first presented to the Bisorios in 1981. Gilimase, a man from this village came to the missionaries while they were discipling that first group of believers. He called out the names of the people in his village as he threw sticks on the ground to represent them – people who needed to hear the message.
A short video about this incident – Each Stick had a Name – was produced in the mid-1980s.
At the time, the missionary team was involved in teaching and establishing the new believers in God’s Word and had no one to send to another village. Later, someone came from Gilimase’s village to say the people now had their own god, so no one needed to come anymore. He said “Dinaiya” had appeared to them, given them their own language, and told them not to listen to the white man’s talk. The grip of Satan has been very strong over the years.
The Bisorio church leaders have made it a priority to see churches planted among all the Bisorio villages. They have prayed for this last village during their years of antagonism to the Gospel, and God has answered their prayers and honored their steps of faith and perseverance.
Missionary Bob Kennell, who was one of the missionaries who first presented the Gospel to the Bisorios, has returned to see the work God is doing in the people’s hearts.
“Please pray for the people to listen well, understand clearly, and believe in Christ’s gift of redemption for them,” he wrote. “Pray that Satan will be bound from keeping the people in darkness. This is his last stronghold in Bisorio land and he will not give it up without a fight.”