Sharing Some Thoughts

Shout Out To PGH! Found this guy walking around town.

Believers from another tribal work. In town to have a baby. 🙂

These thoughts came from our time as we shared with one of our supporting churches. Our intent is not to preach, but to share some thoughts that God has challenged us with and hopefully it will challenge and encourage you as well.

The context of these thoughts came from the big decision we have to make in the not too distant future as we look into different tribal locations to go into…How do you make the decision of which one to go to? Is one tribe more important than another? What does that decision look like? Is there just one place asking for missionaries? If so, go there! But what do you do if there is more than one place (tribe/people group) that is asking for missionaries… how would you pray? What do you pray? What is prayer in the midst of this thought? Everything! We look at the endless opportunities that is PNG, and even just in our region and realize one family is not enough, one family cannot reach all of these tribes (who are asking for missionaries!), but how many is enough? It seems impossible from some aspects, but we know God is wanting all to come to the knowledge of Him (Acts 17:30, 2 Pet 3:9, Matt 28:18-20, Rom 15:20, Matt. 24:14). We came to the conclusion that prayer is the way to reach all of them. True, transparent, on your knees, dependent upon the Sovereign prayers. So the next question we asked is, what is the model for those prayers? Where do we start… and this is where God led us at this time.

(Please pray for us in this decision process…we are not at the point to do surveys yet, but we are researching and asking questions, this is a 10-15 year commitment whenever we make this decision).

Our Challenge we shared with one of our churches…

In America, we have to fill out resumes, and many people worry about job security, but in missions, especially in PNG there is not that worry. We have a drawer of letters from various tribes wanting** missionaries. Some specifically saying we want New Tribes missionaries because we learn their language (some organizations don’t do that, and just do the work in the trade language), we teach them how to read and write their language, translate the Bible into their language, and then teach them the true meaning of the Bible. Imagine you received the job you have now, or another job by having someone come to you, asking, pleading, and even offering what little they had so that you would come and work there (at that job). Wouldn’t that be backwards in our dog-eat-dog world? Now apply that to Christianity, how many times have you tried to go and share the Gospel with a friend, a coworker, a family member, a spouse… and how many times have you been rejected? How many times did it feel awkward? How many times were they just not interested? In missions, especially in PNG, we have so many people groups ready and wanting a missionary to come and give them the Gospel, no resume needed to go into these tribes, there is no competitor per se wanting to take your job (the Devil is not wanting to give them up though), and yet there are not people lining up to come and take up this task.

I read a good book on prayer last week, and it used what we call “the Lords prayer” or as it would be better put the “disciples model prayer”. The author used this prayer as an outline and an examination of yourself. The Lords prayer/ the Disciples Model prayer is famous, kids from a young age memorize these verse. Unsaved people and cults memorize this passage, and Christians have put it to rout memory losing the beauty of this passage.

Please Read: Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4 and get lost in the beauty of God’s Word again with a familiar passage.

“I cannot say “our” if I live only for myself in a spiritual watertight compartment.

I cannot say “Father” if I do not endeavor each day to act like His child.

I cannot say “who art in heaven” if I am laying up no treasure there.

I cannot say “hallowed be Thy name” if I am not striving for holiness.

I cannot say “Thy kingdom come” if I am not doing all in my power to hasten that wonderful day.

I cannot say “Thy will be done” if I am disobedient to His word.

I cannot say “on earth as it is in heaven if I will not serve Him here and now.

I cannot say “give us… our daily bread” if I am dishonest shopper.

I cannot say “forgive us our debts” if I harbor a grudge against anyone.

I cannot say “lead us not into temptation” if I deliberately place myself in its path.

I cannot say “deliver us from evil” if I do not put on the whole armor of God.

I cannot say “Thine is the kingdom” if I do not give to the King the loyalty due Him as a faithful subject.

I cannot attribute to Him “the power” if I fear what men may do.

I cannot ascribe to Him “the glory” if I am seeking honor only for myself.

I cannot say “forever” if the horizon of my life is bounded completely by the things of time.”

We are to be focused on advancing His kingdom because it is His will, and there are places that are asking for His kingdom to come to, but yet we cannot get the foot soldiers to this ground. A king declared for us to fight for places, and when a place is freely offered we will not claim it (tribes asking for missionaries), because it is not convenient for us to get there…please pray for laborers.

Our king has offered a place to expand His kingdom… and yet there are far too many comfortable subjects who won’t go. When we were raising support we heard many excuses, “we couldn’t do what you are doing”, I Seth, do not like camping, and basically grew up in Pittsburgh city, I do not like bugs and I like many sweets and restaurants America offers, from the many excuses we heard in our travels, I had more, but I cannot deny the Scripture and the leading of the Spirit, and now I am here with joy and cannot see myself doing anything else with my life. Maybe someone praying the “disciples model prayer” is not really examining himself or herself well enough, because God wants His kingdom expanded, and He has the people, yet no one wants to go to these places. Maybe someone is being led to go, but just wont surrender to the Spirits leading.

Each one of us must examine ourselves by this model prayer…have you ever prayed this prayer? If so, have you ever examined your life in how God wants you to advance His Kingdom? Have you prayed that according to His will or yours? If God’s will is that all would hear His Gospel, and He wants His kingdom advanced, and there is ground He has given and He just needs someone to go and claim it…which one of His servants will go and claim it? Who has God called to stay in the U.S.A. and who is making the excuse of not going and advancing the Kingdom of our God in a foreign land? Are you praying to see if the Lord is leading you to go? Are you praying God will send your children? Truly there are hundreds of tribes still unreached here in PNG alone, and all over the world, our King is truly worthy to receive all glory and power, and there is no greater job than His kingdom.

Please pray with us for more laborers to go to these white and plenteous fields, please pray for the big decision we have to make in the near future. Truly our prayers alone are insufficient, we need your help in this BIG decision.

Your feet to the unreached of PNG, empowered by your prayer,

Seth and Nicole Stokes