When I first came to Vanuatu over ten years ago, I met this man who had a deep desire to share the gospel with people throughout the country. His zeal for proclaiming Christ was inspiring, and after working alongside him, it became increasingly evident that God had gifted him for evangelism.
He was always eager to travel to new Tiale villages and neighboring language groups, recognizing their need to hear and understand the gospel clearly.
However, two major obstacles stood in his way. First, the local church was not yet mature enough to continue without his significant involvement. Second, and more importantly, his understanding of the gospel and his approach to communicating it needed further development.
After years of discipleship, systematic biblical instruction, and learning how to communicate the gospel faithfully within a shame-based cultural context, his understanding of Scripture has deepened considerably. We have also worked to replace ineffective and culturally inappropriate methodologies with approaches that communicate biblical truth more clearly. Today, the fruit of those years is increasingly evident in his preaching.
During those same years, we have been developing other leaders to help carry the responsibilities of the ministry. More recently, God has been maturing two men who are preparing to assume pastoral responsibilities within the village church.
Their development is creating an opportunity for this evangelist to pursue a desire he has carried for more than a decade (honestly over two decades).
His burden reminds me of the prayer traditionally attributed to John Knox: “Give me Scotland, or I die.”
He desires to spend the remaining years of his life proclaiming the gospel among people who have yet to hear and understand it.
Sadly, Vanuatu is a country often overlooked. Many have never heard of it, much less could locate it on a map. Yet within its numerous language groups are communities where the need for clear, sustained biblical teaching remains significant.
In the video, he emphasizes something particularly important: reaching these communities requires more than a brief visit or an isolated gospel presentation. His intention is to spend substantial time teaching Course One, a chronological Bible curriculum that traces God’s redemptive revelation from creation to Christ.
This is not a task accomplished in a few days. It requires patience, sustained teaching, and a commitment to helping people develop the biblical understanding necessary to comprehend the gospel.
For this ministry to move forward, the local church must continue maturing so that it can remain spiritually stable and function faithfully without depending on his constant presence.
Please pray for the continued maturity of these two future pastors, for the stability of the village church, and for this evangelist as he prepares to proclaim God’s glorious gospel among those who have not yet heard.
In communities influenced by cargo cult beliefs and the John Frum movement, material incentives cannot produce genuine faith in Christ. Neither persuasive techniques nor missionary methodologies can accomplish what only God can do through His Word and by His grace.
Our responsibility is to proclaim the gospel faithfully, explain it clearly, and patiently teach the Scriptures.
The gospel must be understood. The church must be established. And the next generation of laborers must be prepared to go.
https://youtu.be/R206GeMD-og?feature=shared
Your feet to the Tiale people and the country of Vanuatu. Seth, Nicole & Selah Stokes.
