Every Tribe, Every Tongue
Jun 17, 2008 Uncategorized
Certified RANDOM linked to this amazing article on BBC about an isolated tribe in Brazil.
I often think about tribes like this when I read this passage:
Revelation 7:9
After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
Two random questions are floating around my head this morning:
1) What will that day be like? Will everyone shout in their own languages?
2) How do we reach tribes like this for the gospel without killing them with things like the common cold?
June 17th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/06/06/f-uncontacted-tribes.html
June 17th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
1a) Indescribable.
1b) I speculate it will be in our own languages, but able to understand all languages.
2) You move in, you become fluent in their language and culture, then you share the good news of our risen Lord. I have met dozens of tribal missionaries who have served on 4 continents and, between them and the exponentially more missionaries they know, none has encountered a tribal population that was severely impacted by western disease. Rather, aspects of modern medicine are often introduced, greatly increasing life expectancy and lowering infant mortality rates. If we had some reason to believe a specific people group was in particular danger of western disease, the commands of Jesus to reach them would probably work out by simply exercising great caution or reaching neighboring tribes so that they can reach them in the future.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Or… worse than killing them with the common cold, killing their heart and identity with our western religious practices.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
You’ve got to wonder what is going on in their tribe right now after seeing the helicopter (or whatever it was) flying over to snap these pictures. What are they thinking? Who or what do they think we are? Do they even know that “modern civilization,” and other humans are out there? They could even be thinking that we were a “sign from their god.” How absolutely amazing, the collision of two completely different cultures is such a double edged sword. To bring advancement, knowledge, or ‘modernization’ can also mean to bring death to people as well as traditions. It’s a razors edge (to steal your phrase).
June 21st, 2008 at 11:01 am
Maybe it was college kids trying something different for spring break?… either way we should pass on the good news with huge projection screens and lots of hand sanitizer.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:32 am
bummer..they just bunked this story. seems to be a not so lost tribe after all.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I saw that today as well. Apparently it was done to “draw awareness” to logging (the non-internet kind).
It made me think of how often people are tempted, including Christians, to stretch the truth because they think their goals are worthy. And in the end the lies always seem to be exposed.