“Masil konyim mɨba nun noi lin mep,
mɨba bɨn gaak lol lɨn konyim paak
luklup mep.” (1 Jon 4:4)

“Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”

Mukok was reflecting on these words, newly translated into his language. Of special interest to him was the Ap Ma word konyim, which corresponds to “he” in English translations of this verse. The more Mukok thought about what he was reading, the more excited he became.

Mukok was the headman in Samban village, a hamlet tucked deep in Papua New Guinea’s tropical rainforest. He was also a leader in the village church, planted years earlier by missionaries from Australia.

He loved God deeply and desired to know Him more. Yet the only Scripture available to him was a New Testament in the trade language spoken throughout much of the country. While this language was adequate for buying and selling in the nearest town and conducting other business outside the Ap Ma community, its vocabulary and structure were not well suited for communicating in ways that fostered deep understanding.

So Mukok was eager to dig into the first-ever verses of Scripture to be translated into Ap Ma. At this moment, he was pondering the second half of 1 John 4:4: “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” As if a lightbulb had come on, he grew excited as he made a connection between the words he was reading and a reality he had observed in his village.

“In previous times,” he recalled, “certain men in the village had a konyim, or spirit. The konyim would direct our activities through these men. We were always wary of the konyim.

“But now, since many of us have become Christians, the konyim are no longer present. Now I understand why. God’s konyim has come to live inside all of us who are Christians, and the old konyim have fled from the presence and power of God’s Holy Spirit. God’s konyim is stronger than all the other spirits.”

The verse came alive as it explained a puzzling reality to Mukok.

Mukok and the other Christians in Samban village are seeing God’s Word come alive, hearing it speak to them about their needs and problems, sensing its direction of their lives. After years of waiting, they are beginning to hear God speaking clearly and powerfully to them in the only language they understand well.

Scripture is from the American Standard Version. Public domain.