Yitojmárango iji yocanguretigai
Christ compared us who believe in him to his own body: (Romans 12:4,5)
We know that even though a person is just one person, his body parts are many. That’s how it is with us who believe in Jesus. We are many, but are all united in our faith in Christ, and we are like one person.
It’s like the believers have all become sick: (1 Corinthians 12:26)
That’s why when one of us sins, it is as though all of us in our group who believe in Jesus have become sick. Our body isn’t sick, but our group is sick. When part of a person’s body hurts, his whole body suffers. And when a person does something wrong it’s like when he cuts his finger, he’s not the only one that hurts, his whole group hurts. If he gets cut when a stick pierces him, it’s not only the place that is pierced that hurts, he hurts all over.
When someone does something wrong, the news of it spreads everywhere:
I know that when a believer does something wrong, the news of it spreads everywhere. But when this happens don’t say, ‘I’m going to stop following Dupade. Jesus’s believers are always sinning, that’s why.’ That’s not how it should be.
Tell your fellow man what he has done wrong:(Galatians 6:1-2)
If you truly believed in Dupade, then no matter what happens with others, you go on believing in him, you don’t stop, but you pray about what has happened. You go to your Father Dupade and you pray, and you ask what you should do, and Dupade will work in you and he will speak his Word to you. He will say to you, ‘Go to your fellow believer that has sinned. Tell him what he has done.’ There’s a good possibility that you will help to heal him, and he’ll start following Jesus again. That’s what Dupade would tell you to do.
However, if someone says, ‘I’m through with Dupade. Our teachers and leaders are through with him, too,’ we know that he didn’t believe in Dupade in the first place. That person really was following his teachers and what they taught but was not following Jesus. A person that truly believed in Dupade, would never say: ‘I’m through with Dupade.’
Moses wrote about sexual sin:
“If a young woman sleeps with a young man she isn’t married to, kill that young woman, or if a young man has sex with a young woman without marrying her, kill him.” That is what Moses said. He also said: “Do this so that this sin will not be named among you.” Those things were written in the Old Testament, the teachings that our forefathers obeyed. That was before Jesus come to earth to die for our sins.
We now have the New Testament to guide us:
But we of this generation who believe in Dupade have the New Testament to guide us, and we no longer are living under the old law. But we take the example of King David. David understood how his sin would affect his people, and that they might reject him as their King, and so he drew near to Dupade. And Dupade forgave his sin and he applied the hyssop to his heart and made it clean again.
And we now understand that what he did is the right thing for us to do in our village. That is why I’m telling us about Psalm 51 that was written by King David who lived long ago. Not only does this apply to us, but it applies to believers everywhere – we need to confess our sins to Dupade and to each other. Especially we should counsel one another to grow stronger in our faith. And when we are strong in our faith Dupade will bless our village and we will not go hungry.
Do what Dupade’s Word says to do when you pray to Him: (Matthew 6:6-8)
I want us to know also that Dupade’s Words tells us about ourselves, and how to pray to Dupade. We must ask our heavenly Father to help us and when we pray to him each night we should ask him to help others who live in our town, and to give them strength. I also want us to obey Dupade’s Words about praying in secret. It tells us: “Pray to your heavenly Father and don’t make a show of it – don’t go to the plaza and pray where everyone can see you.” But remember that your Father sees even the hidden things. Therefore, when you pray at night all alone, he sees you and he listens to you.
Key:
Dupade – God
Dupade’s Words – God’s Word, Bible
Davidé – Father of David, the name that Ecarai took when his son was born.
Ecarai – Tobité, Bolivia – 1970.
Transcribed and translated to English by Maxine Morarie.