It was getting late, and I was worried that if we continue the Bible study much longer, our two friends might get overwhelmed or tired. We were on plague seven of ten. I had wanted to stop two plagues earlier, but at the end of each section, one or the other would say, “Look, there’s another plague.” Despite my concern about the lateness of the hour, I felt like I was witnessing something miraculous. So on we went.

If you ever find yourself in spiritual doldrums, I highly recommend studying the Bible with someone who has never heard of God. The childlike wonder of a first-time Bible reader is contagious and a strong antidote to feeling jaded.
“What can we learn from the story?” I asked Nui and his wife Mua, the neighbors and close friends of the Joys.

“Everything happened just as God said it would,” Nui stated matter-of-factly.

“It’s amazing. It’s marvelous. Wow!” exclaimed Mua. “He said the water would turn to blood, and it did. He brought plagues of frogs and lice.”

“Even the magicians of Pharaoh admitted it was God,” Nui added.

“What do we learn about Pharaoh’s character?” I asked.

“He was proud,” said Mua. “He knew that God was powerful, but he refused to humble himself. He was too stubborn. He was the king, yet he didn’t care about what was happening to his people in the plagues. He was a bad person. He promised to free the Israelite slaves, but he went back on his word multiple times.”

As I always do at each study, I asked, “What do we learn about God’s character from the story?”

“God is powerful. God is mighty,” said Nui.

“Could God have killed Pharaoh?” I asked.

“Yes,” they both responded.

“So what does that tell us about God’s character?” I pressed.

“God is merciful. His mercy is really vast. Many times, Pharaoh didn’t listen to God, and God didn’t have to let him live. But God still was patient with him,” Mua observed.

“God doesn’t force people,” said Nui. “God wanted Pharaoh to make his own choice to believe in Him. And God kept showing Himself through the plagues as evidence to Pharaoh, but he wouldn’t believe.”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. This ancestor-worshipping couple who didn’t even yet know that Jesus came to earth were uncovering the foundational principles of the Great Controversy. I hadn’t taught them these things. They hadn’t sat through any sermon series or attended any training schools. How could they come up with such answers? It could only be the Holy Spirit’s leading. There was no other explanation.

Despite their awe at the miraculous salvation of the enslaved Hebrews and their eagerness to read on, I managed to get them to stop at the tenth plague.

“I don’t understand. How could God kill the firstborn children?” Nui asked. Coming as I do from America where I have met many itching to prove that God is an exacting judge eager to execute punishment, I found Nui’s genuine surprise at the tenth plague refreshing. He seemed already to have grasped that the nature of God is goodness, mercy, and unrelenting patience.

The following night, Lewis River and Eun Joy were able to join us, and we read about the Passover. Seeing Mua and Nui’s excitement, we decided to also read about the crossing of the Red Sea.

“That’s miraculous! Wow! Amazing!” Mua kept exclaiming as we read through the narrative. “God made the sea open! And He made it like walls on each side!” she reiterated, as if we hadn’t read the story with them.

“What do we learn about God from this story?” I asked my usual question.

“God is powerful. God is mighty. Really amazing,” Nui answered.

“What can we learn from the Israelites?”

“Have faith,” said Nui. “They needed to have faith. They even blamed Moses. But Moses had faith in God.” My heart warmed at his words.

“They saw the army of Pharaoh dead on the shore. There was no further answer needed to the Israelites’ complaints to God,” Mua answered with vicarious satisfaction.

Their receptiveness and implicit belief in what we are reading and the depth of the thoughts they share always leaves me humbled after each lesson. Humbled because I realize how I have forgotten what a truly wondrous God we serve who has intervened in the history of humanity by supernatural miracles. I also feel awed as I witness a miracle unfolding in real-time, watching the Holy Spirit truly being the teacher. I am not using any published Bible study, not teaching any doctrines, just asking the same simple questions. Yet they answer as if they have been attending Sabbath Schools for years, as opposed to simply reading the Bible for a few months.

We started studying the Bible with them back in April, following a series of events that could have easily destroyed our friendship. But by the mercy of God and the moving of the Holy Spirit, we instead witnessed a redemptive turnaround.
It all began around the time of the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we faced the uncertainty of the virus impact, our teammates, the Rivers, were considering whether they should return to the States. They prayed for God’s guidance. Then one day Lewis called me. “I just saw Nui stealing money from my wallet,” he said. I didn’t want to believe it. Nui and Mua were the closest friends and neighbors to the Joys and have only been helpful to each member of our team. The following day, we had an emergency team meeting. The news was heartbreaking for the Joys. As violating as the situation felt, we agreed that perhaps this would be a chance to demonstrate God’s love and forgiveness. Lewis decided he would speak to Nui about it, and I would be there as support for interpretation.

The next day, Lewis confronted Nui. “I want to speak with you about something I saw yesterday,” Lewis said calmly. “When you were at my house, I left the room, and when I came back, I saw you take money from my wallet.”

“I’m sorry, I was just playing around with your wallet. I know I shouldn’t be so at ease, and in your culture for me to touch your things without asking is bad,” Nui nervously denied with a laugh and smile.

“I saw you take money,” Lewis responded, disappointment that Nui was denying the incident.

“But how much was in your wallet? Did you check?” Nui smiled nervously as if it was a misunderstood joke.

“I saw you put the money in your pocket. I want to still be friends, but I need to be able to trust you. I would still like to have your girls come over, because my girls love playing with them. So I want to tell you that I forgive you,” Lewis said, looking him in the eye.

Nui paused and reflected a moment, and his unnatural smile faded. “I’m sorry. What I did was wrong. Thank you for forgiving me,” he said quietly.

We were thankful for the outcome. The relationship would need some patching up, but as a team we thought a breakthrough had happened. However, some weeks later, the Joys realized that Nui had stolen money from them as well. When Elisha confronted Nui, he denied it and acted as if he had no idea about the situation.

Elisha was on the verge of giving up the friendship, but instead he asked our team to fast and pray for a week. Sometimes we forget that we are in a spiritual battle, with evil angels fighting for souls in a territory under the rulership of spirits. Close to the end of our week of prayer and fasting, Nui told Elisha, “My heart is telling me to talk with you.” He confessed everything. He confessed that his family had been struggling financially for almost a year since losing their vegetable business, and during that period he had taken money from Elisha on several occasions. He confessed that he had also stolen from the Rivers. In tears, he said he wanted to change and knew he needed to read the Bible. Amazing!
The Joys had already been reading the Bible with Mua occasionally, but now Nui jumped in with both feet. Elisha started reading the Bible with him and talking over any questions he asked. Nui’s interest pushed their studies forward at such great speed that Elisha became concerned, unsure that Nui was fully understanding what he was reading. Elisha asked if we could study the Bible together with them in a more formal way as a team.

The first time I studied with Nui and Mua, I was astounded at their excitement. Nui could hardly contain himself. “There are two things the Bible teaches that are unlike any other. First of all, God doesn’t discriminate. Whether you are rich or poor, He treats everyone the same. Secondly, the mercy of God is so vast! It’s amazing. Really amazing. You know God is powerful. If you have any bad thoughts, He has the power to just kick those bad thoughts out of your head. All you have to is be real and honest with God and tell Him who you are. And the moment you are wholeheartedly honest with God, it’s like you are stretching out an open hand to Him, and He can finally take your hand and pull you up to save you.”
I was touched. I was also tickled that each time he mentioned the power of God, Nui excitedly would put his arm up and flex his muscle for emphasis. I knew he had already read Genesis 1, and I asked him some questions to see if he understood it clearly.

“You know,” he said, “Elisha mentioned the importance of being honest before, but when I read the first chapter, I saw that everything God said was true and real. God said, “Let there be light,” there was light. God said, “Let there be a sun and moon,” and a sun and moon appeared. There was never a point when God said, “Let there be a cup,” and a bunch of grapes appeared instead. All the words God spoke were truth. Then I realized that a person who is not honest and true cannot approach the Bible.” I was amazed at how the Holy Spirit through scripture had spoken to Nui’s heart his habit of lying. 

“The things the Bible teaches you don’t find anywhere else. I’m over 40 years old, and I feel like I’m coming to God so late. I wish I had known years ago that this is what the Bible and God were about,” he said regretfully.

Nui’s regret about lost time fell on me as a quiet rebuke. Can he really be blamed for coming to God so late when he didn’t have anyone to tell him what a Bible was and what was in it? How many others are starving for the treasures of the Bible and unknowingly yearning for truth we Christians feast upon yet so often fail to share? Nui and Mua haven’t read even a tenth of all the information I know from years of Bible study, Sabbath sermons, Sabbath School classes and the Spirit of Prophecy.

Praise God that He is merciful, that it is never too late to come to Him as long as one comes with their whole heart. Praise God for the history of miracles in His Word that enable us to witness present-day miracles like Nui and Mua. Please pray for Nui and Mua, it isn’t easy to overturn habits cultivated over a lifetime and go against the social norms you have grown up with. Please pray for us that God will continue to lead us to those whose hearts are craving to know Him and His word.

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