God had spared Jim Elliot's life twice: once during a hunting trip when a bullet nearly hit him, and the second time when he narrowly avoided a car crash. He and his friends had found themselves stalled in a car on the railroad tracks. They saw the train coming, and they scrambled out of their vehicle just seconds before the train demolished the car. After the wreck, Jim told his parents, "It sobered me considerably to think that the Lord kept me from harm in this. Certainly, He has a work that He wants me in somewhere." Following God's leading, Jim became a missionary after he graduated from college. He traveled to Ecuador to serve God among South American tribal people. After about a year, he married Elisabeth Howard, and their daughter, Valerie, was born while they were serving in Ecuador. Jim still enjoyed working with his team to spread the gospel. His new teammates and fellow missionaries were Pete Fleming, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian. God gave Jim a strong desire to reach the tribal people. The Waodani, an indigenous people group, had a reputation for violence and suspicion toward outsiders. Together the team prayed and devised a plan to reach out to the Waodani by dropping gifts from their plane. They even learned some of their language from a woman who had recently escaped from the Waodani tribe. Jim and the other missionaries hoped for an opportunity to communicate with them. After some initial success in building relationships, something went terribly wrong. There were those among the tribe who did not trust the missionaries. They attacked and killed the entire team after the plane landed on the Waodani beach. Through this tragedy, God continued moving among the Waodani. After some time passed, they realized that the missionaries had unselfishly laid down their lives for the tribe. Jim and his team had hoped that they would lead the people to an understanding of Christ's love. In an unexpected way, the missionaries accomplished that goal. The wives of the missionaries returned to the beach and forgave the people who had killed their husbands. Their sacrifices helped the Waodani people understand Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the cross, and led many in the tribe to follow Him. Not all of us will be called by God to serve as vocational missionaries like Jim Elliot, but as Christians we are all called to bring the gospel to those around us. Jim Elliot spent his time boldly bringing the Good News to those in Ecuador, and you too can bring the message of forgiveness in Christ to those in your everyday life. There may be people living in your neighborhood who don't yet know about Jesus, and maybe you haven't even met them yet! Maybe you have family members or friends who don't yet believe. God works through His people—and will work through you—to spread His message. | |
No comments:
Post a Comment