Category Archives: Missionaries

Have you “stretched yourself out on Jesus”?

Posted by Dan C. on

In a sermon called “The Gospel of Christ”, from Romans 1:16-17, Dr. John MacArthur tells the following story about a Scottish missionary:

clip_image002“One of my favorite missionaries is John G. Paton.  He went to the New Hebrides filled with cannibals.  And when he arrived in the New Hebrides, he came to an island at the moment when there was a terrible epidemic.  People were dying of disease.  It had utterly decimated the population.  He went into the huts of the sick people and tried to care for them.  He buried the dead.  He tended to the dying.  And when the epidemic had passed, he was received by all, and they loved him, and he stayed with them.

He first thought to learn their language.  And he began to listen to their speech, write down in a notebook all the words and phrases he learned.  The natives got accustomed to him always having a notebook and stopping in the middle of the conversation to write some things down.  There came a time, then, when he decided that he ought to translate some of the gospel into their language.  But they had no word in their vocabulary for “faith” or “trust” or “believe.”  They just didn’t trust anybody.  But you can’t do much translating in the Bible without a word for that.  And so he began to think.

At a time of frustration, he began to go deer hunting.  And they shot a deer-like animal and several smaller game and started to carry the kill back to the house of the missionary.  The weather was at the equatorial point in the globe, oppressive. The hill in which they hunted was trackless, and they finally arrived back absolutely exhausted.  They dropped their heavy burden and all of them just flopped on the grass.

One native said, “Oh, it’s good to stretch yourself out here in the shade.”  John Paton shot off that grass, excitedly he had that companion recite that sentence again and again.  And he wrote it all down in his notebook.  And then he translated John 3:16 this way, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever stretcheth himself out on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” That’s faith, and it activates the righteousness of God in your behalf.”

Several things stood out to me, along with questions I need to ask myself, when I listened to the MacArthur sermon that included this marvelous story.

  • John G. Paton left his home in Scotland to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to tribes of cannibals in the South Pacific. He loved the natives of the New Hebrides, so much so that he remained with them after caring for them and even burying those who died during a terrible plague. How does my concern for the lost around me, especially family, friends, co-workers and acquaintances compare with John Paton’s love for South Sea cannibals?
  • He prioritized learning their language, so much so that he carried around a little notebook in which to write new words and phrases he was learning. If you have ever been the student of a foreign language, I’m sure you understand the value of writing down new words and phrases. I once knew a native-born Polish instructor whose daughter was forever learning new languages, writing down words and phrases on sticky notes and posting them all over the house.
  • He also realized what having portions of the gospel message in their own language could mean to his new friends. If you know anything about the Wycliffe Bible Translators, you probably know that they have translated the Bible into foreign languages in the same manner John Paton did, searching for words and phrases in native languages that carry the clear meaning of familiar English passages.
  • I can only imagine what it must have been like to see the hot and tired hunters dropping their heavy burdens on the ground and “stretching out in the shade”! Every soldier who has trudged through the hot sun with an Then there was the “Eureka!” moment that John experienced when he suddenly realized that had just heard the perfect definition of “faith” needed to translate John 3:16 into the native language of his new friends!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever stretcheth himself out on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

I am reminded that the great burden for those who have yet to “stretch themselves out on Christ” is the weight of the sin to which they are enslaved (John 8:34; Rom 6:17). Unlike the tired native hunters who found shade where they could drop their heavy loads and rest, everyone who has yet to embrace Christ loves darkness rather than light (John 3:19).

If I am to be a light in the darkness and lead others to Christ, it is therefore necessary that I help those living in, and loving their darkness recognize that sin is that issue that the message of the gospel addresses and not the myriad other issues that we sometimes present as reasons to receive Christ.

So how do I do that? How can I get someone I care for to realize that the things he/she loves is a great burden leading to an eternity of pain and torment? Well, I can’t, but God can. I can ask Him to open hearts to receive the gospel message and then share it faithfully (see Acts 16 and the story of Lydia), remembering the words of the Apostle Paul.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom 1:16)

“1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” (1 Cor 15:1-4, ESV)

__________________________________________________________________________

If you want to find out more about John G. Paton, you can find numerous articles online, one of which is located at Ligonier Ministries: Who Was John G. Paton? (ligonier.org).

Interview with a Missionary in Northern Iraq RE: The Memphis Dialogues

Posted by Dan C. on

While engaging in my favorite research activity of late (The Memphis Dialogues), I came across an audio file of a segment of an interview with a Christian missionary who lives in Mosul, in the Ninevah Province of Northern Iraq. Here are questions asked and the answers given by Neil, the missionary.

Q: Two things you know living in Iraq. You know how ugly, how murderous, how horrific radical Islam is. You also know how the great majority of Muslims do not share those sentiments. From your perspective as a missionary in a Muslim world, was it a wise thing for James (White) to try to have civil discussions, to bring walls down, to un-demonize certain people, and therefore Christians and Muslims talk face to face, or is this just being a ‘useful idiot for Islam’, and now you basically desensitize people to the dangers of radical lslam. What was your take?

A: I love that James White did this. I think it was a beautiful example of who we are supposed to be. Of course we’re supposed to be wise, but we come with love. The demonstration of the Kingdom of God comes with humility and love, and if I’m debating or arguing it’s not going to sound like love to the person I’m arguing with. This is what we do all the time. We sit down with people who are on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of belief and faith, and we have a choice. I’m either going to argue with you about who Mohammad is and what the Quran is, how evil and vile it is, the expression of Islam and what it’s done in the Middle East, OR we can talk about Jesus. We can talk about the Kingdom of God and we can talk about what that looks like. And I can demonstrate that for you even in the way I interact with you as a human being – my tone of voice, the way I honor you and respect you as an individual created in God’s image.

The last thing we want to do is tear somebody down; what, so we can prove our theological point? That’s not going to convince somebody of anything. At best, it may convince their mind, but it’s not going to lead to a genuine conversion in the heart.

I applauded James White for doing that.

Q: Neil, have you yourself interacted with devout Muslims; you said that perhaps 75% are not devout in praying five times a day, and many of the younger people are more alienated from Islam because of ISIS, as you live there in Northern Iraq. Have you interacted though with very conservative Muslims as well?

A: I’ve sat down in the middle of Mosul and had lunch with Imams who I KNOW were leading prayers for ISIS in the Mosque. I’ve sat down with young men who lived their entire time through ISIS and are now studying to be Imams. And I can tell you that the best fruit we have ever seen is when we sit down and we discuss Jesus.

We don’t want to talk about the Quran. We don’t want to talk about Mohammad. Let’s talk about Jesus. Let’s talk about the truth, because they’ve never heard these things.

As for us, when we cross the boundary into deb ate and argument, it’s never going to end up good. But when we can introduce something to them that they’ve never heard before, there’s something inside of them that longs for the truth. And when we can give it to them, that’s when there entered into the Kingdom.

______

That was it. Two intelligent questions and with some ‘background’ to put them in context and a missionary’s answers.

Listening to that interview gave me flashbacks to my service in Special Forces and what we did to prepare to infiltrate behind enemy lines to conduct military operations of one sort or another. Whether those operations were short or long term, we performed detail country studies to learn all about a country, their customs, language, religion, etc.

Once on the ground it was necessary to establish good rapport with the indigenous population. Some of how we went about accomplishing that was described by the missionary in the interview!

I can only ask any reader who might stumble upon this little blog “If it’s necessary to earn the respect of indigenous peoples working with them for a common cause, how much more vital is it when you want to present a religion they inherently hate?”

______

The best thing about all this talking about James White is that it has afforded me the opportunity to improve my own thinking about touchy matters, and hopefully it helped me in the interpretation and exegesis of scripture.

May God bless you richly as you also travel along the way to the Celestial City.

Only One Life

Posted by Dan C. on

by Nathan Busenitz, The Cripplegate

The year was 1860.

A lot happened in that year. In 1860, the Pony Express sent its first riders from Missouri to California. That same year, Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States. And on December 20, 1860, South Carolina declared its secession from the union, setting events in motion that would culminate in the American Civil War.

It was in that same year, on December 2, 1860, that Charles Thomas Studd was born into a wealthy family in England.

Charles was a teenager when his father committed his life to Christ after attending an evangelistic meeting led by D. L. Moody. A short time later, at the age of 16, Charles himself came to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Charles would go on to Cambridge where he would become one of the most well-known cricket players of his day, famous not only in Britain but around the world. When his time at Cambridge ended, Charles realized that he did not want to pursue a career in athletics. As he said it,

What is all the fame and flattery worth . . . when a man comes to face eternity?

I know that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it [is] worthwhile living for the world to come.

How could I spend the best years of my life in living for the honours of this world, when thousands of souls are perishing every day?

Armed with an eternal perspective and motivated by a desire to serve Christ no matter the cost, Charles Thomas Studd (often referred to by his initials, C. T.) left England to serve as a missionary in China, under the oversight of Hudson Taylor.

C. T. Studd spent a decade in China, much of that time working in a rehabilitation center for opium addicts, sharing the gospel and seeing lives transformed by Christ. While in China, he also married his wife Priscilla, and together they had four daughters.

After spending a few years back in England, the family moved to India, where Charles served as a local church pastor for seven years. Though he struggled with severe asthma, often staying awake most of the night just trying to breath, he faithfully preached the gospel. And as a result, many souls in Southern India were won to the Lord.

Shortly thereafter, C. T. Studd became convinced that God wanted him to take the gospel to the innermost jungles of Africa. He eventually reached the Belgian Congo in 1913, though it was not easy. At one point, he contracted a severe case of malaria; on another occasion, he woke up in the morning to discover that a poisonous snake had been sleeping by his side all night long.

Along with his fellow missionaries, Studd established a number of missionary stations in the heart of Africa — bringing the gospel to tribes that had previously never heard the name of Jesus Christ. He wrote over 200 hymns, translated the New Testament into the native language, and witnessed thousands of African people turn to Christ.

C. T. Studd died in Africa, at the age of 70, having spent almost his entire adult life in missionary service: 10 years in China, 7 years in India, and roughly 20 years in Africa. Through his unwavering perseverance, a vast number of souls were reached with the good news of the gospel.

As one might imagine, that kind of pioneering missionary work was extremely taxing. But C. T. Studd’s response was simple and sincere. He said,

If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.

That undying commitment to serve Christ no matter the cost is perhaps best captured in the words of a poem he wrote. Perhaps you’ve heard these words before:

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.