COURAGE IS CONTAGIOUS

 

                           

The initial mission to reach the Auca tribe with the gospel ended abruptly one Sunday afternoon as five young men lay dead on the Sandbar along the Curaray River in the jungle of Ecuador. The missionaries’ first contact with the tribe ended in death of them all by spearing. The Auca men involved in the killing along with others, who witnessed it, were deeply affected by two things that transcended their own experience.

The first was the fact that the white men refrained from using their guns, thereby sparing the Indian’s lives. Had the missionary intentions been good after all? The second was even further beyond their comprehension. The killers heard singing, not from the beach where the bodies now lay, but from above the trees on the river bank. Looking up they saw an array of bright light. Frightened, they kept this vision to themselves. It was not until 1989 that they shared their remarkable vision.

One year before the missionaries’ massacre, Dayuma an Auca woman had run away from her tribe.  She lived with Rachel Santé (sister to the pilot) and from her Rachel started learning the Auca’ language. After the missionaries massacre two other women also ran away. When Elizabeth Elliot (Jim’s widow) heard about it, she went to look for them. The Auca women later returned to their tribe leaving Rachel and Elizabeth were worried about their fate. Surprisingly, the Auca women came back with news that the tribe wanted the missionaries’ women to visit.

The Auca’s quickly realized their mistake in killing the men who had chosen to die rather than kill the Aucas. The missionaries proved to the Aucas that there is love in this world. They wanted to know the answer behind the mystery of the love demonstrated by the missionaries. It was because of this that they sent the two Auca women to bring Rachel and Elizabeth. The brave missionaries’ women took it as part of Gods plan and His next step to accomplish what the men had started and as it turned out it was God’s plan.

By the end of 1958 Rachel and Elizabeth were living with the Auca. They experienced firsthand the Auca lifestyle and practiced basic medicine. Dayuma assisted in explaining to her people the gospel that she learnt. One by one over the years the Auca Indians believed in Jesus Christ. They accepted the gospel because they were able to see the message lived. As Christians they began to understand their experience of the supernatural that Sunday, 1956.

All the five Indians who had killed the missionaries not only believed in Christ but also became spiritual leaders among their people. Kimo who was one of the killers, became the pastor of the tribe; he had the opportunity to baptize Steve and Kathy Saint, Nate's children. After two years Elizabeth returned home to write her first book on the story of the Auca tribe “Shadow of the Almighty". She wrote many other books and shared her story in many countries, inspiring and challenging many to serve God. She died in 2015 aged 88.

Rachel, who worked for Wycliffe Bible Translators, was passionate about translating the Scriptures into the Auca own language. She learnt and perfected her language skills in hopes of translating the Bible for them. Nine years after the five missionaries’ death, the Gospel of Mark was published in the Auca language. In January 11, 1992 the Auca received the New Testament in their language. Rachel, who had lived with these people for more than thirty four years, rejoiced and prayed that “it will have a strong impact on their hearts.

Rachel stayed with the Auca until she died in 1994 aged 80; she was buried there. The legacy left behind by the 5 slain missionaries and their families still lives on today. From the very day the men died to the present, the God whose mysterious ways are beyond our understanding has been at work. Lives have been changed and history testifies that the Auca five did not die in vain.

Some may have concluded that Paul’s imprisonment in Rome would be a serious blow to the advance of the gospel; but the opposite was true. In a letter that he wrote to the Philippians at the time, Paul wrote “the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the advancement of the gospel” (Phil.1:12-14). Paul explained that while his imprisonment seemed a serious blow to the advance of the gospel, God was using his bonds to advance the Gospel.

He gave two examples of how his imprisonment was advancing the gospel. First the Palace guards chained to him had a chance to hear the gospel and to see it lived out. This made them believe it and give their life to Christ. Then in a chain reaction the gospel spread from guard to guard, to the families of the guards and eventually to Caesar's household. This fulfilled what he had written earlier “Those who were not told about him will see and those who have not heard will understand” (Rom. 15:21).

In verse14, Paul explains the second way that God used his imprisonment to advance the Gospel. The Roman Christians lived in a world that rejected the Gospel; Persecution and adversity were prevalent.  Paul’s imprisonment could have shaken their faith, tempting them to keep a low profile so far as proclaiming the gospel was concerned; but that is not what happened. Paul noted that “Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” 

Paul’s imprisonment gave the Christians around him who were not imprisoned greater confidence and boldness. Rather than laying low and hiding, these believers felt inspired by Paul’s courage to boldly proclaim the Gospel in an unprecedented fashion. They observed that Paul had joy in the midst of such a trial. They saw that God could take care of Paul in such circumstances.  They saw that God could still use Paul even when he was imprisoned.

Paul did not deny that he was in an undesirable place, but he understood that there was an unseen purpose and the purpose was far bigger than him. He could not go to the churches and continue his missionary journeys, but his service was not suspended. God gave him an effective prison ministry. Although God closed a prison door behind Paul, He opened a new door for the gospel. He is Lord even in prison! He has His people behind bars so they can spread the gospel!

Paul could minister effectively and bring glory to God in less than ideal circumstances. He didn’t need everything to be easy and set in order to be fruitful. it was part of God’s plan to take him to Rome at precisely that moment in precisely that situation. Though he may not have seen it at the time, today we can clearly see that his imprisonment advanced the gospel in more ways than he indicated in this letter. It was during this imprisonment that he also wrote Ephesians, Philemon and Colossians.

In that prison the word of God was packaged to travel to faraway lands and far into the future generations. Since these Bible books were written to this day, they have taught and strengthened many believers all over the world. The empowered believers have in turn and in their generations spread the gospel. And this will continue from generation to generation until Jesus returns. It’s only at the rewards giving ceremony in heaven, that Paul will in great surprise see the ripple effects of his prison work.

God did not waste Paul’s time during the Roman imprisonment. God never wastes our time, though we may not sense his purpose for our lives at the moment. God does not give us the reasons for his actions, but we can be certain that He knows what He is doing. Christian’s circumstances however difficult have in them a larger purpose; the glory of God and the spread of his kingdom.

We have no way of knowing where or how God will use our current situation to advance the Gospel. We only have the ability to see our current situation. We often judge our circumstances on personal feelings or immediate results. We lack the ability to see the big picture, fully comprehending what God is doing. While things look desperate and gloomy from our perspective, God will take our situation and work it out for our good and His glory.

We ought not to be surprised by hard circumstances that come our way. To what or whom do you feel chained to right now? You should recognize that you have a great opportunity to make those circumstances count for the glory of God. You can have your best witness in your worst circumstances! Adversity advances God’s kingdom because the world closely watches and listens when Christians suffer. They want to know how they will respond.

When we trust Christ in the midst of our adversity the gospel advances in and through us. As we boldly stand for Christ in times of trial, others see our faith lived out and get encouraged to do the same. As they see us actively living out our faith within a hostile culture, they will be encouraged to take a stand for the Lord. Your faithfulness to the Lord will exceed any words you communicate. Discouragement spreads with deadly swiftness but courage is also contagious

The trial you face today is not enjoyable, but if you are right with God, then in his sovereignty he is working His divine plan through it. If you will remain faithful, regardless of circumstances, God will use your life for His glory and the advancement of his Kingdom. But if you spend your time whining about how tough they are, nobody will ever see the good in them. You can chafe under the conditions or you can be a change agent for Christ. Instead of running to freedom, live in such a way that you make the gospel believable.