Suddenly, the whole world talks about Christian missions. Somehow, John Allen Chau provoked a conversation that is now stirring in and out of church. I spent the last week gathering my thoughts on your situation and would like to present some points that I hope will help.
First, we don’t need to rush to judge, one of the consequences of this digital world is that it requires immediate responses, news is spreading quickly, and we are expected to have strong opinions long before we have access to more than the basics. Sometimes it seems that the less you know, the stronger you feel and the bolder you talk. In a situation like this, we can reserve our judgment until the facts are clear. In fact, we must reserve the trial until the facts were We had 150 years to consider John Paton and his dangerous mission for the cannibals of the New Hebrides, We all had 60 years to consider Jim Elliot and his mortal mission in the Ecuadorian jungle, but a few hours after the news of Chau’s death, We were all expected to have and express strong convictions about a man , an island and a situation none of us had ever heard of. It’s ridiculous and unreal. Don’t judge quickly.
- Second.
- It doesn’t matter what the world thinks about John Allen Chau or Christian missions.
- As Christians.
- We distinguish between the Church and the world.
- Between people who have come to faith in Jesus Christ and those who have not.
- We recognize that those who have come to faith have a renewed (or at least renewed) spirit.
- It is as if.
- When we become Christians.
- We put on glasses that little by little allow us to see the world as it is.
- We come to see that the world is in danger.
- That people who die outside of Christ will be forever separated from God.
- We come to see that we have an urgent mission to tell others about Christ so that they have the opportunity to repent.
- Believe.
- And be saved.
- Those outside the church will never understand this and.
- In fact.
- Will despise.
- Ridicule.
- And be offended by it.
- In the face of all this.
- We must carry out our mission with boldness and confidence.
- Regardless of what we think of Chau.
- We must make sure we think biblically.
- Not worldly.
- We need to make sure that our thinking is rooted in the Bible and not in the world.
Thirdly, we must admire his zeal. Whatever the truth about Chau, it is clear that he was jealous; He firmly believed in God’s mission to bring the gospel to all the world, and believed that he was particularly called to take it to those who were not affected; recognized that the mission might cost him his life, but he was always ready to go. His zeal is admirable, especially when many of us are fighting apathy. I think Babylon Bee [i] understood it well in its title: “A man who has never spoken of Jesus to anyone criticizes the lack of wisdom of a dead missionary. “We must admire Chau’s zeal, regret our lack of zeal and be willing to pay any price to carry out the Great Commission. And on a similar note, we must first be willing to give a companion of faith the benefit of doubt, believe in the best of it before the worst.
Fourth, zeal must coexist with wisdom, I think one thing that many of us are not sure about is whether or not he had wisdom in what he did, this is something that we will probably need much more time and much more information to discern. In the days after his death, people criticized him for endangering the health of the people of North Sentinel Island; now, however, it seems that he took it into account wisely, emptying himself against many diseases. In the days after his death, he was described as a reckless adventurer, but more recently he is believed to have wisely exercised a great deal of consideration and was truly motivated by a deep love for the inhabitants of this remote island. It will take time to know the facts and then decide whether you have accomplished your mission wisely or foolishly.
Fifth, we must fervently pray for God to use this situation for his glory. The deaths of Jim Elliot and his team had an impact around the world and motivated thousands or tens of thousands of men and women to become missionaries. They motivated much more to faithfully support the missions. When the story of John and Betty Stam’s death was written in newspapers around the world, God used it to draw people to faith and to call hundreds, if not thousands, on a mission. God has long used missionary death to provoke and inspire an even greater mission. It seems that he often addresses the apathy of the Church by allowing some of its most faithful and zealous people to make the ultimate sacrifice. I hope Elliot, Stams and Chaus from around the world see this as more than just fair trade. We must fervently pray that God will use Chau’s death to shock unbelievers, leading them to repentance and shock believers like you and me, leading to greater and deeper obedience. It is known for doing this.
Let me end with a sweet poem written by EHHamilton, a Presbyterian missionary in China, as he reflected on the martyrdom of one of his colleagues, JWVinson, who had been captured by bandits and executed by them. asked, because they threatened his life. ” No, ” he answered. If you shoot, I’ll go straight to heaven. They shot and he left. Thus did his friend celebrate his life and death.
Fear? About?
Feel the joyful liberation of the mind?
Moving from pain to perfect peace
conflicts and cease the stress of life?
Fearful? From that one?
Fear? About?
Fearful of seeing the face of the Savior
Listen to your welcome and notice,
Glory shines from the wounds of grace
Fearful? From that one?
Fearful? What?
A glow? A drink? a pierced heart
A brief darkness? Light? Oh, the art of heaven!
From his injury, a quid pro quo!
Fearful? From that one?
Fearful? What?
To enter the rest of the sky
And always serve the Blessed Master?
From good service to better service?
Fearful? From that one?
Fearful? What?
Doing for death what life could not?
Blood bathing a piece of stone
Until the souls flourish from the place?
Fearful? From that one?
[i] Humorous website with fiction titles related to the Christian context (N. T. ).