A Faithful Witness
Written by Administrator Saturday, 07 January 2006 19:00
In Acts 12 we observe the young Jewish followers of Christ daring to make contact with pagan Gentiles in the city of Antioch some 300 miles north of Jerusalem. These families took the risk of speaking “to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus” (v. 20). This was a “dangerous” move on the part of these believers who were already on the run because of growing persecution. Yet, they could not remain silent. They had “good news” to share. And we read that “the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord” (v. 21). What a wonderful new beginning!Fast forward in time to the 20th century. Observe five families who dared to make contact with pagans living in the jungles of Ecuador. On September 19, 1955, one of the men, Nate Saint spotted a village of Auca (Waodani) Indians living near the Curaray River. He along with four other men – Ed McCulley, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming and Roger Youderian – mapped out a strategy to reach out to these natives with the Gospel. The plan called for dropping numerous gifts to the villagers from their Piper Cruiser in hopes of gaining their confidence. (This was critical in light of the fact that these missionaries knew the Waodanis to be a fierce tribe that had killed others who had ventured into their territory.) For months Nate Saint flew his missions of mercy over the village until it appeared that the stage was set for the first contact. On January 3, 1956, Nate Saint and Ed McCulley landed on a sandbar that they dubbed “Palm Beach.” A temporary camp was set up over the next few days.
On Sunday, January 8, 1956, the five men headed to “Palm Beach” with these words crackling over the radio to their wives, “Looks like they’ll be here for the early afternoon service. Pray for us. This is the day! We’ll contact you at 4:30.” There was excitement and tension in their voices. They did land … and met the Waodanis. But “this day” would take a different turn. The Waodanis attacked later stating that they feared that these five men were cannibals. Jim Elliot once said, “When it comes time to die, make sure that all you have to do is die.” Fifty years ago today … these five men seemingly failed. Yet, time proved otherwise. Their daring spirit inspired others to go to “Palm Beach” to preach the Gospel and reach those lost tribesmen.
As Christians in the past have been courageous in sharing their faith with others, what will you do for the sake of the Gospel in 2006? With whom should you share the Good News? What daring step could you take to be a faithful witness for Christ?
-- Sparky