Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe. (Hebrews 12:28)
Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully and Roger Youderian took the Gospel to the jungles of Ecuador, to share the Good News with native Waodani people. Their love for Christ fueled their quest. They flew together in a bush plane and stood together unshaken to face the native’s spears that would end their lives.
On January 8, 1956, ten Waodani warriors killed the five missionaries. The men were armed, but did not take aim against the Waodani. For Jim, it is almost as if he had already reconciled with God that his life might be cut short for the Gospel. He was willing to die that others might have new life. But the story does not end there.
Jim’s wife, Elisabeth and Nate Saint’s sister, Rachel, returned to the jungles, to carry on the mission they started with their husbands. They eventually made peaceful contact. They told the natives of a loving God who hears their prayers and sent His Son to die so they might live.
In June 1965, Nate Saint’s son, Steve was baptized in the Curaray River by Kimo and Dyuwi, two of his father’s killers who had since converted to Christianity.
Steve Saint brings the “unshakable Kingdom” into focus with his reflection on his Dad’s sacrifice: “I would rather have a dad who died serving Christ than one who had no knowledge of Christ.” The evidence is clearly displayed when Steve wraps his arms around the aging warrior who was a party in his father’s death and affectionately refers to him as “Grandfather”.
To the captive, it looks like freedom
To the orphan, it feels like home
To the skeptic, it might sound crazy
To believe in a God who loves
In a world, where our hearts are breaking
And we’re lost in the mess we’ve made
Like a blinding light, in the dead of night
It’s the Gospel
The Gospel that makes a way
It’s the Gospel that makes a way (Ryan Stevenson)
Yes. His is an unshakable Kingdom. (VALERIE SMITH)