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Enjoying God Blog

While a student at Wheaton College, Jim Elliot struggled and prayed over what God would have him do with his life. His passionate and self-sacrificial search for God’s will eventually brought him and four of his friends to the rain forest of Ecuador, on a white strip of sand next to the Curaray River. It was there that Jim and his companions were preparing to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Auca Indians, a violent tribe that until now had absolutely no contact with the outside world. Continue reading . . .

While a student at Wheaton College, Jim Elliot struggled and prayed over what God would have him do with his life. His passionate and self-sacrificial search for God’s will eventually brought him and four of his friends to the rain forest of Ecuador, on a white strip of sand next to the Curaray River. It was there that Jim and his companions were preparing to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Auca Indians, a violent tribe that until now had absolutely no contact with the outside world.

For several days in advance of their mission, Jim and his friends had flown over the jungle in their small plane, dropping gifts to the Aucas: cooking utensils, tools, cloth, and copies of a gospel tract. Finally, on January 6, 1956, signs of hope appeared. Without warning 3 Auca Indians stepped out of the jungle and accepted Jim’s hand. He led them across the river to meet the other 4 missionaries. There were 2 Auca women and 1 man, whom they called “George.”

The next day, Saturday, was anti-climactic. Nothing happened. There was no sign of the 3 Aucas or anyone else, although Jim recorded in his diary that he felt someone was always watching them from the jungle. He would often shout phrases of the Auca language, declaring his good intentions and desire to help them, but with no response.

On Sunday afternoon, following a dinner of baked beans and carrot sticks, Nate Saint, the pilot of their small plane, radioed that he could see a group of Aucas approaching the camp. He landed the plane and the 5 excited missionaries began to sing this hymn:

“We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender,
We go not forth alone against the foe.
Strong in Thy strength, safe in Thy keeping tender,
We rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go.

Yea, in Thy name, O Captain of Salvation,
In Thy blest name, all other names above,
Jesus our Righteousness, our sure Foundation,
Our Prince of Glory, and our King of Love.

We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
And needing more each day Thy grace to know,
Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing,
We rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go.

We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender,
Thine is the battle, Thine shall be the praise,
When passing through the gates of pearly splendor,
Victors, we rest with Thee through endless days.”

Listen to that last line again: “When passing through the gates of pearly splendor, Victors, we rest with Thee through endless days.”

Within minutes that is exactly what Jim Elliot and his 4 friends would do. By 4:30 that afternoon all five missionaries were dead: viciously murdered in an ambush, their bodies pierced repeatedly by primitive spears at the hands of those Auca Indians for whom they had prayed for six years and for whom they had sacrificed all comfort and career opportunities to win them to Christ.

One remarkable irony is that wrapped around one of the spears taken from the body of one of the missionaries was a gospel tract, one of many they had dropped from the plane.

They left behind five widows and nine fatherless children. To the world at large, this seems like little more than a sad and tragic waste of five young lives. But the world at large did not understand what Jim Elliot understood when he wrote the words: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”

Now here’s the point I want to make from this story. If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, the world was right: this was a sad and tragic waste of five young lives. Jim and his friends went to their deaths singing these words: “When passing through the gates of pearly splendor, Victors, we rest with Thee through endless days.” But if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, neither Jim nor anyone else will ever pass through the gates of pearly splendor. If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, Jim was not a “Victor” but a defeated fool.

Jim Elliot is famous for the words: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” But if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, there is nothing to “gain”. And if there is nothing to gain, he is in fact a colossal fool who gives up all to get it!

Of course, the story doesn’t end with the death of Jim Elliot and his four friends. Their courageous sacrifice resulted in the gospel penetrating the darkness of the Auca Indians, most of whom eventually came to saving faith in Christ, including the man who himself killed Jim Elliot.

But if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, it was all for nothing.

So, was Jim Elliot a “fool” for giving up what he believed he could not keep, in order to gain what he believed he could not lose? I don’t think so. Why? Because Jesus did rise from the dead and was crowned with glory and honor and was exalted to the right hand of the Majesty on High and there rules sovereignly and supremely until all his enemies are made a footstool for his feet.

May God fill you with joy and anticipation as you await Resurrection Sunday morning when, I pray, you will cry aloud: “Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!”

 

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