At age 20, Jim Elliot wrote:
" 'Some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame' (1 Corinthians 15.34). And they must hear. The Lord is bearing hard upon me the need of the unreached millions in Central Asia. What a high calling is offered any who will pray, 'Send me.'
Our young men are going into the professional fields because they don't 'feel called' to the mission field. We don't need a call; we need a kick in the pants. We must begin thinking in terms of 'going out,' and stop our weeping because 'they won't come in.' Who wants to step into an igloo? The tombs themselves are not colder than the churches. May God send us forth."
Our young men are going into the professional fields because they don't 'feel called' to the mission field. We don't need a call; we need a kick in the pants. We must begin thinking in terms of 'going out,' and stop our weeping because 'they won't come in.' Who wants to step into an igloo? The tombs themselves are not colder than the churches. May God send us forth."
great quote...timely quote
Posted by
Anonymous |
3:00 PM
GREAT QUOTE!!! I love Jim Elliot and his amazing testimony as well as the other missionaries that so boldly went into the jungles to reach an unreached tribe!!! Wow, what an awesome challenge!
Posted by
Anonymous |
5:21 PM
I think the thing we are often blinded to is that an acceptance of Christ into our lives is an acceptance of the call to ministry. It does not always look the same, but we are all called who consider ourselves to be in Christ.
In that same regard, I think we also tend to forget that God gifts each person uniquely. While I consider missions a selfless journey often paralleling the Calvary Road - the freedom we have in Christ is to pursue our passions with the purpose of exalting God in all things...and that is not always full-time ministry, missions, or "church" things.
Our cry should be "send us, use us" - but we shouldn't forget our Jersusalems...and we shouldn't honor any man or woman above another who pursues, or does not pursue, the nations.
Posted by
tdurbs |
8:00 PM
with all due respect, i'm going to disagree with td on his last sentence. the Bible clearly indicates that some in the Kingdom are worthy of more honor than others...
I Tim 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. Hebrews 11:35-40 lays out that the world is not worthy of martyrs. The existence of eternal rewards and their distribution according to earthly activities also indicates that God honors men differently.
Honestly, those who give up family, friends, western comfort, and life itself to reach the nations, in my humble opinion, are worthy of more honor than a pediatrician in SC who spends most his week seeing patients while fulfilling western church duties as able.
Jim Elliot is (was?) 10 times the Christian man I will ever be and deserves honor accordingly.
I like George Verwer, the founder of Operation Mobilisation in the United Kingdom. He has a sermon series entitled, "Unless you're specifically called to stay, then go." I find that argument equally as compelling as the, "If you're not specifically called to international missions, then stay."
Yes, Mr. Elliot, you are correct... what western Christians need is a good kick in the pants.
Posted by
d blake |
12:35 PM
(me included)
Posted by
d blake |
12:36 PM