End of the Spear

I love to fly. When I was in sixth grade, my Sunday School teacher took me up in a single engine Cessna to fly from Long Beach to Catalina Island. It was probably a 30 or 40 minute trip each way, and I was both terrified and yet loving every minute of it. That day a dream was born: I wanted to be a pilot. Over the years that followed, I read books on planes and the rules for flying. Because of my interest in missions, I also began reading about missionary pilots, which led me to the story of Nate Saint.

January 7, 2006, marked the 50th anniversary of five missionaries who were killed as they attempted to reach out to the Huaorani with the Gospel. Nate Saint was one of those five. He was an incredibly gifted man. He and his fellow missionaries devised ingenious ways to solve the unique problems of jungle flying. More importantly, they were dedicated to bringing the Gospel to tribes who had never heard about Jesus.

While Nate and his friends did everything they could to prepare for their encounter with the Huaorani (formerly called the Auca), they knew it was dangerous. They went forward with the plan because they considered the salvation of those who had not heard more important than even their own lives. Steve Saint, Nate’s son, writes the following: “I remember telling my dad ‘Please dad, if the Huaorani attack you, you will defend yourself! You will shoot them?' My dad said, ‘Son, we can’t shoot the Huaorani, they are not ready for heaven but we are.’”

That was not the end of the story. God used the death of Nate and his coworkers to open the door to reaching the Huaorani people. It is estimated today that 80% of the Huaorani have heard the Gospel, and over 25% of them are believers. Steve himself has developed a deep friendship with Mincaye, one of the men who murdered his father.

This month the movie End of the Spear is out in theaters. It tells the story of Nate Saint and how God turned a seeming tragedy into a testimony of forgiveness and redemption that has literally impacted the world. Learn more about it by visiting these websites:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/001/30.38.html

http://www.assistnews.net/stories/s06010062.htm

God's Will

¹⁹Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. ²⁰Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. ²¹The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. ²²News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. (Acts 11:19-22, NIV)

Have you ever wondered what God’s will was for your life? How do you know what job you should take, who you should marry, or whether you should join a mission trip? How do you know what God wants you to do?

Even if I could write a book on the topic, I am not sure I could give an adequate answer. But I want to share two things that I have found to be biblical and that have helped me over the years. I make it my goal to be obedient to what God has told me to do in the Bible, and I look for where God is at work and then join in the fun!

This is what happened in Acts. Following the death of Stephen, the believers suffered persecution and were forced to move. As they went, they were obedient to Christ’s command to preach the Gospel. At first, they only told the Jews, but then they included others as well. As a result, many people believed and turned to the Lord. What did the church do? They saw that God was at work and they chose to join in the fun! They sent Barnabas to Antioch to teach and disciple the new believers.

What is God’s will for us as a church? It is the same! This year the Missions Committee will continue the process of prayerfully considering both God’s commands and where He is at work. There are many new missionaries and missions projects we could support, but we are not called to do everything. Please pray that God will give us wisdom to know what he is uniquely calling us to do.