A MARTYR'S MINDSET MOVES US TO MISSION
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“ John Geddie’s epitaph reads: “When he landed in 1848, there were no Christians here, and when he left, in 1872, there were no heathen.””
Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Missionary John Geddie recognized that in the same way that Jesus Christ was born to die, that he himself was born again to die to himself that Christ might live His life through him! With John’s understanding that he was to live his life as a living sacrifice, he was able lay his life down for 24 years to show the savage, cannibalistic and horribly cruel islanders the love of Christ. John Geddie was fully aware that these people were known for killing and eating the outsiders to came to their Island! They had killed and eaten other missionaries before him! Yet, he poured out his life and Christ’s love without wavering!
The secret of his winning the entirety of these savage natives of Aneiteum was that he had a martyr’s mindset. For the love of Christ constrained him so completely that he became the embodiment of God’s all surpassing love for these miserably lost people! (2Cor. 5:14) He was driven by Rev.1:5b - “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.”
I believe the greatest thing that you and I can attain to in this life is this: That we would acquire a measure of the love of Jesus so great, that we would give ourselves to spread the Gospel no matter the cost, no matter the place, no matter the hardship. Just as Jesus’ love for His Father moved Him to lay His life down for us, so we would love God so much that we would lay our lives down to reach those that are perishing, because they don’t know Christ!
I will leave you with this to think on: Paul acquired so much love from God, that he said, “for I could wish myself to be accursed from Christ forever, if that would help to bring the people of Israel to Christ!” This is my paraphrase of Rom. 9:1-3. Please go there and read it for yourself! Anyone who has ever made a great impact on souls, has been so inundated with the love of God, that they laid there lives down for others to receive the Good News! Acts 1:8 reveals how to receive this martyr’s mindset! Jesus said, you will be witnesses unto me when the (baptism) of the Holy Spirit comes upon you! The word witness translates, as martyr! This baptism of power is the power to die, first to ourselves and then if necessary, to die while in the line of duty, spreading the Gospel!
If you are born again, you are a candidate to receive this mighty promise and the fire of God’s love in your heart…and to receive it, all you need to do is hunger for it and ask! We must soak in the presence of God until the love of Jesus takes control of our lives!
Every blessing!
—Tom