A Servant’s Heart
Philippians 2:13-18 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.
Paul often referred to himself in introduction to a church as doulos theos or doulos Christos which is to say slave or bond-servant of Christ. Paul had a servant’s heart. His desire was for the local assembly and the individual in Christ to serve Christ with their whole heart not because of commandment but out of love for the savior. Paul didn’t mind sacrificing of himself for the cause of Christ, in fact, it brought him great joy to know that his sacrifice of time, effort, and ultimately his own life would increase the faith of others and bring glory to Jesus Christ. Paul esteemed his brethren in Christ more than himself… “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:3
This is the very essence of a servant’s heart. Christ Himself told His followers that He came not to be ministered unto but to minister. Here at Servants’ Journal we desire to possess that servant’s heart and to encourage fellow servants in the same. In keeping with our new theme and focus to possess a servant’s heart, I thought it fitting to post a memorial to some heroes of the faith from the last century whose sacrifice help renew a fire for missions in our country.
This past January marked the 61st anniversary of the death of Plymouth Brethren missionaries, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully and Pete Fleming, who were killed by the Auca Indians, on this day in 1956.
Why they served, in their own words…
“You wonder why people choose fields away from the States when young people at home are drifting because no one wants to take time to listen to their problems. I’ll tell you why I left. Because those stateside young people have every opportunity to study, hear, and understand the Word of God in their own language, and these Indians have no opportunity whatsoever. I have had to make a cross of two logs, and lie down on it, to show the Indians what it means to crucify a man. When there is that much ignorance over here and so much knowledge and opportunity over there, I have no question in my mind why God sent me here. Those whimpering stateside young people will wake up on the Day of Judgment condemned to worse fates than these demon-fearing Indians, because, having a Bible, they were bored with it—while these never heard of such a thing as writing.” ~Jim Elliot
“And people who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives… and when the bubble has burst they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.” ~Nate Saint
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Below is a picture of the plaque that hangs at Wheaton College in memorial to their service. The text reads:
“GO YE AND PREACH THE GOSPEL”
DEDICATED TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN
LOVING MEMORY OF EDWARD McCULLY, PRESIDENT
OF THE CLASS OF 1949, AND JAMES ELLIOT ’49,
LIKEWISE AN OUTSTANDING ATHLETE AND LEADER.
BECAUSE OF THE GREAT COMMISSION, ED AND
JIM, TOGETHER WITH NATHANAEL SAINT EX ’48,
ROGER YOUDERIAN AND PETER FLEMING WENT
TO THE MISSION FIELD WILLING FOR
“ANYTHING–ANYWHERE REGARDLESS OF COST.”
THEY CHOSE THE JUNGLES OF ECUADOR –
INHABITED BY THE AUCA INDIANS. FOR
GENERATIONS ALL STRANGERS WERE KILLED BY
THESE SAVAGE INDIANS. AFTER MANY DAYS OF
PATIENT PREPARATION AND DEVOUT PRAYER,
THE MISSIONARIES MADE THE FIRST FRIENDLY
CONTACT KNOWN TO HISTORY WITH THE AUCAS.
ON JANUARY 8, 1956, THE FIVE MISSIONARIES WERE
BRUTALLY SLAIN – – MARTYRS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.
ERECTED BY THE CLASS OF 1949
JANUARY 8, 1957
“FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINETH US”
II COR 5:14
D.L. Moody once said, “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him. I will try my utmost to be that man.”
“THINK ON THESE THINGS…”
-A Fellow Servant
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