Lost island: Let's imagine that you and few companions...lost island to..

on October 10, 2021

Let’s imagine that you and a few companions travel to a lost island to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You take with you all that you need as well as modern weapons to use if you ever have to defend your lives. Then the day comes when you are surrounded by the islanders who possess nothing more than knives and they have come to take your life. What would you do?

As you ponder that question, I will share with you the story of the missionaries who was faced with this choice.

The Amazon

Following our Lord’s Great Commission:

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
(Matthew 28:19-20 KJV)

Five men would travel to an lost island in Ecuador. This lost island was thought to be very dangerous so these men brought along with them firearms to protect themselves if ever they needed too.

Shortly after their arrival, they would get visits from a few of the inquisitive islanders. As they would receive visitors, these workers for Christ would give them gifts as a show of kindness.

Eventually, three of the islanders would come into the camp and befriend these saints however this friendship would not last long.

CHOPPED up

One evening, each of the three islanders would jump up and run into the wilderness. This however did not discourage the saints, for they were hoping that more of the islanders would come.

The following morning two of the Christians were flying around their location in the plane that they had; and as they looked down they noticed a large number of the islanders heading for their camp.

With exceeding joy, they headed back to the camp to tell the others. That joy would not last long for within a few hours, each of these saints would be chopped up and/or hacked to death!

Wait!! What?

Remember, these saints had modern weapons to use in defense of their lives? So, what happened? How did they end up being chopped and hacked to death? This takes us back to our opening question and the reason for this story!

It would later be determined that each man had made a decision long before this. That even though each one of them had all that they needed to preserve their lives; they agreed that they would never use a weapon on the inhabitants of this lost island.

Why?

One of these saints would record their reasoning in his journal. He recorded something along the lines of:

“If they would have killed any of those lost islanders they would have been damning that lost soul to hell. They themselves knowing that eternal peace with our Christ awaited them; they could not in good conscience use their weapons on any of those people.”
-full quote can be found in “The Fire That Once Was” by DI Pietro

Rather DIE than fail Christ

The precious writer of Hebrews defines in great detail what some of the world’s most precious saints would do.

"Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented"
(Hebrews 11:35-38 KJV)

There is no better example of these verses than in the lives of these men! They had the means to deliver themselves and they said, “I’d rather die, than fail Christ”!

Knowing that a better resurrection awaited them and just as the scripture says; they went on to receive that better resurrection.

Nine Feet Tall Men and Strange Noises

Later, it would be revealed that the lives of these men did not go in vain. Conviction would fall on the islanders as they began to realize what they had just witnessed. Realizing the mercy that these saints showed, would open the door for some of these islanders to eventually be led to Christ!

Later, one of the islanders would tell of the events that happened that day! He would tell of seeing nine feet tall men surrounding the island, standing in formation as strange noises were being made. Eventually, the man realized that those strange noises were the sound of trumpets being played!

Of whom the world was not worthy

Well, I am at a lost for words so I will let the precious writer of Hebrews define these saints for you! As the precious writer says in the parenthesis of the thirty eight verse of chapter eleven: of whom the world was not worthy!

"(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." (Hebrews 11:38 KJV)

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