A Tale of Three Martyrs
Throughout the centuries many believers have been called upon to give their lives for their faith. Paul Miki, Eric Liddell, and Jim Elliott are among those that paid the ultimate sacrifice for their faith.
Jesus said, “… If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). What would you do if you faced death because of your faith in Jesus Christ?
Paul Miki was a leader who lived out his God-given mission. He was considered the most effective evangelist in Japan during his lifetime from 1570s-1594. He knew that the mission God had created him for was spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ across his home land.He led a band of men in preaching and sharing the Gospel. They were so dedicated to completing the mission God had set before them that they endured the amputation of their left ear and a 30 day march through the Japanese mountain winter on their way to martyrdom without ceasing to preach and praise God. Amongst the men who would be martyred together were 26 people: twenty Japanese, four Spaniards, 1 Portuguese, and a Mexican, all ranging in age from 12 to 24.As the men approached their crosses where they would be crucified like Christ they continued to praise God and rejoice in their homecoming Paul continued to commit himself to the mission God had set before him and with his dying breaths he said, At this critical time, when you can rest assured that I will not try and deceive you, I want to stress and make it unmistakably clear that man can find no salvation other than the Christian way… I would rather have all the Japanese become Christians [than hold onto my life]. Paul Miki had found his mission in life and gave all that he had, literally, to seeing that mission fulfilled.
The Scottish runner, Eric Liddell, refused to run on Sunday at the 1924 Olympics because of his religious convictions. Millions saw his story in the film Chariots of Fire. Although he refused to run on Sunday, he won gold and bronze medals in other events. He arrived home as a national hero. But the story doesnt end there.
Liddell was born in China to missionary parents, but was educated in England. He postponed his return to China to run in the 1924 Olympics. Once the Games ended, Liddell turned his back on fame, fortune and future Olympic competition. In 1925 he returned to China where he taught chemistry and English to peasants under harsh conditions.
Shortly before the Japanese invasion of China, Liddell sent his pregnant wife and two daughters to Scotland while he remained in China. The Japanese arrested Liddell in 1943 and sent him to an internment camp. People who knew him recalled his constant smile, gentle spirit, persistent kindness, a lack of prejudice and a keen sense of humor. They also remembered that every morning Liddell faithfully read his Bible and prayed.
Eric Liddell died of a brain tumor six months before the end of World War II. Whether he was an Olympic hero or a prisoner of war, Eric Liddell demonstrated godly character.
In 1956 Jim Elliott was one of five missionaries seeking to contact the Auca Indians in Ecuador. This tribe of forest dwellers had killed many people who had attempted to conquer them. The missionaries made numerous attempts to communicate their friendly intentions to the Aucas. Finally, they landed their plane on a crude landing strip. As the group stepped out of the plane, the Aucas greeted them with spears. All five men were killed.
Jims wife, Elisabeth Elliott, later came across some inspiring words in her husbands journal. “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Today the man who killed Jim Elliott is a Christian as are most other Auca Indians. Jim and his colleagues blazed the trail, and they gained what they could not lose. Someone has said, Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.
© 2011 Designed to Serve®
Dr. Steve Lake is a retired educator with over 30 years experience in the American public schools. He has served in a variety of position, including teacher, elementary school principal, junior high principal, Associate Superintendent, retired from public education as Superintendent of Schools in Lincolnwood, IL. He has his Bachelors, Masters and Doctor of Education degrees from Northern Illinois University. For the past 25 years Steve has attended and been a member of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington and Northfield, IL. At Willow Creek Steve has taught adult classes on spiritual gifts, life purpose, and spiritual disciplines. He has ministered overseas in Angola, Zambia, Honduras, Germany, and Russia. Steve is co-founder of Designed to Serve, a ministry that equips Christians to live out their unique God-given calling. Steve is married and has two adult children who are married.
