I recently read “Shadow of the Almighty: Life and Testament of Jim Elliot” and as I finished it up, I decided that this guy has officially cracked my Top 10 list of “Heroes of the Faith”. I saw so many evidences of grace in his life that I long to see in my own. I in no way desire to elevate him to a status that even he would not approve, but I do believe he lived a life and died a death we can esteem and emulate.
He demonstrated unbelievable devotion to Christ! His resolve to spend his one life well for the Glory of Christ among all peoples was a humbling thing to be confronted with. He so clearly embodied his life statement; “He is no fool who gives up what he can’t keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Not only in his death did he give up what he could not keep, but also in his life. This guy was extraordinarily disciplined and devoted to bringing Christ glory in all facets of life, both public and private. So, in an effort to encourage… maybe a better word is to implore, college students to follow his example I have put together a few lessons we can learn the life and death of Jim Elliot.
o Appreciate the enormous gift of grace of parents who raise/train you to Glorify Christ
College student- this might seem insignificant to you. But I assure you this is vitally important. Tragically, many students, even Christian students, have been greatly influenced by the model of the family found in the sewer of sitcoms on television. Not so for Jim Elliot. In his first year at Wheaton College he wrote in his journal, “I have come to realize that my arrival at this point is not of my own efforts, nor merely by the sure ticking of this winged racer called Time, but by the quiet, unfelt guidance of a faithful mother and father-preacher who has not spent so much time rearing other people’s children that he hasn’t had time for his own.” Deep gratitude for the God-appointed parents in your life is a sign of spiritual maturity.
o Be consumed with not wasting your life on trivial, insignificant things.
Jim Elliot was keenly aware that time is a non-renewable resource. While at Wheaton College he was relentless when it came to redeeming his time. (Eph 5:16) His biographer writes, “He had lists of people to pray for, a list for each day of the week, and if time alone in his room was limited, he prayed as he walked up to breakfast on campus, or as he stood in line at the dinner hall. An odd moment here and there in the day was given to prayer for those names, or to memorization of the Bible verses, which he carried, written on small cards in his pocket. And when it came to living a life that is distinctly different than typical life driven by acquiring the American Dream…there is need to give you just one quote from his journal, God, preserve me from living a life which conforms to the general pattern.” Enough said.
o Recognize that God-appointed missionaries don’t wait to get oversees to become missionaries
Often times, we only hear of this man’s martyrdom at the beach in Ecuador. However, Jim Elliot was a ministering machine while in college. Everything from weekends to summer breaks were spent ministering the Gospel to people. He also did not wait to set sail for the South American to do cross-cultural missions. His first short-term missions trip was he and a buddy hitchhiking to Mexico on their summer break from school. His time at Wheaton was spent in preparation for his calling to the mission field, but also there was time devoted to ministry.
o Feel the burden that many are without the Gospel and will stay that way until someone packs their bags and boards a plane with a one-way plane ticket
One of my favorite quotes by Elliot was, “Our young men are going into professional fields because they don’t ‘feel called’ to the mission field. We don’t need a call; we need a KICK IN THE PANTS!” He understood the command of Christ to “make disciples of all nations” was not ambiguous and was actually directed to him. In the journal found on the beach where he was martyred was written-
+1700 languages have not a word of the Bible translated.
+90% of those who volunteer for the mission field never get there. It takes more than Lord, I’m wiling.
+64% of the World have never heard of Christ.
+5000 people die every hour.
+The population of India equals that of North America, Africa, and South America combined. There is 1 missionary for every 71,000 people there.
+There is one Christian worker for every 50,000 people in foreign lands, while there is one to every 500 in United States.
His biographer states, “In view of the unequivocal command of Christ, coupled with these staggering facts, Jim believed that if he stayed in the United States the burden of proof would lie with him to show that he was justified in doing.”
o Embrace the reality that reaching the unreached will involve radical sacrifice and radical rewards.
Sacrifice is not optional for those who take the Gospel to the unreached. Primarily, because most of the unreached people groups do not want you or your Gospel to come to them. I remember hearing John Piper say, “If it were easy, it would have already been accomplished. Frontier Missions always involves great sacrifice.” (somewhat of an accurate quote) Also, understand that Jim Elliot’s sacrifice was not simply for sacrifice sake. It was for an eternal reward. Jim Elliot’s life and his death reveal that he had embraced this truth. You don’t live the way he did, continual denial of self, without a great understanding of the reward of heaven. One philosopher has rightly concluded that all we that we do, even something as horrendous as suicide, we do in pursuit of our own happiness. Jim Elliot was convinced that true happiness was not found in this world, but found in serving Christ and ultimately experiencing His presence for all eternity. For that reason, he chose to take the Gospel to those who would murder him.
