Tuesday, February 17, 2015

The 21 and John and Betty Stam

I don’t know about you, but I have a bad habit of keeping my prayers and my focus on myself and the issues and the problems that immediately arise in my life. Lately there has been much that I have allowed to bring anxiety into my life instead of resting in God’s sovereign goodness. However, yesterday’s news of 21 of my brother’s in Christ killed for their faith in Christ opened my eyes to my own self-centered shallowness. With that I mind I want to draw our attention away from ourselves for a bit and look out at the wider world of Christianity and church history.

Unfortunately the tragic events of the 21 Christians who were martyred yesterday is nothing new. This type of thing has been happening on a fairly regular basis for the last 2000 years of church history. As I read about that horrific event I found myself thinking about a couple that was martyred for their commitment to the gospel as well. I’m sure their story is much different from the 21 yesterday, but in many ways it’s the same. The most important way it’s the same is, as Dr. Moore put it on twitter, “When the Book of Revelation speaks of those beheaded by evildoers, it speaks of the martyrs not a victims but as overcomers.” Allow their story to open your eyes to things and problems outside of your immediate context. No doubt, we all have somewhat major issues and problems in our lives currently—but at the same time we have to realize that we are incredibly blessed—if for no other reason than the fact that we are not under the threat of death for being a Christian.

What follows is a brief account of the final days of the lives of John and Betty Stam as recorded in Daniel Akin’s book 10 Who Changed the World. They were missionaries in China who were martyred at the tender ages of 28 (Betty) and 27 (John). Allow their story to open your eyes to your blessings, and also to test and encourage your faith. 
Betty was bathing three-month-old Helen when Tsingteh’s city magistrate appeared. Communist forces were near, he warned, and urged the Stams to flee. But before the Stams could make their break, the Communists were inside the city. Communist bandits quickly came pounding at their door. John opened it and spoke courteously to the four leaders who entered, asking them if they were hungry. Betty brought them tea and cakes. The courtesy, however, meant nothing. They demanded all the money the Stams had, and John willingly handed it over. John was then bound and led away. Before long, the bandits reappeared, taking Betty and Helen.

That night John was allowed to write a letter to mission authorities, “My wife, baby and myself are today in the hands of the Communists in the city of Tsingteh. Their demand is twenty thousand dollars for our release. The Lord bless and guide you. As for us, may God be glorified, whether by life or by death.” The letter was not received until after their murder. Prisoners in the local jail were released to make room for the Stams.

At one point frightened by rifle fire, little Helen began to cry. One of the Communist rebels said, “Let’s kill the baby. It is in our way.” A bystander asked, “Why kill her? What harm has she done?” “Are you a Christian?” shouted one of the guards. The man said he was not but that he was one of the prisoners just released. “Will you die for this foreign baby?” they asked. As Betty hugged Helen to her chest, the man was hacked to pieces before all of their eyes. The next morning their captors led the Stams toward Miaosheo on a twelve mile march. Under guard, the entire Stam’s family was taken into a postmaster’s shop. “Where are you going?” asked the postmaster, who recognized them from their previous visits to his town. “We do not know where they are going, but we are going to heaven,” answered John.

That night the three were held in the house of a wealthy man who had fled. They were carefully guarded by soldiers. John was tied to a post all that cold night, but Betty was allowed enough freedom to tend to the baby. As it turned out, she did more than that.
The next morning the young couple was led through town without the baby. Their hands were tightly bound, and they were stripped of their outer garments as if they were common criminals. John walked barefoot. He had given his socks to Betty. The soldiers jeered and called the town’s folk to come see the execution. The terrified people obeyed.

On the way to the execution, a medicine-seller, considered a lukewarm Christian at best, stepped from the crowd and pleaded for the lives of the two foreigners. The Communist bandits angrily ordered him back. The man, however, would not be quiet. His house was searched, a Bible and hymnbook found, and he also was dragged away to be executed as a hated and despised Christian. John pleaded for the man’s life. The bandit’s leader sharply ordered him to kneel.

As John was speaking softly, the Communist leader swung his sword through the missionary’s throat so that his head was severed from his body. Betty did not scream. She quivered and fell bound beside her husband’s body. As she knelt there, the same sword ended her life with a single blow.

For two days, local Christians huddled in hiding in the hills around Miaosheo. Among them was a Chinese evangelist named Mr. Lo. Through informants, he learned that the Communists had captured two foreigners. At first he did not realize that it was John and Betty Stam. As soon as government troops entered the valley and it was safe to venture forth, Mr. Lo hurried to town. An old woman told Pastor Lo that a small baby had been left behind. She pointed in the direction of the house where John and Betty had been chained their last night on earth. Pastor Lo hurried to the site and found room after room trashed by the bandits. Then he heard a muffled cry.

Tucked by her mother in a little sleeping bag, Helen was warm and alive, although hungry after her two day fast. The kindly pastor took the child in his arms and carried her to his wife. With the help of a local Christian family, he wrapped the bodies that still lay upon the hillside and placed them into coffins. To the crowd that gathered he explained that the missionaries had only come to tell them how they might find forgiveness of sin in Jesus Christ. Leaving others to bury the dead, he hurried home. Somehow Helen had to be carried to safety.

Pastor Lo had to find a way to move the children a hundred miles through mountains infested by bandits and Communists. Brave men were found who were willing to help bear the children to safety, but there was no money to pay them for their efforts. Lo had been robbed of everything he had. But from beyond the grave, Betty had provided. Tucked in Helen’s sleeping bag were a change of clothes and some diapers. Pinned between these articles of clothing were two five-dollar bills. It made the difference. Placing the children in rice baskets slung from the two ends of a bamboo pole, the group departed quietly, taking turns carrying the precious cargo over their shoulders. Mrs. Lo was able to find Chinese mothers along the way to nurse Helen.

Eight days after the Stams died in Communist hands, another missionary in a nearby city heard a knock at his door. He opened it and a Chinese woman, stained with travel, entered the house, bearing a bundle in her arms. “This is all we have left,” she said brokenly.
Helen Pricilla Stam was three months old when her parents were killed in China, but by God’s grace she had survived. She was brought to the United States and was cared for by her maternal grandparents, who had also been missionaries in China, until she was five years old. She then was adopted by her mother’s sister and her husband who were missionaries in the Philippines. She grew up in the Philippines and returned to the United States for college, after which she was involved in student work for her denomination. A small group of Christians took the bodies of John and Betty Stam and buried them on a hillside.

 Their gravestones read:
John Cornelius Stam, January 18, 1907, “That Christ may be glorified whether by life or death.” Philippians 1:20.
Elizabeth Scott Stam, February 22, 1906, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21.
A short time before his and his wife’s death, John Stam wrote his father informing him of the growing dangers they faced. In the letter he copied these verses that, though written by another, well expressed his and his wife's heart…
Afraid?
Afraid? Of What?
To feel the spirit's glad release?
To pass from pain to perfect peace,
The strife and strain of life to cease?
Afraid—of that?

Afraid? Of what?
Afraid to see the Savior’s face,
To hear His welcome, and to trace
The glory gleam from wounds of grace?
Afraid—of that?

Afraid? Of What?
A flash—a crash—a pierced heart;
Darkness—Light—O Heaven’s art?
A wound of His a counterpart!
Afraid—of that?

Afraid? Of What?
To do by death what life could not—
Baptize with blood a stony plot,
Till souls shall blossom from the spot?
Afraid—of that?

~ This was written by Presbyterian missionary E.H. Hamilton following the recent martyrdom of one of his colleagues, J.W. Vinson, at the hands of rebel soldiers in northern China. A small Chinese girl who escaped from the bandits related the incident that provided the inspiration for Hamilton’s poem. “Are you afraid?” the bandits asked Vinson as they menacingly waved a gun in front of him.
“No,” he replied with complete assurance. “If you shoot, I go straight to heaven.”
His decapitated body was found later.

“Oh precious Lord Jesus, be gracious to us and bless us and make your face shine upon us, that your way may be known on the earth, your saving power among all nations! Help us to love you more than we fear man and what he might do to us. Bless us as you blessed John and Betty Stam, if it be your will.”
~ Danny Akin

Matthew 10:28
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Philippians 1:20-21
20 ...it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Philippians 3:7-11
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith- 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

May we get our eyes off of ourselves and put them onto the purposes of the gospel. May we pray, give, send, and go—for the salvation of the lost, even the lost who are behind such horrific scenes—for they are sinners in need of grace just as we were and still are. And may we do all this for the fame of Jesus among all peoples. May the Lamb of God receive the reward for His suffering. 

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Giving Up On Nationalism And Embracing A Missionary Identity

America

Republic: a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.
Democracy: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. (Definitions from dictionary.com)

Lincoln described this idea of government well when He said, “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish…” Whether or not it perishes remains to be seen, but for our purposes today I want to elaborate a little bit on the main thrust of a democratic republic. It is by the people. This means that the country (in a corporate sense) will always be a representation of the people. With that said, we should not be surprised as Christians that the USA is not as Christian as it once was; though one could argue that it was never that Christian to begin with (I just recently learned that when the U. S. was founded only 10% of Americans attended church—not to mention issues such as slavery and the like that were thriving in the early days of the USA).  

America is a nation made up of people from all walks of life from all around the world. That is part of the beauty of being the land of the free, we have freedom of religion and certain rights that are given to our citizens, and even resident aliens for that matter; and so people have immigrated here for years in hopes of a better-freer life. I heard a missionary recently note that though we must have a heart for getting the gospel to the nations in order to be faithful to the Great Commission, one can’t help but notice that in a very real sense the nations are coming to us, so we must also engage them on our own turf. And we know this to be true, that’s why immigration is such a hot button issue in America right now.

Now, if people from all walks of life from all around the world have been immigrating here over the years, including the founding fathers of this country, then it really should be no surprise that America has become such a hotbed for so many religions, atheism, secularism, and many other things and beliefs. Our founding documents promise freedom to practice such things (and this is a really good thing because it gives us the freedom to make disciples among other things). And because we are a democracy the government will always be a representation of the people. So if we are a people made up of numerous religions, atheism, secularism, and so much more, why should we be surprised that the USA is not as Christian as it once was?

Regardless of what you think the USA was, it certainly cannot be labeled a Christian nation now (I would note however that Jesus died to save people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, not for a nation. Part of the beauty of the church is that it is made up of all nations.). A Christian nation can really only be accomplished by force (I’m thinking of Christian nation here in the sense of Constantine or the later Crusades); though any Christian worth his salt knows that no one can be forced to become a Christian by man. One must be born again to truly become a Christian. So, having a Christian nation should not be our concern; however, what we should be after is having a nation full of Christians (as well as a world full of Christians).

These days in Christian circles I often here people bemoaning the secularization of the USA, but if we’re honest I think we’d have to say that what we are experiencing is more of a pluralization than a secularization. And while I never want to celebrate sin, I do think we have much to celebrate. Though I strongly advocate world missions, one can’t help but see that our own neighborhoods have truly become mission fields, with peoples from all around the world, who believe all sorts of things living within walking distance from our homes. So instead of longing for a Christian nation why not walk in glad submission to Christ’s commands and be about the work of making disciples? For that is our only hope of having a nation full of Christians, and that is far better than a Christian nation.

Strangers and Exiles

No doubt, it is becoming increasingly unpopular to be Christian in the USA, but that has by and large been the state of affairs for Christians throughout church history. This is why Peter says that we-the church are elect exiles and sojourners in this world (1 Peter 1:1, 2:11). The author of Hebrews says we are strangers and exiles, for here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come (Hebrews 11:13, 13:14). Jesus Himself said that though we are in the world we are not of the world just as He is not of the world (John 17:16). So, there will always be a sense in which we are strange because we are strangers in this world, until Christ returns and fixes this broken world. And as strangers we should not be surprised that we are not always welcomed in this world.

And along with that, though we should always seek to make as many disciples out of the world around us as we can, we should expect to be the minority in this world. Jesus said, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14). In Matthew 13 Jesus tells a parable about four different soils that seed was sowed on. The soils represent people and the seed represents the gospel. Of all the seed that was sowed only one soil received the seed and produced grain. In other words only one out of the four people who heard the gospel received it rightly. This illustrates the truth of the narrow gate. In this in-between time, while we are waiting on the return of Christ, Christians will be the minority, and as such we should not be surprised when the majority does not think like we do, act like we do, or the like.

Missionary Identity

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a conference at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas. The main idea of the conference was that, though there is certainly an aspect of the church that is established in this world—because we are in this world, by and large the identity of the church is that of a missionary. The theme throughout the conference was that we have to re-embrace our missionary identity as a church. Think about that for a moment; a missionary is someone who willingly lays down their comforts, their rights, their conveniences and goes out into the land of the lost, into exile with the gospel to see the lost saved and disciples made. A missionary willingly pours out their life for the fame of Christ among people who might never have heard of Christ if not for their willingness to suffer for the cause of the gospel. This is what the men in this conference were calling the church back to; to embrace that identity.

Please, don’t misunderstand me, politics and public policy are important, but we should not expect too much out of a system of this broken world, and we can not lose sight of what’s most important. If we truly desire this nation to become more Christian then there has to be more Christians in it. And that will only happen when we embrace our missionary identity and begin making disciples of all peoples. But even then, we should expect to be the minority. That being the case our focus should be on the Great Commission not establishing (or reclaiming) a great nation.

Conclusion

After explaining to the church that they are strangers and exiles in this world Peter says, “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). So, let’s not be a people who grumble and reminisce about the good old days when stores were closed on Sunday and little league teams didn’t practice on Wednesday night. Let’s be a people who joyfully pour out our lives for the fame of Jesus among all peoples; for that is the only hope of this nation and the rest of the world. God’s people armed with God’s gospel are what will bring lasting change in this world. May we count the cost and walk in glad submission to Christ’s commands, proclaiming His excellencies among all peoples.