SeanOKelly.us

Well  I didn’t cheat and look ahead to the next day yesterday, but it turns out day 15 was in two parts.  This makes sense as I wasn’t all that impressed or challenged with the first half of yesterday’s reading.  Uh, part two took care of that.  The most challenging reading yet, and I have shivers running through my body.

This may be a long post since it was a few extra pages of reading, and a whole lot of amazing challenges.

“There are three martyrdoms, or three ways we can bear witness to Christ, three ways we can live dead.”

The Red Martyrdom:

There was just so much good stuff under this section.  As I was listening, the song “Nothing but the Blood” came on iTunes.  Perfect!  The key question raised was “Where are you going, Lord?”  People have followed Jesus all over the world, but will we still follow Him if He’s leading us into death?  The book made an amazing point sharing a story from the mid 1800s.

Two missionaries went to present day Vanuatu, and were cannibalized immediately.  Twelve years later a man named Patton felt the call of God to go to Vanuatu, upon hearing this, and elderly man named Dixon told him he couldn’t go, because he would be eaten by cannibals.  Patton’s reply was amazing:

“Mr. Dixon, your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms.  What does it matter then if you are eaten by worms and I by cannibals?  For in the day of resurrection, mine will be much more glorious!”

Should it really be that scary to die for Jesus (if He calls us to do that)?  We’re all going to end up in the ground at some point, why not go in a glorious fashion!  Dying for Jesus is normal, just not here in the States where we have a comfortable christianity.  We don’t truly know what it means to suffer for the name of Jesus.

The most powerful quote of the morning though came from Martin Luther King Jr.  He said, “We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering.  But be ye assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer. One day we shall win freedom but not only for ourselves.  We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory.”

I get down sometimes when people make negative remarks, or jest about being a christian.  This puts a whole new flavor on suffering for Jesus.  If the worst suffering I have to endure for being a Christian in the US is verbal abuse, then I want to put myself out there so much that people are so worn down from persecuting my faith that eventually they are won.  What an exciting prospect!

The Green Martyrdom:

Centrally focused on St. Patrick, and his missionary work to the Celts in Ireland, Green Martyrdom isn’t giving your life, but laying it down for one another.  The Irish used community to reach others.  They adopted people into their fold before they asked them to make a life changing Christ commitment.  They shared life with them, then they shared Jesus with them.

I don’t feel like we have that down very well in the United States.  Churches establish a community within themselves, but national figures show hey must not be connecting with the communities they are part of because more churches close every day then open.  In the book “They Like Jesus but not the Church” I remember thinking that it’s safer for churches, and new believers to move into the “Christian bubble” where there is a new culture.  But that locks people into walls, and they eventually stay inside, never venturing out to the people who are in need of hearing about the greatness of Jesus.

I see the Green Martyrdom as addressing the issue of church culture.  Dying to self, and putting others first; welcoming others into your life before they make a decision for Jesus.  We all want the things we want; are we willing to lay those wants down so that we can connect to, and reach people who desperately need Jesus?  I don’t know if I’m even there, but I know that’s where I’m heading.

The Green Martyrdom is dieing to your own opinions and views; putting your will to death, and living for the greater common good (in a not socialism kind of way 🙂

The White Martyrdom

The White Martyrdom is going.  Leaving the comfortable confines of home, and going to where Jesus calls people to reach those who need to hear.  The last 12 months have been the most amazing in a sense for me.  At some point in my life, I feel like our family will go, leave the amazing comfort of the United States, and live in a country we are not from.  Until that day comes, I get to practice.  Going on short term missions trips is the best!  Taking students and seeing their lives changed is the best!  They pay me to do this!

If you aren’t sensing excitement, go back and re-read those last few statements again with excitement.  Last year in Fiji we had 4 people come home feeling God’s call to missions overseas.  Getting out there, serving and telling people about Jesus in places that haven’t heard is such a blessing to be part of.  God let’s us do that!  He could send angels, He could just appear and tell people everywhere, but instead He calls us to go and share.

This summer Amanda and I are taking a group that I’ll be leading to Africa.  Amanda always said she would never go, but God changes the fears we have into amazing testimonies and that’s what we’ll be coming back with.  We started off with just me, thinking maybe only one student would get to come.  Then we added Amanda.  Then, people just started signing up.  Our team is now at 11, with several others from other churches coming with us.

I get to lead a team into a country that has been devastated by Aids.  Orphans abound.  Sickness abound.  Hopelessness and witchcraft and ancestral worship abound.  But in the midst of all that, we GET to go and serve and share the love of Jesus with people who have no hope.  We GET to spend money; to sacrifice our own things and our own time so that we can go.  I’m so proud that we have people willing to sacrifice and go.

I don’t know how this tuned into a sales pitch, but you can be part of our trip to Swaziland too.  You can be part of the medical clinics, the school assemblies, the tutoring, the orphanage work.  You can pray.  Pray that God moves, that God saves, that God heals, that God protects, that God leads, that God delivers hope to people who desperately need it.  My hope sermon is already written, and I’m excited to share it in a fourth country.  You can also be part of our trip by giving.  One dollar, one thousand dollars, more or less, the amount doesn’t matter.  But if you want to give so that our team can go, please let me know.  You can comment on here, you can facebook or tweet at me, or you can email me.  Let’s partner together to accomplish the White Martyrdom this summer, and beyond that too.

I’m excited to live dead, and to follow Jesus wherever he leads.  Join me!