“I
have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in
danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from
Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at
sea; and in danger from false brothers” (2 Corinthians 11:26).
Last fall we visited with a missionary family who serve in a closed
country. The other day I received an email concerning their ministry
that immediately caught my attention. You will understand as you read it why I have
removed any identifying information.
Generally speaking we have lived and served the Lord in relatively safe
places. In the small town we lived in northern Pennsylvania there was
very little crime at the time and we recall that ruffians turning some
garbage cans over made news on the police blotter in the small town
newspaper!
My most dangerous memory was when I went on a weekend mission trip with a
group of college students to inner city Saint Louis. Late at night we
visited a mental hospital and decided to walk the ten blocks back to the
rescue mission where we were staying. We received a stern chewing out
from the director stating we should never have been out in those dangerous streets at night.
But there are those like the family mentioned above who regularly work
in dangerous areas and many have given their lives for the sake of the
Gospel.
Chet
Bitterman was a Lancaster Countian who was one year older than me. Like Brooksyne and me he
prepared for ministry in a Bible College (Columbia Bible College in
South Carolina). He was called to work with Wycliffe Bible Translators
and moved with his wife and two children to Columbia in 1979. In early
1981 he was kidnapped and later murdered by M-19 guerrillas.
We
sang a song during those spiritually formative years called “Jesus Use
Me” which has a line, “I’ll follow Thee though death should come my
way”.
Since it was a popular song during our Bible School days Chet probably
sang it as well. Before leaving for Columbia he wrote, “I find the
recurring thought that perhaps God will call me to be martyred for Him
in His service in Columbia. I am willing.”
Today let us examine a specific verse of another follower of Christ willing to face danger
and die for the sake of the Gospel. The apostle Paul chronicles his
experience in serving God in 2 Corinthians 11. The daily verse recounts
a sampling of the various dangers that Paul faced. In some cases we can
look back in the narrative of the book of Acts and see these dangers,
in other cases he is drawing from experiences he had that are not in
the Scripture record.
on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits,
in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in
the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger
from false brothers” (2 Corinthians 11:26).
“I have been:
- “constantly on the move” This
is easy to observe in the Acts account. The longest he appeared to stay
anywhere was in Corinth of 18 months until the very end of the book
where we read, “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented
house and welcomed all who came to see him” (Acts 28:30). - “in danger from rivers”
We take for granted crossing rivers when we travel, as we cross many
bridges. We regularly cross long bridges over the Susquehanna River, but
river crossings were very dangerous in the ancient world. - “in danger from bandits” One
of the worst dangers
of travel in the ancient world were muggers ready to rob isolated
travelers in the middle of nowhere. Large groups of robbers often
controlled the open areas between towns. They often attacked and killed
people. Jesus’ description of such an attack* would have been very
familiar to everyone as Jesus illustrated in the parable
of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. - “in danger from my own countrymen” This seems to mean the opposition Paul faced from those who had a Jewish background such as in Pisidian Antioch in Acts 13.
- “in danger from Gentiles” The opposition Paul faced from those who had a non-Jewish background such as at Philippi in Acts 16.
- “in danger in
the city” Paul
experienced many hostile mobs in several cities where he preached such
as in Acts 14:19 when Paul and Barnabas were in Lystra. “Then
some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They
stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But
after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back
into the city.“ - “in danger in the country” In his travels, Paul spent many dangerous days and nights in the country
- “in danger at sea” This famous and dramatic account was recorded in Acts 27.
- “and in danger
from false brothers” Paul
had the danger of those who said they were brothers and his friends,
but were false brethren instead such as in 2 Timothy 4:14.
Today consider the
sacrificial service of those who serve God on the front lines in
dangerous territory such as “closed” countries, terrorism,
and disease-ridden areas, where there are hostile, false religious systems,
etc. They deserve our highest respect and need our fervent prayers. We thank God for their highly dedicated service!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
