Author:James (Steve) Clay, MABC, LPC
My life has been significantly impacted by the life of Elisabeth Elliott, who only this past year came into the presence of the dear Jesus to whom she gave her entire life. A major piece of her life was her relationship to her former husband, now deceased, Jim Elliott, who, along with four other missionary men, obeyed the compelling call of God to share Christ with a primative tribe of people in a remote jungle in Equador. These faithful men paid the ultimate price with their lives. Later, Elisabeth, along with Rachel Saint, the sister of one of the other slain men, Nate Saint, returned to the same tribe of people. God, through their obedience, granted repentance to many of the tribe of the Huaorani indians. The story is recorded in Elisabeth's books, Shadow of the Almighty and Through Gates of Splendor, the latter of which was made into an inspiring and convicting movie by the same title. Later Steve Saint, the son of Nate Saint, produced a follow up movie, Beyond The Gates of Splendor, chronicling the lives of those of the tribe who were converted to Christ. One of those converts was the killer of five missionaries. These true accounts of the grace of God working the the lives of unlikely converts is a testimony of His power to save. And, perhaps most importantly, these are testimonies of the power of God in forgiveness and the impact of the choices of people to forgive one another.
This year marks the 60th year since the death of these brave and faithful missionaries. The Gospel Coalition has commemorated this anniversary in a recent blog, THEY WERE NO FOOLS: 60 YEARS AGO TODAY—THE MARTYRDOM OF JIM ELLIOT AND FOUR OTHER MISSIONARIES, that is worthy of all our reading. This story is one which gives us all a since of living by faith, out of a clear since of calling, by faith, doing what seems impossible, and seeing the God of grace and power doing what only He can do.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Jim Elliott