Holocaust

Heroes of the Faith

Philippians 4:8 -“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

During these times of uncertainty, when it’s hard to find a lot of things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, or praiseworthy (except for Jesus Christ and the Word of God), I have found that “heroes of the faith” biographies and autobiographies are very positive and encouraging reading material. Of Course, some of the best heroes of the faith are found in the Bible, like Daniel, David, Samuel, Esther, the Apostle Paul, etc.

First, begin by brainstorming who some of your own heroes of the faith are. After you come up with a list of them, check your bookshelves to see which of your heroes that you own books about. If you don’t own books about any of them, you can always see if you can find some on your kindle, borrow some of them from a friend (do you have any friends who have been homeschooling their children for very long? They are apt to have some), or it would be worth it to order a couple of them from Thrift Books or another book company. It’s worth it to read fascinating stories about ordinary people who God used in extraordinary ways. Thinking on these things is faith-building, since it helps us to realize that God has a special plan and purpose for all of “His children”.

Most of my heroes are missionaries, since I have always loved stories of people who gave up their worldly comforts to go to faraway places where many of the people have either never had the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, or the good news has been lost or forgotten through the years due to sin. Well, when you think of it, all Christians are supposed to be “missionaries” anyway wherever we are.

The following is a list of my top ten heroes of the faith, and a very short summary of their life:

George Mueller, who had been a rebel and thief during the first part of his life, later founded and ran orphanages for homeless children in London during the 1800’s. He believed the promises of the Bible, and saw God provide the many things needed to care for the many children in answer to prayer.

Hudson Taylor was a medical missionary to China, who had heard how God provided miraculously for George Mueller’s ministry, and he, too, decided to trust God for all his provisions. He chose to live a very simple life like the people that he was ministering to, and founded China Inland Missons.

Amy Carmichael was a missionary to India in the 1800’s who saved many little girls from the abuse of being “temple girls” dedicated to Hindu gods.

Corrie Ten Boom and her family hid Jews during the WWll Holocaust, helping them to escape the ovens of the concentration camps. She and some of her family members were eventually caught and sent to the camps themselves. After the war ended, she travelled around the world sharing her triumphant testimony.

John Bunyan was imprisoned for his faith in the 1600’s for preaching without a license. During his 12 or so years in prison, he wrote the famous classic, Pilgrim’s Progress.

William Tyndale risked his life during the 1500’s to translate the Bible into English, so that even the common people could read it. In many places at that time, it was only written and read in Latin by the clergy.

Harriet Tubman, nicknamed “Moses”, escaped from slavery in the South, and then returned time and again to the South to rescue over 300 other slaves, helping them get to the North where they were free.

Mary Slessor was a missionary to Africa in the 1800’s, who courageously faced all kinds of dangers while sharing the gospel. One of her greatest achievements was helping to stop the killing of twin babies, which was due to a held superstition of the people with whom she worked.

Originally from one of the indigenous tribal groups in India, Rochunga Pudaite had the privilege and hard work of translating the Bible into the language of his people. The movie, Beyond the Next Mountain, tells the story of his life.

David Wilkerson was a small-town preacher who believed in a big God. He went to NYC in the late 1950’s to share Christ with young people who were caught up in gangs, crime, and drugs. He founded Teen Challenge, which later became World Challenge. Nicki Cruz was one of the gang members that came to the Lord through David Wilkerson’s work there. (The Cross and the Switchblade and Run Baby Run are two great books about them).

I feel so privileged to have personally met two of my “heroes”- Rochunga Pudaite and David Wilkerson. At the time that I am writing this blog post, I am rereading The Cross and the Switchblade, and praying that God will lead me to minister to others in a similar way.

Without a Vision

“Without a vision” sometimes has been understood to mean that if you don’t have direction or goals in life, your life lacks meaning. A lack of meaning and real purpose can make a person feel so empty that they think life isn’t worth living. The lack of vision or purpose, combined with the theory of evolution that seems to be pushed in educational institutions these days, makes one wonder about the meaning of their existence. Questions like “Who am I? Where am I going? & What is my purpose? are commonly asked, but often poorly answered.

Man’s Search for Meaning, by Victor Frankl, was required reading when I was in college. I will simply summarize what I remember about the book. During the Holocaust,
Victor Frankl discovered that people who focused on purpose during their time in a concentration camp seemed to be the ones who survived. Anne Frank’s father is a good example of this. I read that he survived the camp by telling himself that he had to stay alive to find his family after the war.

Having a reason to live is something we all want. The increased number of suicides in recent years should make us realize that finding purpose is very important. It’s a good idea to set goals for yourself in this, and even for your family as a whole. Each member of the family can set specific goals for themselves, too. Everyone can set goals in the following areas of their life: Spiritual growth goals (growing in the Lord is most important), physical, intellectual, and even social ones. Each person needs someone who will help keep them accountable to these goals. You don’t want just another failed “New Year’s” resolution.

Then, you also need to ask God what specific purposes He has for your life. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are His workmanship created for good works in Christ, and 2 Timothy 1:9 also tells us that God has saved us and called us with a holy calling according to His own purpose. The closer our walk with Him, the more apt we are to hear and discern what that purpose is. There are so many voices competing for our attention. They often drown out the “still small voice of God”. To hear his voice more clearly, step away from your busy-ness, disconnect or turn off the noise around you, and quiet your heart before Him. Then perhaps when He does speak, you will recognize His voice and be able to respond like Samuel did, “Speak, for your servant hears”.

Now, it’s very important to see the actual meaning of that verse as it was written in Hebrew. KJV-Proverbs 29:18 says, “Without a vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he”. In the NIV and NKJV, it is translated, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.”

In the New Defender’s Bible, Henry Morris tells us that the word “vision” here does not refer to farsighted imagination, but to actual divine revelation, and the word “perish” means “open” or “exposed”. When people today reject or ignore the revealed Word of God, they are open and helpless to resist the humanistic and occultic doctrines.

I Samuel 3:1 says, “Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious (rare) in those days; there was no widespread revelation.” The fact that there was no open vision and the word of the Lord was precious indicates that God had not given any direct revelation to His people, as He had in former times.

Psalm 74:9 says “We do not see signs; there is no longer any prophet; Nor is there any among us who knows how long.”

Ezekiel 7:26-”Disaster will come upon disaster, and rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; but the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.”

Thankfully, we have God’s completed revelation in the Bible, both the Old and New Testament. Since the Word of God is without error, if we believe that God is speaking to us about something, we should diligently search the Scriptures to make sure that it is in agreement with God’s Word.

Do you have 2020 vision?