14 January 2007
Still weary from jet lag, I was up at 3 a.m. this morning, and looking through my notes from recent days. I was quieted by a simple slip of paper in my speaking notebook. As I unfolded the note, I marveled at the short nature of the note, and yet the profound impact it has had on me. Scribbled on the top of the page were two words: “Martyr’s Oath.”
I am unsure where I came across this oath. Such oaths are common in the lands of my people, where Christians face death on a regular basis. In the past few years, versions of it have appeared in Persian and Arab countries, usually scrawled in hurried handwriting. It is not uncommon to hear of Christians even incorporating it in their wedding vows, as they begin their lives together as evangelists and church planters in lands where conversion to Jesus as Lord is a capital offense.
I do know that part of this oath is similar to the one taken in India, by graduating students of the Bible Institute run by Samuel Thomas, one of our modern Christian heroes. At that amazing school, a student must take this vow publicly during the commencement, or they will not recieve their diploma. At the climax of the ceremony, these graduates rise to their feet, raise their hand, and repeat similar words to these:
TODAY, I stand as a dead man. I declare that in Jesus Christ, I am saved by His blood, and thus I am dead to sin, and no longer dead in my sin.
TODAY, I stand and declare that I surrender my will and my life, to His will and His life.
I shall go where He sends me, without asking questions.
I shall go to whomever He sends me, without seeking fame.
I shall preach to everyone, even if they hate me.
I am an Ambassador of the Cross, and must deliver the Message.
I shall pour my life out to reach my family, my friends, my neighbors, and my city.
I embrace the shame of the Cross, and I fear nothing but God.
I welcome suffering, shame, persecution, beatings, imprisonment and death, but I will not be silenced.
If I am killed, I pray that my blood should be a harvest for souls.
This is my city. I dare not do less.
When I recently read this oath to the thousands of students in attendance at the Xtreme and Winterfest Winter Conferences, you could barely hear a pin drop, and for good reason. The ramifications of such a vow are sobering. And yet the consequences of not reaching the entire world for which Christ died are equally sobering- according to Ezekiel, blood will be on our hands.
One of the first degrees we initiated at Liberty Seminary was the Master of Arts in Cross-Cultural Studies and Missions (see http://www.liberty.edu/academics/religion/seminary/index.cfm?PID=12792). It is a 36-hour Masters degree, specifically designed for the Christian willing to go anywhere, to do anything, and to reach anyone with the precious Gospel of Christ. It is not for the queasy, or for the half-hearted and comfortable. It is for those who are called, and strive for, absolute surrender to the will and work of God.
At Samuel Thomas’ school in India, following their being graduated, each student is given three items, and only three items.. We would all do well to emulate their committment. As they walk across the stage and recieve their diploma following their oath, each graduate takes into his possession: a new Bible, a new bicycle…and a one-way train ticket to their field of service.
They have no “Plan B.”
I encourage you to do the same. Find a great Seminary or Bible college, and begin your preparation. There are many great Bible-believing and evangelical schools, where you can get connected quickly in the mission work. Feel free to contact Liberty Theological Seminary for more information, if you feel led (434.592.4163). But above all, pray daily for those who serve on the razor’s edge of danger, rescuing the perishing.
