Thoughts About John Allen Chau's Death - Ask Pastor Tim

The Reverend G. N. Gordon and his wife.

"They went to Erromango

on the 20th of May, 1861.

He was working at the roofing

of the printing office,

and sent his lads to bring each a load

of long grass to
finish the roof thatching.

Meantime, a party of Erromangon's

from a district called Bunk Hill

under a chief named Lovou

had been watching him.

They'd been to the
mission house inquiring.

They'd seen him send
away his Christian lads,

so they found him alone.

They then hid in the bush,

sent two of their men to the
missionary to ask for calico.

On a piece of wood, he
wrote a note to Mrs. Gordon

to give them two yards each.

They asked him to go with
them to the mission house

as they needed medicine for a sick boy

and Lovou their chief wanted to see him.

He tied up in a napkin a meal of food

which had been brought
to him, but not eaten,

and started to go with them.

He requested the native Narvalette

to go on before with his companion,

but they insisted upon his going in front.

In crossing a streamlet,

which I visited shortly afterwards,

his foot slipped.

A blow was aimed at him with a tomahawk

which he caught.

The other man struck, but
his weapon was also caught.

One of the tomahawks was then wrenched

out of his grasp.

The next moment, a blow on the spine

laid the dear missionary low.

A second blow on the neck almost severed

the head from the body.

The other natives then
rushed from their ambush,

began dancing around him
with frantic shoutings.

Mrs. Gordon hearing the noise

came out and stood in
front of the mission house

looking at the direction of
her husband's working place

wondering what was happening.

Oben, one of the party who had run

towards the station the
moment that Mr. Gordon fell

now approached her.

A merciful clump of trees
had hid from her eyes

all that had occurred.

And she said to Oben,

"What's the cause of that noise?"

He replied, "Oh nothing,

only the boys amusing themselves."

Saying, "Where are the boys?"

she turned around.

Oben slipped stealthily behind her,

sank his tomahawk into her back,

and with another blow
almost severed her head.

Such was the fate of these two

devoted servants of the Lord,

loving in their lives and in
their deaths not divided,

their spirits wearing the
crowns of martyrdom

entered glory together to be welcomed

by Williams and Harris,

whose blood was shed near the same

now hallowed spot

for the name and cause of Jesus.

They had labored four years on Erromango

amidst trials and dangers manifold,

and had not been without
tokens of blessing

in the Lord's work.

Never more earnest or devoted missionaries

lived and died in the heathen field.

Other accounts indeed have been published

and another was reported to me

by Mr. Gordon's Christian lads."

And he writes this:

"Some severe criticisms of course

were written and published

by those angelic creatures

who judge all things

from their own safe and easy distance."

Everybody ready for this one?

This one was sent to me
Monday, November 26th.

So this is very new.

Because this is a current event -

had John Allen Chau been killed

as of a week ago tonight?

When did that happen?

(from the room)

I think it was like the week before.

Tim: Yeah, it seems
like it was 10 days ago

or a week and a half or so.

But I take it that the question

hadn't been submitted as of last Tuesday.

But this is really the only one

that I want to deal with tonight.

And I think it is definitely worthy

of our conversation for at
least an hour probably.

This was submitted by Tricia Hudson.

She says,

"Hi James, we've been supporters

of your ministry and of your church

for the last three years,

and so appreciate your
labors for the Gospel.

We were wondering if your ministry

and your church could address

the truths and controversies

around the death of John Chau

going viral right now on social media

and the news."

Now, it looks like they submitted this

to James just yesterday

by the date on it.

Now, I personally don't know about this.

I mean, I know about him,

but I don't know about the controversies

around the death of John Chau.

Now, I can understand

and I can imagine what they could be,

but as far as the "going viral right now

on social media and the news" -

I don't know anything about that.

I don't know what people are saying,

although like I say, I can imagine.

"We believe God has used him mightily,

right or wrong in some of his decisions -

in the workings of the Kingdom

because of all the fury and concern

and hatred this has stirred up."

So they see this as a good thing.

And what they're wondering about

is whether our ministry and our church

might address this.

So, she goes on to say this:

"There definitely is controversy

regarding his choice to break the law,

and his method of getting

to the Sentinelese people,

but all eyes are on the
Sentinelese people now

and there is nothing but hatred

for white man and his Christianity

all over the Internet.

Christians are silent on
many YouTube sites

and they're not using
this as an opportunity

to share Christ as far as I've observed."

(From her perspective).

"Over all within the church,

there is some confusion.

Yet, we support missionaries

as they break the law of the land

by going to reach unreachable people

with the Gospel every day

to closed countries.

Can you guys encourage the church

through this event

and its surrounding controversies

with a video?

We would love to hear
Pastor Tim's and your thoughts

and heart on this.

The Lord bless you all.

David and Tricia Hudson, Welches, Oregon."

Now this is an island actually

that is in the Andaman chain,

and I think if I've got my geography right

it's about 700 miles from mainland India.

So it's way out there.

It's like a long way away from India

for it to actually be under India's

sovereign domain.

And our brother actually made a trip

to the Andaman's.

Some of you may remember.

And he definitely was interested

in seeing these people evangelized.

So are any of you familiar

with what's happening on social media

that she's talking about?

Anybody seen anything?

Okay, you have?

What have you seen?

(from the room)

He paid a fisherman to shuttle him...

Tim: No, I mean, aside from the facts

of what he actually did,

are you seeing any of the controversy

she's talking about?

(from the room)

Yeah, I've seen people
making a mockery of him.

I've heard things like (unintelligible)

preach Jesus to these indigenous people,

natives, tribal people.

They kind of make fun of him.

Tim: She's actually talking about

"there's nothing but hatred..."

When you say it like that,

and she's got "nothing" in all caps.

"There is NOTHING but hatred

for white man and his Christianity

all over the Internet."

That makes it sound to me like

she's privy to something.

Now that maybe more in the circles

she's running in.

It may be Facebook people

that she's aware of

and just familiar circles to her.

But that's interesting that
that perspective is out there.

Let me just ask you all personally.

We're going to get to Scripture on this.

But when you folks -

does anybody not even know

who John Allen Chau is?

So you don't know who he is at all?

Okay, the North Sentinel island

is presumably the least reached portion

on the face of the earth.

It is an island that basically

has been left untouched.

And the Indian government wants it so.

And these guys are probably

much like John G. Paton

would have found in his days.

You know, basically a
South Pacific island -

yes, this is in the Indian Ocean,

but it's basically, you know,

when the Europeans came along

to Samoa and Tahiti and Vanuatu

which is the New Hebrides islands,

when they came to these islands -

well, even Hawaii -

what you found is they were met by -

oh, the island of Papua as well -

you basically met with very dark skinned,

South Pacific islanders

that looked like they probably

have come from Africa.

Aboriginal type,

some of them very cannibalistic,

very primitive, very dark societies

on these islands.

And you know, back in the 1800's

when the missionaries were being sent

out all over the world,

these islands were definitely targets.

And you can read about the history there.

But North Sentinel island,

there's a line of islands that runs

north to south out there in that bay

between - if you see the map over there,

you've kind of got the
point that comes down

on India.

And between there and
what drops down there -

Thailand and Malaysia -

between them,

what is that? The Bay of Bengal?

You've got this Andaman chain.

And then like the Nicobar islands

are also in that chain to the south.

Well, towards the bottom

of the Andabar islands,

you've got this North Sentinel.

And basically what the Indian government

has done is said: nobody can go in there.

You can't touch these people.

And the thing about it is

you can look the North Sentinel island up

on the Internet - YouTube search that -

and you will find that they
have made documentaries.

(incomplete thought)

A couple fisherman were washed up there

and they came out and
swiftly killed them both

and they buried them.

Somebody was watching, I guess.

How they knew this was happening,

somebody must have been off shore watching

or helicopters came in or something,

but these two fisherman
kind of washed up there.

They killed them. They buried them.

Then they dug them back up

and basically propped them up.

They tried to send a crew in there

with somebody to make a documentary.

I forget exactly who the group was

that tried to go in there.

And these guys rushed out of the jungle

with their spears and arrows

and they actually put a spear

through the thigh of one
of the guys in the boats.

I don't think they ever made it to land.

After the tsunami several years back

that killed so many in Indonesia,

they sent a helicopter
in there to find out

because that whole island

sits relatively low,

and they were wondering
if anybody made it.

And when they flew the helicopter in there

they were met with a guy on the beach

trying to shoot the helicopter down

with his bow and arrows.

And so they're hostile.

(incomplete thought)

And what happened was -

this is basically the way
you're going to get there -

is you find a fisherman

that will take you there.

Obviously you have to pay him.

And they know it's illegal,

so you probably have
to pay them pretty well.

And he went in there with his kayak.

The fisherman brought him fairly close

and then dropped him in
the water in his kayak,

and he rode to shore.

The fisherman was close enough

and stayed right there and was observing

to see him go up.

They killed him.

They tied a rope around his neck.

They were dragging his body around.

So now they're talking about

whether they even get the body or not.

That's the thing now

they're trying to figure out.

And so, you know the Indian government

say that this is a treasure,

this is a priceless possession.

You know, we've got
this untouched society.

They roughly calculate -

they say that the island is roughly

the size of Manhattan.

They figure there's about 150 people.

That's just a guess at best

because it's covered with jungle

and they really can't see.

They said that when the guys

come up in boats

or they come in helicopters or whatever,

the people break out onto the beaches.

They're very crude.

They do really profane things,

and of course, they try to kill you.

That's just their instinctive reaction

to anybody that comes there

is they try to kill you.

And the Indian government,

they have like a two mile buffer zone

is what I understand,

and people are not allowed to go in there.

They claim they've got
this priceless possession.

They're trying to keep it intact.

They're afraid that if
anybody goes in there,

they're going to take diseases in there

that the people are not accustomed to

and it's going to wipe them all out.

I think they've actually,

like after the tsunami,

I believe that when they
flew that helicopter in there,

they were dropping gifts,

but they say gifts don't
appease these people at all.

They don't care for your gifts.

They will just kill you.

So there's been shipwrecks there.

They said that a ship wrecked there

in a storm a number of years ago

and they were trying to
attack those people too.

I think they were rescued.

I don't know if by boat or by air.

But they needed to be rescued

because the people were obviously

showing themselves to be very hostile.

So, this guy is a Christian.

He's been thinking about

North Sentinel island for a long time.

It definitely has a reputation.

I've known about it for a number of years.

I think he might have been the one

that first brought it to my attention

about it being unreached,

and he was actually thinking about

is there a way.

So that's to bring you folks up to speed,

those of you that have never heard of him,

that's what's happened.

Now for those of you that do know

about the account,

how did you respond when you heard?

Did you just not care?

Did you think, well, that idiot,

why did he do that?

Those of you that do know...

now did you not know and you did know?

(unintelligible)

Okay.

But what were the thoughts?

Did you have any thoughts

about him doing that?

(from the room)

I thought, wow, praise the Lord,

someone actually went there.

That was my thought.

It reminded me of Jim Elliot

and the other four.

Yeah, I didn't know much about it,

but it made me think wow,

maybe this will stir
people up in a good way.

Tim: You know the difference

between Jim Elliot and John Allen Chau?

The big difference?

Seventy years.

That's the big difference.

Time makes heroes out of people.

Listen, we look back at Elliot

and we say: Wow!

All the books are written,

the movies are made.

He's a hero.

The five martyrs.

But you know when he was first

looking to go down there,

people were trying to persuade him

not to go down there.

This isn't a good idea.

You're too gifted for this.

You need to stay here.

These guys down there,

they were quite gifted young men.

People were saying don't
throw your gifts away.

Don't go to these primitive people.

Look, when it's in your day -

it's kind of like the prophet.

He's honored everywhere but where?

Right, his own hometown.

And that's so often,

it's the same kind of principle.

That's more of a geographical,

but the time element is relevant as well.

Because it's kind of like
if you can remove him

to another century,

then all of a sudden, he's a hero.

But you know if you go back

and you actually look and you read,

when William Carey was thinking about

cutting loose for India -

I heard a brother,

I don't know where he came across this.

I can't remember in my own mind

actually reading this anywhere,

but he read somewhere

where I believe it was
a Baptist periodical

from William Carey's day

and they basically wrote an article

that said we see no hope of success

in William Carey's venture to India.

That's basically the way
they summed it up.

Uh huh. Not going to work.

But what was the issue?

The issue was we know William Carey.

I mean, we know the guy.

For us, it's far removed.

We have the books in our library.

You see, for people to
jump right out and say:

John Chau is a martyr

and put him in the same class,

the same place that we put a Jim Elliot,

people are probably very hesitant

because they're like, well, you know,

was he just foolish?

We see no prospect in any success there.

Didn't he know that if
he went to those beaches,

they were going to come out and kill him?

I mean, come on, there's
never been an exception.

Well, was he really a Christian?

Was he a fanatic?

Was it just some adventure gone bad?

Could the guy have been
climbing Mount Everest last week

and this was just an
adventurous thing to try to do?

What were they saying about
William Carey in that day?

What were they saying about
John G. Paton in his day?

You see, that's the thing.

There's this removal of time.

Listen, I'll tell you this,

we have it on good authority

that every tribe and every language

and every people and every nation

are going to be represented

before the throne.

North Sentinelese people

are going to be there.

Now, when that first convert is saved,

see, by the time that happens,

with that being one of the
darkest places in the world,

who knows?

I mean, hastening the day of His coming

may be reaching that island.

And when the first converts are made,

somebody will probably look back

at John Chau,

and by then, it may be 75 years removed.

It may be like Jim Elliot,

like us looking back.

Remember when that brave guy,

he went up there,

and they just came right
out on the beaches?

He no more than laid foot

on the shore of that island.

See today, you've got all your news media

and most of them are liberal.

And even Fox and your more conservative,

are they really pro-Christian?

I mean, maybe they're going
to give it a better slant.

I don't know what all the news
agencies are saying about it.

But if these folks are right,

what's happening out there?

The guy's being counted a fool.

He's being counted some zealot?

Some white guy bringing his white religion

and trying to press it upon other people

and probably saying he deserved it.

Serves him right.

Well, I went and dug my copy

of John G. out,

(incomplete thought).

John G. Paton went -

it's called Vanuatu today.

This is a string of islands

off the east coast of Australia.

In that day, they were
called the New Hebrides.

The Hebrides are actually some islands

up near Scotland

where revival broke out at another time.

These were the New Hebrides islands.

John G. Paton,

a Scottish Presbyterian.

Listen, "When it became known

that I was preparing to go abroad

as a missionary, nearly all

were dead against the proposal."

Okay, Chau.

You think a lot of people were against it?

By the reaction on social media,

what do you think?

I even remember when a brother

was just looking at going to visit

the Andaman islands,

and there were the naysayers.

You shouldn't go. You shouldn't do it.

He's not equipped.

He's going to bungle this thing.

(incomplete thought)

And you do wonder.

We do want to have some sense,

well, okay, is this God's will?

We don't want to be foolish.

We don't want to be
presumptuous at this point.

But you know, there's always somebody

that's going to believe
you're being presumptuous.

There's always somebody
that's the naysayer.

I guarantee you, Jim Elliot heard it.

I guarantee you that
William Carey heard it.

I guarantee you John G. Paton heard it.

I guarantee you Hudson Taylor -

all you've got to do
is read the biographies.

In their day, when they weren't

the largely acclaimed,

centuries old missionary

who's books are on our shelf,

when it's not that,

when it's the guy that you know,

then people look at him as the prophet

as he's not with honor

right there in his own hometown,

in his own home church,

and among his own generation

where the people know him,
they can look at him,

and they recognize,
well, he's a guy with flaws.

See, we look back now and we say,

well, of course it was God's will

for Hudson Taylor to go to China.

But you see, in his day when he was going,

when he first got on that ship

and was sailing over there,

there weren't big crowds
out there on the shore.

He was kind of going off as a nobody.

He was going off quietly.

It's much the same
way with all these guys.

It's like, well, we don't
give much prospect

of any success for
this missionary endeavor.

"When it became known I was preparing

to go abroad as a missionary,

nearly all were dead
against the proposal."

He said, "...Except Dr. Bates
and my fellow student.

My dear father and mother, however,

when I consulted them
characteristically replied

that they had long since
given me away to the Lord

and in this matter also would
leave me to God's disposal.

From other quarters, we were besieged

with the strongest
opposition on all sides."

And here's the thing,

if he would have gone straight over there

and died setting his foot on that beach,

well, then they would have said:

see, this thing was ill-advised
from the beginning.

See, it's one thing if Chau goes there

and he gets huddled into one of their huts

and he actually survives,

and everybody looks at this like

it's a miracle of God!

He got there and they didn't kill him!

I mean, they kept him.

And he actually got off the island,

then everybody says it's a miracle.

God must have been in it.

But you see, when he died,

and he died so quickly,

then it's like, well, you know,

it's just like the two fishermen.

It could have been anybody.

James: You know, he did make a trip there,

and survived, and then
came back the next day.

(from the room)

Yeah, his Bible got shot by
an arrow the first day, right?

Tim: He said,

"I replied that my mind
was finally resolved

that though I loved my work and my people,

yet I felt that I could leave them

to the care of Jesus

who would soon provide them

a better pastor than I,

and that with regard to
my life amongst the cannibals,

as I had only once to die,

I was content to leave the time

and place and means in the hands of God."

So, I mean, he went there.

Who's to say that this Chau

was not of the exact same mindset?

Trusting the Lord.

Let's just ask this question:

The two times in the book of Acts

that we love to go to

(incomplete thought).

We use these two texts in Acts

when we talk about any time

it's appropriate to violate authority,

to go against authority in our lives;

when submission to Christ

trumps whatever lesser authority.

We go to two texts very commonly

in Acts 4 and Acts 5.

Now, we will go to those two

when we're talking about

when it may be appropriate to obey Christ

even when we have to disobey

government authority.

But if we're all honest,

look at the two texts
that I'm talking about.

Although they definitely
have a broader application.

Acts 4.

The very specific situation

that we're confronted with

has to do with evangelism.

It has to do with taking
the Gospel to the nations.

It accords with the Great Commission.

What do we find?

We find that in Acts 4

we know that Peter and John get hauled in

before the council.

And when they did,

you remember the situation.

That lame man was healed

at Beautiful Gate and it caused a stir.

And they were in there
preaching the Gospel.

These guys get hauled in.

They're before the Sanhedrin.

In verse 16, these guys
are beside themselves.

They told the disciples to leave

so that they could
confer with one another.

Verse 16, "What shall
we do with these men?

For that a notable sign has been performed

through them is evident

to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

We cannot deny it.

But in order that it may spread no further

among the people, let us warn them

to speak no more to anyone in this name.

So they called them, charged them

not to speak or teach at all

in the name of Jesus."

And here's the classic text.

"Peter and John answered them,

'Whether it's right in the sight of God

to listen to you rather than
to God, you must judge.

For we cannot but speak

of what we have seen and heard.'"

And then you have a similar passage

over in chapter 5:29.

Again, the apostles were arrested.

They were brought before the officials.

You remember what happened.

They supernaturally were
not in prison anymore.

Showed up in the temple.

They were teaching.

Verse 26, "The captain and the officers

went and brought them, not by force,

for they were afraid of
being stoned by the people.

When they had brought them,

they set them before the council

and the high priests questioned them,

saying, 'We strictly charged you

not to teach in this name.

Here you have filled
Jerusalem with your teaching.

You intend to bring this
man's blood upon us.'

Peter and the apostles answered,

'We must obey God rather than men.'"

And so, listen, did Jesus
give us a commandment

to take the Gospel to all the nations?

Can anybody tell me
how it's worded in Mark 15?

(from the room)
Preach the Gospel to every creature.

Preach the Gospel to every creature.

And you know what?

That was one of the passages

that gripped John G. Paton.

And you know the story.

He said concerning
this opposing influence,

he said, "They proved to
be a heavy trial to me."

All the opposition that he was facing.

But he said with all the opposition,

"they tended to confirm my determination

that the path of duty was to go abroad.

Amongst many who sought to deter me

was one dear old Christian gentlemen..."

You've heard this -

"...Who's crowning argument always was:

'The cannibals!

You'll be eaten by the cannibals!'

At last I replied, 'Mr. Dixon,

you're advanced in years now

and your own prospect is soon to be

laid in the grave,

there to be eaten by worms.

I confess to you that if
I can but live and die

serving and honoring the Lord Jesus,

it will make no difference to me

whether I'm eaten by
cannibals or by worms.

And in the Great Day,

my resurrection body will
arise as fair as yours

in the likeness of our risen Redeemer.'"

(incomplete thought)

These are the people in his own church.

These are the Christians closest to him.

"My dear Green Street
people grieved excessively

at the thought of my leaving them

and daily plead with me to remain.

Indeed, the opposition was so strong

from nearly all and many of them

warm, Christian friends

that I was sorely tempted to question

whether I was carrying out the divine will

or only some headstrong wish of my own."

You see, that's going
to be the accusation.

Headstrong wish. It was just an adventure.

He launched out there.

By what authority did he do this?

What missionary society sent him?

See, that's always the questions.

There's got to be some authority.

Well, he's got to be sent
by the right people.

Or he's got to be sent
by the right church.

What right did he have to go over there?

What right did he have to do this?

Throw his life away like that?

He said, "This also caused
me much anxiety,

drove me close to God in prayer."

See, we don't know how
much he prayed about this.

He said, "Conscience said louder

and clearer every day:

leave all these results
with Jesus, your Lord,

who said, 'Go ye into all the world;

preach the Gospel to every creature,

and lo, I am with you alway.'

These words kept ringing in my ears.

These were our marching orders."

Who is going to say

it's not the marching orders of Christians

to take the Gospel to
North Sentinel island?

It is our marching order

from the risen Christ to take the Gospel

into every nation and
preach it to every creature.

That does not exclude
North Sentinel island.

And here is a man who
put his life on the altar.

He was willing to lay his
life down to go do it.

And are we going to rise up and say

well, he was wrong?

"Some retorted to him,

'There are heathen at home.

Let us seek and save first of all

the lost ones perishing at our doors.'

This I felt to be most true

and an appalling fact,

but I unfailingly observed

that those who made this retort

neglected these home heathen themselves.

And so the objection has from them

lost all its power.

They would ungrudgingly spend more

on a fashionable party at dinner or tea,

on a concert or ball or theatre,

or on some ostentatious display

or worldly and selfish indulgence

ten times more perhaps in a single day

than they would give in a year

or in half of a lifetime

for the conversion of the
whole heathen world

either at home or abroad.

Objections from such people

must of course always count for nothing

among men of whom
spiritual things are realities.

For these people themselves

I do and always did only pity them

as God's stewards making such a miserable

use of time and money

entrusted to their care."

So, listen.

Let me tell you something

that you may not know.

John G. Paton -

he went to these islands

and they didn't kill him.

But they thought to and they schemed to.

But I want to tell you
something about his going

back in the 1800's -

a hundred and sixty, seventy years ago.

In his autobiography, he says this:

"A glance backwards over the story

of the Gospel in the New Hebrides

may help to bring my readers into touch

with the events that are to follow.

The ever famous names
of Williams and Harris

are associated with the earliest efforts

to introduce Christianity
among the group of islands

in the South Pacific Seas.

John Williams and his young
missionary companion Harris,

under the auspices of the
London Missionary Society

landed on Erromango

the 30th of November, 1839.

Alas, within a few minutes
of their touching land,

both were clubbed to death

and the savages proceeded to cook

and feast upon their bodies."

You remember those two names.

Williams and Harris.

They set foot on Erromango

and they were dead and eaten like that.

See, it's all perspective.

Listen to Paton's assessment of this:

"Thus were the New Hebrides baptized

with the blood of martyrs,

and Christ thereby told
the whole Christian world

that He claimed these
islands as His own.

His cross must yet be lifted up

where the blood of His saints

has been poured forth in His name.

The poor heathen knew not

that they had slain their best friends,

but tears and prayers ascended for them

from all Christian souls

wherever the story of the
martyrdom on Erromango

was read or heard."

And you know what's interesting?

I just happened about
two or three years ago,

I just happened to find -

I don't even remember how I found it -

I happened to find a news reel

that the 170th anniversary

of the killing of these two guys

was being celebrated
in Vanuatu, Erromango.

And you know what was amazing?

The descendants of Williams and Harris

came to Erromango to meet

the descendants of the people

who killed and ate their ancestors.

These British descendants
of Williams and Harris

didn't even seem like they
were genuine Christians -

probably very formal, religious, but cold,

and I doubt they were Christians.

These Erromangons came out -

they were so full of joy.

It's like, wow, 170 years later

and the descendants of these people

are probably just atheists

or stale, dead religionists,

and the Erromangons seem like

they were just full of the joy of the Lord

is what it seemed like.

You could probably find that somewhere.

Listen, if we've got the right perspective

and Christ put something in this guy

and he was willing to lay down his life

that Christ be proclaimed
to every creature;

he felt it his responsibility -

and if you hear the stories,

it was burning inside of
him for some time.

Like he's been talking
about this for years.

Then can we not say the same thing?

I mean, Sunday, I actually heard

it being strategized in our own church

how somebody in our own church

could now reach it.

(incomplete thought)

You know, the text that comes to my mind

is the one that I know
James dealt with in Philippians,

that some preach the Gospel

for the right reasons;

some out of envy and jealousy

were preaching the Gospel -

no, actually right before that

he's talking about his suffering,

and he's talking about
how it made people bold -

even though he's suffering,

it's making other people bolder

to proclaim the Gospel.

Then he goes on to say

some do it for the right reasons,

and some for not the right reasons.

But I think that that's
what's going to happen here.

I think that what this is going to do -

look, if we've got people
strategizing in our church -

people who you would not think

would be thinking about going

to Mexico, let alone

going to North Sentinel island,

they're there strategizing.

It just made me think,

you know what, that's happening

all over the world among
God's people right now.

And what this is going to do

is undoubtedly, if this was

one of God's people,

and that blood was spilled there,

believe me, it won't be in vain -

any more in vain than Williams and Harris,

because somebody's got to
put their foot on the shore.

Somebody's got to be the
first one to do it.

Look, how do people get saved?

I mean, we recognize,

we recognize the truths of Romans 10.

We recognize that they
are not going to call

upon a Lord, a Christ,
that they don't believe in.

And they're not going to believe

unless they hear.

And listen, they're not going to hear

unless somebody is preaching.

And not anybody is going to
set a foot on there to preach

unless they're sent.

And whether they're sent by the Spirit

without any other kind
of missionary enterprise

or missionary association,

but somebody's got to go.

(incomplete thought)

People are thinking:

Well, maybe we could communicate with them

in a pictorial fashion.

Listen, here's the
thing that is a reality:

From the time that somebody lands -

look, you can only
go so far with pictures.

You've got to learn their language.

And you know what happens

during the time you're
learning the language?

Things often don't go well.

"May 1861"

Let me tell you something about Erromango.

Others came afterwards.

Now, John G. Paton didn't go to Erromango.

He went to Tana at first.

He went somewhere else later.

But the Gordons - this is May, 1861.

Remember, Harris and Williams died in '39.

So we're talking 22 years later.

"May 1861 brought with it

a sorrowful and tragic event

which fell as the very shadow
of doom crossed our path."

Because even the people that came later,

they were able to set
their foot on the shore.

They weren't immediately
clubbed and eaten.

But in the time it takes
to learn the language

to where you're going to
try to impart that language

and communicate the Gospel to the people,

that takes some time.

And even when you're trying to communicate

the Gospel to the people,

you've got to understand,

these people have been in darkness.

They're demonically controlled.

There are witch doctors.

There are forces at work.

The Reverend G. N. Gordon

and his wife.

They "went to Erromango on 20th May, 1861.

He was working at the roofing

of the printing office,

and had sent his lads to bring each

a load of long grass to
finish the roof thatching.

Meantime, a party of Erromangons

from a district called Bunk Hill

under a chief names Lovou

had been watching him.

They'd been to the
mission house inquiring.

They'd seen him send
away his Christian lads

so they found him alone.

They then hid in the bush,

sent two of their men to the missionary

to ask for calico.

On a piece of wood, he wrote a note

to Mrs. Gordon to give
them two yards each.

They asked him to go with them

to the mission house

as they needed medicine for a sick boy,

and Lovou their chief wanted to see him.

He tied up in a napkin a meal of food

which had been brought
to him, but not eaten,

and started to go with them.

He requested the native Narvalette

to go on before with his companion,

but they insisted upon his going in front.

In crossing a streamlet,

which I visited shortly afterwards,

his foot slipped.

A blow was aimed at him with a tomahawk

which he caught.

The other man struck, but his weapon

was also caught.

One of the tomahawks was then wrenched

out of his grasp.

The next moment, a blow on the spine

laid the dear missionary low.

A second blow on the neck

almost severed the head from the body.

The other natives then
rushed from their ambush,

began dancing around him

with frantic shoutings.

Mrs. Gordon, hearing the noise,

came out and stood in
front of the mission house

looking at the direction of
her husband's working place

wondering what was happening.

Oben, one of the party,

who had run towards the station

the moment that Mr. Gordon fell,

now approached her.

A merciful clump of trees
had hid from her eyes

all that had occurred.

And she said to Oben,

'What's the cause of that noise?'

He replied, 'Oh, nothing,

only the boys amusing themselves.'

Saying, 'Where are the boys?'

she turned around,

Oben slipped stealthily behind her,

sank his tomahawk into her back,

and with another blow
almost severed her head.

Such was the fate of these two

devoted servants of the Lord,

loving in their lives

and in their deaths not divided,

their spirits wearing
the crowns of martyrdom,

entered glory together to be welcomed

by Williams and Harris

whose blood was shed near the same

now hallowed spot

for the name and cause of Jesus.

They had labored four years on Erromango

amidst trials and dangers manifold,

and had not been without
tokens of blessing

in the Lord's work.

Never more earnest or devoted missionaries

lived and died in the heathen field.

Other accounts indeed have been published

and another was reported to me

by Mr. Gordon's Christian lads."

And he writes this:

"Some severe criticisms, of course,

were written and published

by those angelic creatures

who judge all things

from their own safe and easy distance."

It was the same in that day.

You've got all sorts of people

from a long way away.

They're the armchair quarterback,

and they're going to find fault.

And see, it's just like he said.

Well, why don't you stay at home?

You know, there's needs here.

The people that say that,

they're not reaching out to
the people who have needs here.

People can talk.

People are full of lots of talk.

The truth is that it sounds like

some of the people -

they're just bent out of shape.

It's a white man

and he's bringing the
white man's religion.

White man and his Christianity

it sounds like.

Listen, this started among the Jews -

not white men.

It started in the Middle East.

And the thing about the Gospel

is it's not a tribal religion.

It's not just a white man's religion.

Paul is very careful to
trace the real problem

all the way back to Adam.

Our problem is not a white problem,

a black problem, a red problem,

a yellow problem.

It's a problem that's traced

all the way back to the fact

that we are offspring of Adam's.

There's no distinction.

All have sinned and come short

of the glory of God.

You've got the Indian government.

Well, we need to leave them alone.

You don't want to introduce

all these diseases to them.

It will wipe them out.

You know what's wiping them out?

Sin is wiping them out.

Years ago, we had back before the DVD age,

we had a number of videos.

I think we bought
everything that we could buy

from New Tribes Missions.

And I'll never forget,

there was one that I believe

was specifically about an
island in Indonesia.

And of course, you know
the New Tribes approach.

They walk the people all the way

through the Scriptures
from the Old Testament

all the way.

They build and build and build

and they come to the cross.

And this village -

they actually have footage -

when they preached the cross

and that this was God's answer for sin,

like the vast majority
of this remote village

embraced Christ spontaneously.

They were so full of joy.

They jumped up and down,

hugging each other en masse.

They did this for hours!

But then you know what the missionary said

and what he observed?

He said the people would go

from rejoicing to uncontrolled wailing,

back to rejoicing,

back to wailing.

Do you know why they wailed?

With the understanding of the Gospel

and their own receiving of it

and their own salvation,

they would suddenly be overcome

with the reality that all who had
gone before them perished.

And you know what,
often these missionaries

were asked by the new converts:

why didn't you come before now?

Sometimes they would ask questions like -

you know the cogs would start moving -

how long have you had Christianity

where you're from?

Oh, for centuries!

You know, it almost makes
the missionary feel guilty

because then the people
would look at him like:

and you're only coming now?

You know what's true

about these people on
North Sentinel island?

100% of them are perishing.

They're dying.

Every single one of them is perishing.

Perishing.

So what does it take?

Well, we need families like the Gordons

who pour four years of their life in

and then about have their heads taken off.

But before that, you've got to have

the Williams' and the Harris'

that are just willing to put their foot

on the beach.

We need John Allen Chau's.

And you know what,
his name will just be lost.

Very likely.

Very likely, there's not going
to be a book like this.

Well, there's not a book like this

about Williams and Harris.

Why?

Because how many pages do you need?

They landed on the beach.

They were clubbed. They were eaten.

I mean, you could say that different ways

and maybe fill a chapter

if you go back and talk
about some of their early lives.

What I find is that Williams

actually labored on other islands before,

so there is more about him.

Harris - he was a young man

probably like Chau,

and you can't find hardly
anything about him.

Who was he? I don't know.

Just somebody that put his foot down there

and is gone.

So, you know, what he was willing to do -

he said he didn't want to die.

He didn't have a death wish.

But he was willing to risk his life

to be good to the Great Commission.

We don't know all of his motives,

but what he says is that

he desired to take the Gospel

to these people.

Does somebody else have a better plan?

Or do we just say,

well, it's illegal, and so
we shouldn't go there?

That wasn't the attitude
of the early disciples.

They said you be judge.

Should we obey you? Or should be obey God?

Has God told us to go?

Because these people
that wrote this are right.

When it comes to closed countries,

we don't say that because
some human government

says we can't enter that country

with the Gospel,

we don't take that as:

okay, therefore we can't.

In fact, that idea of closed country -

that's a man-made term.

The Bible never talks
about closed countries.

Jesus said go.

He never said:

Go only to the "open" countries.

No.

Every tribe.

Every tongue.

Every people.

Every nation.

Every creature.

Take the Gospel to them all.

Somebody's got to go.

Somebody's got to go.

The promise of God's Word

is there will be North Sentinelese

there at the throne.

There will be converts.

The Gospel will reach them.

Despite all the Hindu Indian government;

despite man's laws,

somebody's got to say: Yes, Lord.

Somebody's got to hear
that, just like John G.

heard this when it came to going

to the New Hebrides islands.

Cannibals, cannibals!
You'll be eaten by the cannibals!

North Sentinelese! North Sentinelese!

You'll be shot by their arrows!

Well, maybe.

But you know a hundred years from now,

will it really matter

that you lived a little bit
longer than Chau?

And you know, sometimes,

it's like it's been said -

nobody knows about Jim Elliot's brother

who labored on the mission field

till he was well into his 80's.

Anybody ever heard about him?

The thing is he didn't go down in glory.

He plugged away

decade after decade after decade

laboring pretty much unknown.

The unknown brother of Jim Elliot.

And yet, he gave his whole
life on the mission field.

You know, the reality is

sometimes martyrdom is the easy path.

They laid it all on the altar.

You know, there is a parable

that talks about finding a treasure

and selling everything.

And who's going to say

that this guy didn't sell everything?

I mean, are we going
to find fault with him?

He gave. He gave all that he could.

As I was out today,
I was thinking about Mary.

Do you remember they found fault with her?

This isn't just something
in John G. Paton's day.

This is something that
goes all the way back.

Go all the way back to Mary.

Remember, she comes out

and she's doing what?

She's doing what she can.

And Jesus said that:

she's doing what she can.

He did what he could.

I mean, he gave what he had.

You don't have more to
give Christ than your life.

He laid it all on the altar.

I'm not finding fault with that.

In fact, something in me jumps,

like okay, this is setting
something in motion

in the spiritual realm.

And I have a feeling that it's doing that

in the hearts of Christians

all over the world.

Now, I can imagine the Indian government

is going to crack down,
at least for a while.

They'll double their coast guard

two mile perimeter or whatever.

But then they'll get lax again

when this thing blows over,

but I have a feeling
Christians are strategizing,

people are thinking.

We shouldn't count it a strange thing.

This isn't some white man's thing.

This is Christ's agenda

to evangelize the world.

We shouldn't count it a strange thing -

look, that island,

it cannot escape prophecy.

It cannot escape the fact

that the bull's eye is on it.

You can't be the least reached place

on the face of the earth
and remain that way.

Because Jesus Christ who said

all authority is given unto Me

is the Christ behind that missionary call.

Be sure of this:

He sits on the throne.

He is high. He is exalted.

He is lifted up. He has all authority.

He's in charge. He stirs His people.

Those people are -

it's just a matter of time.

I mean, it's like the Gospel train

is thundering down the tracks,

and it's coming for that island.

It may be this year. It may be next year.

It may be six years.

It may be sixty years, but it's coming.

Whatever demons are there,

they know.

They know the Scripture.

And we can shout it out.

Every tribe and every tongue!

And that includes that island.

The Gospel's coming there.

Some of God's people are
going to take it there.

The next people might
be like the Gordon's.

They might make it a little ways

before they die.

And it might keep going like that.

In fact, if you read this book,

do you know how much death is in here?

The fact that John G. Paton lived

is a miracle in the midst of all of this,

and they tried to take him out,

and God supernaturally preserved him,

but a lot of the people died.

A lot of the people died.

But you know what?

After that martyr's blood was spilled,

eventually some of these islands -

the second island he went to,

and the name is escaping me right off -

but the second island he went to

was almost entirely converted.

This is no easy believism preaching.

We're talking a Scotch-Presbyterian

Calvinist, believed in real,

legitimate being born again,

and in his estimation,

almost the entire island was converted.

That Gospel's coming for that island.

There's no escape.

And if this is the time

and martyr's blood has been spilled,

watch out.

Whatever dark forces you
are that are there

and inhabiting those people,

keeping those people in fear,

keeping those people in bondage,

your days are numbered.

And God may be working in
the hearts of some right now

that will be the next ones to go there.

I have a feeling that's the case.

(from the room)

You brought up at the beginning

the issue of to obey the law or not.

You brought up the response

of the one who's actually breaking the law

in Acts 4 and 5.

What stood out to me was the posture

that the church took.

And if you consider what
they're actually praying

when they come together, they said,

"Grant Your servants to continue

to speak Your Word with all boldness."

You could even say the church

after that happened, the church prayed:

allow them to continue what
they law just said not to

because we're convinced
that's what You want.

So I kind of take that like:

if you're not going to go,

I don't think Christians
should be on the fence

as far as what they should side with.

If it's the Lord's command,

we ought to be praying for God

to lift up more people to oppose such laws

and send them out there.

Tim: That's how we're going to end

with Bobby praying that the church

would have boldness.

Because they needed it then.

Listen, it's a reality.

When you're standing
against the government

and they're threatening
you with the sword,

they're threatening
you with imprisonment -

which they threw them in prison -

when they're threatening you -

they stoned Paul -

people died.

Jesus never said we wouldn't.

That's what we need. We need boldness.

But isn't it interesting?

This is what I was mentioning before.

Throw Paul in prison and what did it do?

It emboldened God's people.

You might think:

Well, hey, they throw
the top dog into jail,

you'd think kind of like Jesus,

you know when they arrested Him,

all the disciples went scattering.

Yeah, but that was before the Spirit -

this missionary Spirit was
poured upon the church.

When that happened,

it did just the opposite.

What?

Throw Paul in prison,

and now it encourages the people of God

to break forth with boldness and preach.

I mean, I'm telling you,

Sunday, we've got people in the church,

and I'm not kidding you.

I don't think you'd get
them to go to Mexico,

and I went outside between services,

and he starts talking to me

and strategizing about how

not just somebody from our church

could take the Gospel to North Sentinel,

how he could!

I thought...

that's good.

That's good.

And it made me think

there's a lot of Christian
people out there

who are thinking like him.

Well, go ahead and pray, brother.

Boldness.

Bobby: Father, we thank You

for allowing us to even know

of such a plan that took place

that gives us reason to rejoice

in what You've done

when You sent Your Son

as the propitiation for our sins,

and not only for ours,

but for Your elect people

that You've told us in Your Word

are in the world now.

We just pray that You
would blow on Your people,

that Your Spirit would light a fire

that can't be extinguished.

And Lord, that the history that we see,

it wouldn't just be something
that we read about,

but it would take place
in the here and now.

As my brother said,

we don't know when You
would have it to take place,

but whoever Your chosen vessels are

that are fit for Your use -

even fit to have their blood
spilt so quickly, Father,

I just ask that You would call them,

equip them,

and blow Your Spirit on
them to do Your will

that the Lamb would truly receive
the reward of His suffering

and that Christ would be exalted.

And may Christ be exalted in our hearts

more as we speak about His Kingdom

advancing into this world.

I pray that His Kingdom would be

advancing even in our own lives.

In His name we ask, Amen.