Tag: missionary

St. Patrick the Missionary: Excerpts from Patrick’s “Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus”

~ Bob Hayton ~ 2 Comments

The following excerpts are taken from St. Patrick’s “The Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus”, one of only two documents that were certainly written by St. Patrick himself and preserved for future generations by careful copyists. The letter tells of a brutal act done by Coroticus and his men– the murder and capture of several newly baptized converts of Patrick’s. I cannot reproduce the entire letter, but you can find it here. The translation I’m using is that found in The Wisdom of St. Patrick: Inspirations from the Patron Saint of Ireland by Greg Tobin (Ballantine Books: New York, 1999).

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1. I, Patrick, a sinner and poorly learned, as is well known, speak to you as the true and anointed bishop in Ireland. I believe with certainty that all that I am I have received from God; and so I live among barbarians and foreigners, a stranger and an exile for the love of the Father— and He is my witness that this is so. I would never, of my own will, speak so harshly and sternly as I feel I must, but I am compelled to by the zeal of God and the truth of Christ, and for the love for my friends [neighbors] and children [sons], for whom I have given up my homeland and my family, and even risked my very life unto the point of death. Though I am despised by some, I have dedicated my life– if I am worthy– to my God to teach these heathen tribes.

2. I have written these words myself and sent them to be given, delivered, and handed to the soldiers of Coroticus. I do not call them my own people nor fellow citizens of the holy Romans, but because of their evil deeds [I call them] the cohorts of demons…. I denounce them as bloodthirsty men who seek to gorge themselves on the blood of innocent Christians, whom I have “given birth to” [begotten] in countless numbers for God and confirmed in Christ.

4. Therefore, I do not know for whom I should more rightly grieve. Should I weep for those who were killed or captured, or for those whom the devil has enslaved?…

5. So let every God-fearing person know that those who murder their own families, who kill their brothers like ravening wolves, who devour the people of the Lord as they would eat bread–they are forever estranged from me and from my God, whose missionary I am. As is said, “The wicked have destroyed Your law, O Lord,” the law that He has of late– and at the end of time– graciously sown so successfully in Ireland to become firmly established there with God’s grace.

7. Therefore I earnestly beseech those of you who are holy and humble of heart that it is not correct to seek favor from such as their kind, or even to eat or drink with them, nor should alms be accepted from them until they have done the most severe penance, pouring out their tears to God’s satisfaction, and until they have freed the baptized servants and handmaidens of Christ on whose behalf He died and was crucified.

9. …We know that a murderer cannot stand with Christ. And he who hates his brother will be called a murderer, and “He who hates his brother lives in death.” More offensive is he who stains his hands with the blood of those children of God whom He has recently won over to His ways through my own paltry efforts here at the utmost ends of the earth.

10. Could I have come here, to Ireland, without the guidance of God, or for reasons that were human and secular? Who compelled me on this mission? It is because of the Holy Spirit that I am bound to remain forever separated from my family. Does this forgiveness that I have shown to the very people who once enslaved me and pillaged the male and female servants of my father’s household come from within me? In the eyes of the secular world, I am a free man, the son of a Roman decurion. But I have traded my noble birthright, without shame or second thought, for the advantage [benefit] of others. In a word, I am Christ’s slave; I serve Him by ministering to foreign tribes for the sake of the indescribable glory of eternal life that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

11. …I do not seek anything for myself. It was not by my own grace, but God who put within me this sincere care in my heart, that I should be one of His hunters and fishers of souls, whom God had long ago foretold would come in the end of days.

12. I am the target of resentment and jealousy. What shall I do, O Lord? I am openly despised. Look, all around me Your sheep lie torn and spoiled, and by these very soldiers of Coroticus at his evil orders. Far removed from the love of God is anyone who betrays my newly won Christian into the hands of the Scots and Picts. Voracious wolves have eaten the Lord’s flock, just when it was increasing in Ireland with tender care…. So do not be pleased with this calamity; it is unacceptable, unjust, and irredeemable all the way to hell.

13. So who among the holy saints would not shudder to make merry or partake of a feast with men such as these? They have filled their houses with the stolen property of dead Christians; they live only to plunder….

15. I do not know what more I should say or how I can speak of those dead children of God who were ruthlessly struck down by the sword….

16. For this reason I cry aloud in sadness and grief: O most beautiful and beloved brothers and sons whom I confirmed in Christ, and whom I cannot number, what shall I do for you now? I am unworthy to help either God or man. The injustice of wicked men has overcome us….

17. Consequently, I grieve for you. Indeed, I deeply mourn for you, my dearly beloved ones. Yet, I also rejoice within myself. For I see that I have not labored without result, and my journey [exile] to an alien land was not without purpose. And though this was an unspeakably horrible crime, I thank God that you were baptized believers when you left this world for paradise. I can see you in a vision: you have embarked upon your journey to a place where there is no more night, no sorrow, and no death. Freed from your chains, you will romp like young lambs and the wicked will be like ashes beneath your feet.

18. You will reign with the apostles and the prophets and the martyrs. You will win eternal kingdoms, just as He Himself promised: “They shall come from the east and west, and they shall sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” While “outside [heaven] lie the dogs, the evildoers, and the murderers.” And “liars and blasphemers shall be damned to the lake of eternal fire.” The apostle rightly says: “When the just man shall barely be saved, where will the sinner and the ungodly lawbreaker expect to find himself?”

20. I witness before God and His angels that, though I lack learning, all shall be as I have predicted. For these words that I have written in Latin are not mine; they are from God and His apostles and prophets, who have never lied. “Whoever believes will be saved; whoever does not believe will be damned.” Thus God has spoken.

21. My first and sincerest request is that the servants of God who shall come into possession of this letter, do not conceal or withdraw it, but be sure that it is read aloud in public, and even when Coroticus himself is there. I pray that God will inspire the hearers to come to their senses and, even at this late stage, that they should repent of the evil they have committed– the murder of the Lord’s brothers– and that they should release the baptized women whom they have taken prisoner and sold. In this way they may yet deserve to live in the grace of God, and they may be restored whole, here and for all eternity. Peace be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen. [bold emphasis is mine, words in brackets are part of the translation]

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Patrick lived from around A.D. 390 to 460. It’s refreshing to see how Bible-rooted so much of Patrick’s thinking was– we are not all that removed from his theology and passion. I was struck by his connection of “hunters and fishers of souls” with Old Testament prophecy, something my study has only recently revealed to me. Patrick also considered his mission field the “utmost ends of the earth”. He viewed his ministry as fully within the “end times”, too.

From the above selection, it should be obvious that Patrick viewed himself as a missionary. He was on a mission to save the lost souls of Ireland. God blessed His efforts, we can fairly say. Above all, this selection reveals the heart of Patrick. He is broken over injustice and sin. Yet the horrors of hell motivated him to warn all not to be complicit with Coroticus’ evil deeds.

Patirck was a man on a mission– a missionary. And he was equally enthralled with “the indescribable glory of eternal life that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. We do well to ponder St. Patrick on this, his special day.

“Which None Can Shut: Remarkable True Stories of God’s Miraculous Work in the Muslim World” by Reema Goode

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

From the time I was a little boy, I remember being fascinated with missionary stories. I’d find the country on a map and visualize myself going to that distant land with the Gospel. Africa, South America, Asia — all were equally enticing destinations. On-screen slide projectors introduced me to the mud huts, shacks and cardboard cities of extreme poverty, to exotic animals, tropical paradises and beautiful vistas, and most of all, to the faces of people who need Christ. In my background, however, I can’t remember many tales of missionaries to Muslim countries. Closed countries were just that, and with the response to the Gospel in more reachable lands, the prospect of outreach to Muslims wasn’t raised.

My experience is certainly not unique. It is only in the past 20 years or so that missions to Muslim-controlled nations have become the dream of Christian young people. A dream and a reality. Two American wars in Iraq and the constant Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have kept the Middle East, and its Muslim religion, at the forefront of our global vision. And many American Christians have taken it upon themselves to pray for the advance of the Gospel (not the same as the success of America, mind you) in these dark lands.

That I call Muslim-dominated lands “dark” is not a popular sentiment in today’s pluaralistic age. But the Gospel of Jesus Christ is about spreading the light. And Christian missionaries have laid down their lives to spread that wonderful story of Jesus throughout the ages and all over this world. Sadly, many Muslims today mistakenly think Christianity is represented by America’s policies and the evil practices she tolerates. Such is not the case. True Christians serve a Kingdom not of this world.

American Christians like me are beginning to hear of the inroads being made by the Gospel in Arabia and other such places. But what we hear is often only bits and pieces of what God is doing. For Americans in general, and Christians too, there remains a fear of Islam and a mystique to Arabia. Few are willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the gospel, and many don’t even know what missions to Muslims would even look like (here in America even, and especially over in a “closed country”).

A new book, shines a beacon on what God is doing in Arabia, and what it is like to be a missionary there. In Which None Can Shut: Remarkable True Stories of God’s Miraculous Work in the Muslim World Reema Goode (and I assume that to be a pen name) shares some of her real life stories of being an American woman ministering to Muslims alongside her family in an Arabian country. Along the way we share her joys and sorrows and come to know more clearly what it is to be ministering God’s love to Muslims in a far away land. The book is a breathtaking tale that is sure to elicit both praise and prayers to God for Him to do even more.

The book is a quick read, and the story moves along quickly. Goode shares the struggle of fitting in to a new culture, and her fear for her children. She describes the people and customs of Arabia well, and draws you into the story. Over and in all of the stories we can see God’s grace and His Spirit at work. God gives Reema and her husband just the right words to say, over and over again. Incredible opportunities to share the Gospel are commonplace, as the people of that land are curious to learn more about Christianity and life in America. Through the Eastern emphasis on community, and the sharing of one another’s lives, the people get to see what a Christian really is.

God’s miraculous power is seen too. Dramatic healings, protection in demonically charged encounters, and the beauty of conversion to Christ are all recounted. Testimony to God’s working in people’s lives prior to and apart from Christian missionaries is amazing as well. And the author insists these stories are representative of God’s work in many lands and many cities all across the Muslim world.

I couldn’t put this book down. And when I did, I was moved to pray more intently for the continued advance of the Gospel in Muslim lands. I fear that many Christians in America are more focused on the encroaches of Sharia law and Muslim suicide bombings than they are on the need these people have for Jesus Christ and the Gospel of God’s grace. May this book serve to elicit prayer rather than prejudice from God’s people.

I think the book could become a best seller and open the eyes of many Christians to the thrill of missions in general, and Muslim missions in particular. May God inspire many more Christians to follow Reema Goode and her family into Muslim lands with the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Tyndale House Publishers for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Pick up a copy of this book at Amazon.com or through Tyndale House direct.