In 1980, a Rwandan pastor was killed because he would not renounce Jesus Christ. The previous night he had written this letter of commitment to Jesus and nailed it to his wall:
I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His.
I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure.
I’m finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.
I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded.
I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by (His) power.
My face it set. My gait it fast. My goal is heaven. My road is narrow. My way rough. My companions few. My guide reliable. My mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me.
And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me—my banner will be clear!
Source: Dr. Bob Moorehead, The Way of the Master.
It is worth noting, more Christians have been killed in the previous one-hundred and twenty years because of their faith in Jesus, than in all previous centuries back to the time of Jesus.
I am praying for the American Church because there was a time in Her past when She was the greatest source of people and funding (missionary impluse) for the spreading of the gospel around the world. Today however, this has been eclipsed by Her wordliness, compromise, weak convictions, biblical illiteracy, division, infighting, and general lack of loving-obedience to Jesus (to name a few). But, Jesus loves Her. I am praying for deep repentance, deliverance, healing, freedom, a righting of Her identity, and for Her eyes to be fixed upon Jesus. Amen!
