A10 Christian Mission

Life in the Midst of Death

It’s not easy to find something commendable in the midst of genocide. But I was recently reminded of one of the many remarkable stories that came out of the concentration camps of WWII.

The man’s name was Maximilian Kolbe.  He was a Franciscan priest, sent to Auschwitz in February 1941.  In the midst of awful suffering and death, this man maintained the love and compassion of Christ.  He gave up his bunk, he shared his food, and he prayed for his guards.  Full of kindness, and without malice or hatred. Franciszek Gajowniczek had a moving memory of this man.

That July there was an escape from the camp.  The retribution for such an attempt was merciless: ten prisoners would die for every one who escaped. All the prisoners were gathered in the courtyard and the commandant went through the ranks, randomly selecting the quota.  From there they would be taken to a cell where they would receive no food or water until they died.

Each man steps forward as he is chosen.  The tenth name called is that of Gajowniczek.  As the SS officers check the numbers of the condemned men, a prisoner begins to cry as he thinks of his wife and children.  The officers turn as they hear a movement within the ranks.  Guards raise their rifles and their dogs strain on their leashes, awaiting the order to attack.  One of the prisoners has left his place and is pushing his way to the front.  It is Kolbe. He does not hesitate, nor does he show any fear.  The capo commands him to stop or be shot.  “I want to speak to the commander.” he calmly requests. No one knows why he isn’t clubbed and shot there and then.  His action is unthinkable.  Unprecedented.  What on earth is he doing?

He stops in front of the commandant, removes his hat and looks him in the eye:  “Herr Commandant, I want to make a request.  I want to die in the place of this prisoner.”  He points at Gajowniczek.  “I have no wife or children;” he continues, “I am old and unable to work.  And he’s in better condition.”  He perfectly understands the Nazi mentality.

“Who are you?” asks the officer.

“A Catholic priest.” Kolbe replies.  

There is a moment’s stunned silence.  And then, “Request granted.”

The prisoners were never allowed to speak.  Recalling the moment, Gajowniczek said  “I could only thank him with my eyes.  I was stunned and could hardly grasp what was going on.  The immensity of it: I, the condemned, am to live and someone else willingly and voluntarily offers his life for me – a stranger.  Is this some dream?”

Maximilian Kolbe outlived the other nine condemned men.  And in the end, he didn’t die of thirst or starvation. On 14 August 1941 he was eventually killed by being injected with carbolic acid.

Franciszek Gajowniczek amazingly survived the Holocaust, and after the war he went back home.  But every year, on 14 August, he returned to Auschwitz to pay his respects and say thank you to the man who died in his place.  And he carved himself a plaque as a memorial to Maximilian Kolbe, which he placed in his back garden.

An innocent man dies for a condemned man.  A man facing certain death is unexpectedly given life.  As in Auschwitz, so in Jerusalem - about 2000 years ago.  Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God, a Jew, innocent of all charges, dies on a cross in place of the guilty – me and you.  Why?  Out of love, and the fact that there was no other way to bring us eternal life.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes on him might not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).  

God is only a prayer away; life is only a prayer away, a prayer like this would be a start to knowing him:  “Father God, thank you for loving me so much that you sent your perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to die for me, that I might be forgiven all my sins and cleansed to the very depths of my heart.  I accept you, Jesus, as my Saviour and ask you to help me live a life of love for you.”

Life Changer

Being a Christian is not so much about having a particular belief system as having a relationship with the living God. And there are many stories about the dramatic change in the direction of people’s lives when they had a personal encounter with God.

Saul of Tarsus was a religious zealot who went about killing and imprisoning first-century Christians – until he had an encounter with Jesus; he changed his name to Paul and became the greatest missionary of all time, writing the bulk of the New Testament. John Newton was an 18^th century slave trader; his encounter with God so changed him that he wrote a hymn reflecting his experience – Amazing Grace.

Jason is a young Christian. One day as he was buying a hamburger and sharing his faith with those behind counter, he looked past them and shouted to three men at the drive-by window, including them in his conversation. They weren’t interested. As Jason left and walked across the car park, he noticed the three men eating in their car. Undeterred, he went over and tried to continue his conversation with them. That was when he noticed that the man in the back had his leg in a plaster cast. So Jason boldly opened the door, climbed into the back seat and, uninvited, began to pray for the man’s broken leg to be healed.

Suddenly the man began to curse, screaming that his leg felt like it was on fire. He jumped out of the car, quickly followed by his two friends, began stamping it on the ground and then started to tear off the cast. It was about then that he realised his broken leg had been completely healed. Shocked by this, the three men went round to the boot of the car, took out a consignment of illegal drugs they were running, and smashed them on the ground, all three dancing on them in the car park.

Jason had just introduced his three new friends to the living God, a God who loves them passionately and who intervened to change their lives for good. God’s whole motivation is love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

The bible says that “Jesus of Nazareth was filled with the Holy Spirit and with power, went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38). It also says that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8), and that the signs that followed Jesus would also follow Christian believers (Mark 16:17-18). Paul, John and Jason (and his new-found friends!) are among the millions who have come to know the powerful love of the Lord God, a life-changing love that may be experienced by everyone who comes to him.



New Heart

“With God nothing will be impossible."  That’s what the bible says in Luke 1 verse 37.  What an amazing claim. No thing is impossible! 

When we were in Florida last year we saw a lady called Heather Clark.  Heather is a singer/songwriter, has four young children, and she and her husband Nolan are church leaders in British Columbia, Canada. 

A few weeks previously, Heather’s father had a serious heart attack at four o’clock in the morning.  The ambulance took him to emergency, but when the doctors ran the tests they found it was too severe for them to deal with locally.  So they decided to airlift him about 160 miles to Vancouver. They forwarded the test results to the hospital there so that the medical team could prepare in advance of his arrival and avoid losing time in the life-or-death situation. 

While he was being flown to Vancouver, Heather and some of her friends at the church began to pray for her dad, and they put their faith in the God with whom nothing is impossible. 

When he arrived at the hospital he was prepared for emergency surgery, but the surgeons were stunned to find that the heart they were looking at was not the same as the one that was showing on the tests from just a few hours earlier.  The doctors said that a miracle must have taken place because the heart was perfectly healthy, although the tests were clear proof that he had suffered a major heart attack. 

The bible records that Jesus healed many people of all kinds of diseases and distressing situations.  The bible also claims that Jesus is the same today as he was then.  Heather Clark’s dad is living proof that God still answers prayer, even when it looks impossible.  And he’s not only able to help in the impossible circumstances, but he’s also wants to help in the everyday situations of life that we all face.  And he’s just a heartfelt prayer away.