Faithful Unto Death

Sunday an American named Joel Shrum was killed in Yemen by a terrorist group. The group says they killed Shrum because he was sharing the gospel and trying to convert the people of Yemen to Christianity. Shrum was 30 years old, and he leaves behind his wife and 2 children (ages 2 and 4).

Both the NGO that employed Shrum and his parents deny that he was in Yemen to proselytize. He was there as a teacher to help the impoverished people of Yemen. Two students at the school said that Shrum spoke about his faith often.

Here, perhaps, are some reactions we should have to this event:

  • We should be saddened for his wife and family, and we should pray that God will comfort them.
  • We should pray that God will use the suffering of one of His own to open the hearts of Yemeni Arabs to the gospel.
  • We should pray that God would raise up men and women who are faithful unto death. This is the means by which the eternal work of the Father will be accomplished. We pray that He would raise up a generation of men and women like this, and so hasten the ingathering of all peoples into His Family.
  • We should be angered over the blood of our brother and pray that Jesus would come quickly to set things right.
  • We should pray that the men who murdered Joel will come to Christ so that the judgment they deserve for this crime will have fallen on Jesus at Calvary.

I remember listening to John Piper’s message a few years back at T4G entitled, “The Supremacy of Christ, Radical Christian Service.” In that message he quoted Howard Guinness who asked, “Where are the young men and women of this generation who will hold their lives cheap and be faithful unto death?” Perhaps Joel Shrum was such a man. God give us more, and give them a white robe and the crown of life!

Here’s a video of a news report:

Here’s the video for all I have is Christ: