The Spear and the Resurrection: The Waodani Miracle

Hello, friends, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. As we approach Easter, I want to share a story that embodies the very heart of the resurrection—not just as a historical event, but as a living power that transforms the darkest places on earth.

Today's story comes from deep inside the jungles of Ecuador… a place once known as the "Auca territory," a tribal word meaning savage.

But this is not a story about savagery.

This is a story about resurrection—about the power of Easter breaking cycles of hatred, vengeance, and death.

I spoke about this during one of my Christmas podcasts. So let me take you back to January 1956.

Five young missionaries landed their small yellow Piper aircraft on a sandy strip of riverbank the locals called "Palm Beach."

Their names were Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming.

These men had been working for months to establish gentle, peaceful contact with the Waodani people—a tribe feared for generations for their history of violence and revenge killings.

They brought gifts. They shouted friendly phrases in the Waodani language. They waved from the plane. They prayed for an open door.

They believed God had called them to bring the Gospel to this unreached tribe, and they were willing to risk everything.

But on one quiet afternoon, Waodani warriors rushed out of the trees with spears raised high.

By sunset, all five men who had come to bring the Good News lay dead on the riverbank.

Try to imagine that moment. Five families shattered. Five wives became widows. Nine children lost their fathers. The world looked at what happened and called it a tragedy. A failed mission. A closed door. A senseless waste of young lives.

But Heaven was not finished.

Two years passed.

Two women—Rachel Saint and Elisabeth Elliot, the sister and wife of two of the martyrs—prayed and waited.

Think about that. Elisabeth Elliot's husband Jim had been killed by these warriors. Rachel Saint's brother Nate had been speared to death. They had every human reason to stay away, to protect themselves, to close that chapter and move on.

But they didn't.

And around Easter 1958, the unimaginable happened.

A Waodani woman named Dayuma, who had fled tribal violence years earlier, agreed to lead them into the tribe.

Rachel Saint along with Elisabeth Elliot and her young daughter Valerie, walked into the same village where the killers lived. Where the spears had been sharpened. Where their loved ones had died.

But instead of resentment, instead of revenge, instead of bitterness—they brought the message of Easter:

"Jesus is alive. And because He lives, we forgive you."

Friends, this was the moment resurrection walked into the jungle.

Can you imagine what those warriors must have felt? They had killed these women's family members. They expected vengeance. They expected hatred. That's all they had ever known—the endless cycle of killing and revenge that had defined their culture for generations.

But instead, they encountered forgiveness. They encountered the Gospel. They encountered the risen Christ.

One by one, warriors who had killed the missionaries came to Christ.

Entire families turned. Children who had grown up learning to hate and kill learned about a Savior who died and rose again. Generations of revenge—ended.

One of the most violent people groups in South America became known for their gentleness and faith.

Let me share three powerful truths from Scripture that this story brings to life.

First, Easter forgiveness defies all human logic.

Jesus said from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." That's Luke 23:34.

The Elliots and Saints lived this Scripture out loud. They didn't just quote it—they embodied it. They walked into the village of their loved ones' killers and extended the same forgiveness Christ extended from the cross.

Easter forgiveness is not theoretical—it transforms enemies into brothers and sisters.

Second, the seed that dies bears much fruit.

Jesus said in John 12:24, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

The deaths of those five missionaries looked like defeat. But they became the seed that brought an entire tribe into the Kingdom. Their martyrdom opened a door that their lives alone could not have opened. Their blood watered ground that would produce a harvest of souls for generations.

What looked like failure to the world was actually the beginning of God's great work among the Waodani.

Third, resurrection power replaces cycles of violence with peace.

Ephesians 2:14 says, "He has broken down the wall of hostility."

What generations of tribal conflict could not end, the risen Christ ended. The Waodani had been locked in cycles of revenge killing for as long as anyone could remember. Violence begat violence. Death begat death. No one could break the cycle.

But when the Gospel came—when the message of a Savior who conquered death and offers forgiveness came—everything changed.

Now here's the part of the story that still brings me to tears every time I think about it.

Years later, Steve Saint—the son of the martyred pilot Nate Saint—returned to Ecuador as a young man.

He was baptized in the Curaray River… by the very man who killed his father.

Let that sink in. The son of the murdered missionary, baptized by his father's killer. Both of them brothers in Christ. Both of them changed by the resurrection.

This is resurrection power, friends. This is Easter.

Decades later, the Waodani church is vibrant and alive. Some of the very men who once killed outsiders have traveled the world preaching forgiveness, reconciliation, and the power of the Gospel.

A tribe once known for taking life is now known for new life.

And every Easter season, the Waodani believers remember the moment the Gospel walked into their village—not with spears, but with forgiveness. Not with vengeance, but with grace. Not with condemnation, but with the good news that Jesus is alive.

So what does this story mean for us today?

Easter is not just a historical event that happened 2,000 years ago. Yes, Jesus rose from the dead on that first Easter morning. Yes, the tomb was empty. Yes, death was defeated.

But Easter is also the ongoing power of God to step into impossible situations—into hatred, violence, and despair—and resurrect hope where death once ruled.

The Waodani story reminds us of three vital truths:

First, no people group is unreachable. If God can reach the Waodani—a tribe so violent they were called savages—then He can reach anyone. Your unsaved family member is not too far gone. Your hostile coworker is not beyond God's reach. That nation that persecutes Christians is not outside of God's plan.

Second, no wound is unforgivable. If Elisabeth and Valerie Elliot could forgive the men who killed husband and father, if Rachel Saint could forgive the men who killed her brother, if Steve Saint could be baptized by his father's killer—then no wound you've suffered is too deep for Easter forgiveness to heal.

Third, no enemy is beyond Christ's redemption. The men who wielded those spears became preachers of the Gospel. The warriors who took life became bearers of new life. The same Jesus who walked out of the tomb walks into tribes, nations, and families today, transforming enemies into brothers.

Let me ask you some questions. Is there someone in your life you've written off as unreachable? Is there a wound you've been holding onto, convinced it's too deep to forgive? Is there an enemy you believe is beyond redemption?

What if Easter power could change all of that? What if the same resurrection that transformed the Waodani could transform your situation?

Friends, I challenge you this Easter season—don't just celebrate what Jesus did 2,000 years ago. Ask Him to demonstrate His resurrection power in your life today. Ask Him to help you forgive the unforgivable. Ask Him to reach the unreachable people in your world. Ask Him to resurrect hope where death has ruled.

And if God is stirring your heart toward missions, toward unreached people groups, toward the hard places—don't ignore that call. The Waodani needed those five missionaries to be willing to go. There are tribes and nations today that still need someone willing to bring the Gospel, no matter the cost.

Let me pray…

Thank you for joining me today. This story of the Waodani reminds me why Easter matters—not just for our personal salvation, but for the transformation of entire people groups who are waiting to hear that Jesus is alive.

Until next time, keep your eyes on the nations, remember that resurrection power is still at work today, and never forget—the same Jesus who conquered death can conquer anything in your life.

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St. Patrick: From Slave to Missionary Giant

Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today is March 17th, 2026—St. Patrick's Day. For most people, this is a day for parades, green beer, and shamrocks. But for me, this day is deeply personal.

My great-great-grandmother was from Ireland, so Irish heritage runs in my blood. But even more personally, my grandma Esther—a woman who deeply influenced my faith—went home to be with Jesus on St. Patrick's Day. So this day always brings celebration and remembrance for me.

But St. Patrick's Day has become special for another reason: I've learned the incredible story of St. Patrick himself. And friends, this is not the story of leprechauns and four-leaf clovers. This is the story of slavery, suffering, forgiveness, and one of the most successful missionary endeavors in Christian history.

[Patrick's story - from captivity to calling]

Let me take you back to Britain in the late 4th century. A teenage boy named Succat—later known as Patrick—was living comfortably as the son of a wealthy Roman-British official. Then Irish raiders attacked his family's estate. Patrick wrote: "I was grabbed from behind, tied up, and roughly pushed towards a waiting ship. I was being taken as a slave! I was only sixteen years old."

In Ireland, Patrick was sold to a chieftain and forced to herd pigs in cold, rainy weather. He was hungry, wet, and always lonely. But something happened during those six years of slavery. Patrick, who had grown up in a Christian home but wasn't personally devoted to God, turned to prayer. He prayed up to 100 times a day! His suffering drove him to God, and he also learned the Irish language and customs.

After six years, Patrick had a dream: "Behold, your ship is ready." He walked 200 miles to Wexford, found a ship needing someone to care for Irish wolfhounds, and escaped. Eventually he made it home to Britain. His parents were overjoyed and begged him never to leave again.

[The impossible call - returning to his captors]

Patrick continued his studies and became a priest. Then he had another dream—he saw the people of Ireland pleading: "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more." Patrick knew he must return to Ireland—to the very people who had enslaved him!

Think about that. This wasn't just cross-cultural missions. This was returning to the nation that had kidnapped him and stolen six years of his life. This was radical forgiveness and radical obedience.

Around 432 AD, Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary. He asked King Leary's permission to preach, then traveled throughout Ireland bringing many to Christ. He spent 40 days praying on a mountain (now called Croagh Patrick), trained Irish priests, and established churches and monasteries.

The famous shamrock story? When the Irish struggled to understand the Trinity, Patrick picked a shamrock showing three leaves but one plant—helping them grasp Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as one God.

Patrick died on March 17, 493 AD—which is why we celebrate today—after nearly 30 years of missionary work in Ireland.

[The lasting impact - Ireland's golden age]

But the story doesn't end there! After Patrick's death, Ireland became crucial to preserving Christianity during Europe's Dark Ages. The Irish Celtic Church sent out many missionaries and preserved learning through monasteries.

In the first 250 years after Patrick's death, around 500 Irish saints were recognized. Irish missionaries established monasteries throughout Scotland, England, Switzerland, France, Germany, and Italy. They copied manuscripts, preserved learning, and spread the Gospel throughout Europe.

Historians call this Ireland's "Golden Age"—when this small island became the intellectual and spiritual center of Western Christianity. And it all traces back to one former slave who forgave his captors and returned to preach the Gospel.

[Christianity in Ireland today - the decline]

So what about Ireland today? The situation is heartbreaking. According to the 2022 Irish census, only 69% identify as Catholic—down from 84% in 2011. Those with "no religion" have grown to 14%, more than doubling in a decade. Church attendance has plummeted—only 10-15% of those under 35 attend weekly Mass.

Why? Clerical abuse scandals devastated trust. Rapid economic modernization brought secularization. Younger generations see institutional Christianity as oppressive. Ireland legalized same-sex marriage (2015) and abortion (2018), showing how much values have shifted.

[Signs of hope - new growth]

But there are signs of hope! Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity is growing in Ireland, though from a small base. There are approximately 50,000-70,000 evangelical Christians in 500-600 churches. Many are vibrant, growing, and reaching younger generations with biblical teaching and authentic community.

Ireland is also receiving immigrants from Poland, Romania, Brazil, and Nigeria who are planting churches and bringing fresh spiritual energy. Organizations now include Ireland as a mission field! Just as Patrick was once a captive taken from Britain to Ireland and returned as a missionary, today people from former British colonies are coming to Ireland as missionaries!

[What we can learn - Patrick's example]

What can we learn from Patrick's story? First, suffering can be preparation—Patrick's slavery prepared him to reach the Irish. Second, forgiveness opens mission fields—Patrick forgave his captors and returned to serve them. Third, training national leaders multiplies impact—Patrick trained Irish priests who then reached all of Europe. Fourth, long-term commitment produces lasting fruit—Patrick spent nearly 30 years in Ireland.

[How to pray for Ireland]

Pray for spiritual awakening in Ireland. Pray for evangelical churches to grow and multiply. Pray for young people who have rejected Christianity to encounter the living Christ. Pray for immigrant Christians to be salt and light. Pray for protection against further secularization.

[Personal reflection and closing]

As I think about my great-great-grandmother from Ireland and my grandma Esther who went to be with Jesus on St. Patrick's Day, I'm reminded that faith is passed down through generations. Patrick planted faith in Ireland. Irish monks kept faith alive in Europe. Irish immigrants brought faith to America. And now we pray for faith to return to Ireland.

This St. Patrick's Day, remember Patrick—the slave who became a saint, the captive who returned as a missionary, the man whose forgiveness changed a nation and shaped Western civilization.

And ask yourself: What is God calling me to do that seems as impossible as returning to those who enslaved me? Where is God preparing me through suffering? Who am I called to forgive and reach with the Gospel?

[Closing prayer]

Let me pray: Lord Jesus, thank you that we can look to Patrick as an example of a man who was sold out to You and had a servant’s heart. He truly loved his enemies and those who hurt him. He obeyed Your calling, even though it must have been very difficult. Please help each of us to learn from him. We also pray for Ireland, that the spark that once burnt brightly there, for You Lord Jesus, will once again be fanned into a flame! May it be so Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. 

Thank you for joining me for this St. Patrick's Day special. May Patrick's story inspire you to radical obedience and radical forgiveness.

Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, including Ireland, and answer God's call wherever it leads!

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The Glory of the Impossible: Samuel Zwemer's Call to the Unreached

Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to share something with you that stirred my soul deeply—a challenge from Samuel Marinus Zwemer, nicknamed "The Apostle to Islam." Zwemer lived from 1867 to 1952, and he was an American missionary who served in Arabia—in places like Busrah and Bahrein—from 1891 to 1905.

Here's what's remarkable about Zwemer: He was famously turned down by the American Missionary Society. They wouldn't send him. So he went overseas alone anyway! He founded and edited the publication "The Moslem World," and his greatest contribution to missions was stirring Christians to the need for evangelism among Muslims.

And I believe that need should be stirred again today! The Muslim world remains one of the most unreached populations on earth. Muslims comprise a vast majority of the 10/40 Window—that rectangle stretching from West Africa across the Middle East to Asia where most of the world's unreached peoples live. In some Muslim regions, there are as few as three missionaries per million Muslims. Think about that—three missionaries for a million people!

Islam is the second-fastest growing religion in the world, after Christianity. And yet, how much of our missionary effort is focused there? How many young people are preparing to take the Gospel to Muslims? How many churches are praying for and supporting work in the Muslim world?

What I want to share with you today is Zwemer's message called "The Glory of the Impossible." I'm going to walk through his main ideas, translating his powerful 19th-century language into something we can grasp today. Listen carefully, and let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart.

[First main idea - Faith transforms sacrifice]

Zwemer begins with this foundational truth: Our willingness to sacrifice for something is always in proportion to our faith in it. If you really believe in something, you'll give everything for it. Faith, he says, has the genius of transforming what seems barely possible into actual reality.

Think about it—once you're dominated by the conviction that something must be done, you won't stop until it's accomplished. That's what real pioneers are like. They don't get discouraged by setbacks. They don't quit when things fail. In fact, even when missionaries are martyred, it only motivates them more! Opposition just makes them work harder.

Zwemer says it bluntly: Great victory has never been possible without great sacrifice. If winning a battle requires soldiers willing to die, then we can't expect to reach the hardest mission fields without loss of life. And here's his penetrating question: Does it really matter how many die or how much money we spend if we truly believe that missions is warfare and the King's glory is at stake?

War always costs blood and treasure. Our only concern should be fighting aggressively and winning the victory, regardless of cost. Then Zwemer says something powerful: "The unoccupied fields of the world must have their Calvary before they can have their Pentecost."

Just as Jesus had to go to the cross before the Holy Spirit could come at Pentecost, the unreached fields must see sacrifice before they'll see breakthrough. There's no resurrection without crucifixion. There's no Pentecost without Calvary.

[Second main idea - Following Jesus means suffering]

Zwemer then reminds us that the unoccupied fields await those willing to be lonely for the sake of Christ. Jesus said to His disciples, "As my Father has sent Me, even so I send you." How was Jesus sent? His welcome was derision—people mocked Him. His life was suffering. His throne was the cross.

If that's how Jesus came, Zwemer says, then that's how we should expect to go. We must follow in His footprints. The pioneer missionary has the privilege not only of knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection, but also the fellowship of His sufferings.

And what is that suffering? Zwemer calls it "the glory of the impossible!" Who would naturally choose to leave the warmth and comfort of home and family to go after a lost sheep whose cry we've barely heard in the howling storm? Nobody! Yet that's the glory of the task—it's so important that neither family ties nor personal needs can hold back those who've caught the vision of the Great Shepherd.

Why? Because the lost ones are His sheep, and He's made us His shepherds, not hired hands who run away when danger comes. We must bring them back.

[Third main idea - Avoiding the calculating spirit]

Here's where Zwemer really challenges us. He points out that in the early days of Christianity, there was an absence of what he calls "the calculating spirit." Most of the apostles died outside of Palestine, even though human logic would have said they should stay there until their own country was fully Christian.

The calculating instinct is death to faith! If the apostles had been calculating, they would have said: "The need in Jerusalem is so huge, our responsibility to our own people so obvious, that we need to focus here first. Charity begins at home, right? After we've won Jerusalem and Judea, then we'll go abroad. We have so many unsolved problems right here that it's absurd to take on a new burden."

Sound familiar? That's what we say today! "We have so many problems in America—why go overseas? We need to fix our own country first!" But that's the calculating spirit, and Zwemer says it's death to faith.

What thrilled the early church? The bigness of the task! The difficulty! The apparent impossibility was the glory. The worldwide scope was the grandeur. And the same is true today.

[Fourth main idea - Plowing in hope]

Zwemer encourages pioneer missionaries with this promise: Those who plow virgin soil should plow in hope. God never disappoints His farmers. The harvest always follows the planting season.

He shares a testimony from missionary Hogberg in Central Asia. When Hogberg first arrived, it was impossible to gather even a few people to hear the Gospel. They couldn't get children for school. They couldn't give away Gospels or tracts. When they built a chapel, they wondered if it would ever be filled with Muslims listening to the Gospel.

But guess what happened? The chapel filled up! They needed a bigger room! Day after day they preached, and Muslims no longer objected to hearing about Jesus. One Muslim told Hogberg, "Before you came here, no one spoke or thought of Jesus Christ. Now everywhere one hears His name." At first, Muslims threw away the Gospels or burned them. Now they buy them, kiss them, touch them to their foreheads, press them to their hearts—showing the highest honor a Muslim can show a book!

But here's the key: The pioneer must have long patience. Results don't come overnight.

[Fifth main idea - The prospects are bright]

Zwemer tells the story of Adoniram Judson, the great missionary to Burma. Judson was thrown in prison, loaded with chains. A fellow prisoner sneered at him and asked about the prospects for converting the heathen. Judson calmly answered: "The prospects are as bright as the promises of God."

That's our confidence! Not in our abilities, not in favorable circumstances, not in easy access—but in God's promises! And Zwemer says there's scarcely a country today that's harder to reach than Burma was when Judson faced it and overcame.

So the prospects for evangelizing all the unoccupied fields are as bright as the promises of God. Why should we wait any longer?

[Sixth main idea - Making a life, not just a living]

Then Zwemer issues a challenge to talented young people. Is there a more heroic test for human potential than pioneer missionary work? Here's an opportunity for those who may never find room at home for all their abilities, who may never find adequate scope for all their powers.

There are hundreds of Christian college graduates planning to spend their lives practicing law or working in business just to make money. Yet they have enough strength and talent to go to unreached fields! There are young doctors who could gather thousands of suffering people at a new mission station and lift their burden of pain. But instead they confine themselves to comfortable practices where healthcare is measured in cash and competition.

Zwemer's devastating line: "They are making a living; they might be making a life."

What are you doing? Making a living, or making a life? There's a difference!

[Seventh main idea - Pray for power, not ease]

Zwemer quotes Bishop Phillips Brooks: "Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle."

Perfect words for the challenge of reaching the unreached! God can give us power for the task. He was sufficient for those who went out in the past, and He's sufficient for those who go out today.

[Eighth main idea - It's no sacrifice]

Finally, Zwemer closes with David Livingstone's famous words when he visited Cambridge University in 1857 to appeal for missionaries to Africa. Livingstone said:

"For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God appointed me to such work. People talk of the sacrifice I made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paying back a small part of a great debt we owe to God? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blessed reward in healthy activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of glorious destiny? Away with such a word! It's emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it's a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then may make us pause and cause our spirit to waver and our soul to sink—but only for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice."

[Personal application and challenge]

So let me bring this home. Zwemer's message is clear: The unreached fields of the world are waiting for Christians who will embrace the glory of the impossible. They're waiting for believers who will say, "The bigger and harder the task, the more glorious it is! The impossibility is what makes it worthy of Christ!"

Right now, there are 7,401 unreached people groups representing 3.4 billion people. There are Muslim regions with only three missionaries per million people. There are Buddhist peoples, Hindu peoples, animist peoples who have never heard Jesus's name. The unoccupied fields still await.

Are you making a living, or making a life? Are you spending your talents in comfortable careers that benefit you, or are you investing them in eternal work that glorifies God? Are you calculating what's safe and reasonable, or are you embracing what seems impossible because of your faith in God's promises?

The prospects are as bright as the promises of God! God never disappoints His farmers—the harvest follows the planting. The unoccupied fields must have their Calvary before their Pentecost. And it's no sacrifice—it's a privilege!

[Closing prayer]

Let me pray: 

The glory of the impossible awaits! Will you embrace it?

Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and don't settle for making a living when you could be making a life!

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