Cam was a boy who lived on one of the Indonesian islands. His father had died and he was brought up by his uncle. His uncle hated the name of Jesus, and Christians as well.
However, once when Sam visited a sick friend in the big city, he had walked around town in the evening and heard a missionary preaching on the street corner. He stopped to listen, and then for the first time he heard Jesus Christ proclaimed as the Saviour of sinners. Then one day Sam picked up a small booklet on the side of the road. It told about Jesus Christ, and Sam tucked it into his pocket.
In the evenings it was usual for the men and boys to go down to the river to bathe and Sam and his uncle were there. Sam left his trousers on the bank and slipped into the cool refreshing stream. After a swim, he and his uncle climbed up the bank and began to dress. As Sam picked up his trousers the little book fell out. His uncle picked it up and noticed the name of Jesus on the front cover. At once he was furious. “Where did you get this?” he demanded. Sam did not reply, and his uncle, tearing the little book into pieces, threw it into the water.
Sam was sorry to see his precious book destroyed this way. It had become his special treasure. He loved to read in it the wonderful words of life, of Jesus, the sinner’s Friend, and he had really and truly trusted Him as Saviour. He believed that Jesus had died for him upon the Cross.
Silently he followed his uncle up the path to home, and on the way, he made a decision: he must tell his uncle that he was a Christian.
Sam was nervous, but the Lord gave him courage. He went into his uncle’s room and said to him, “Uncle, I have become a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that He died for my sins and that He is alive forever.”
This brought his uncle to his feet with a scream. “You wretched, ungrateful nephew,” said he. “I have taken care of you ever since your father died, and you know I hate Christians. If you speak to me again of Jesus, I’ll kill you.”
It was a solemn moment for Sam, and his face turned pale; but as he turned away he was determined to show his uncle by his life and conduct that he was changed—that he loved the Lord Jesus.
A little later, Sam secretly visited a missionary in his home and told him his story, how he heard the gospel that night on the street corner, that he had found a little booklet telling of God’s love in giving the Lord Jesus to die as a sacrifice for sin, and how he had found joy in trusting Him as his Saviour.
It was with great joy that the missionary read together with Sam, explaining to him the scriptures as he went along, and Sam was both helped and encouraged. The desire grew in his heart to be a missionary himself to his own people and tell them the wondrous story of Jesus. How could he tell his uncle of his intention!
Sam prayed about it for a long time and finally made up his mind. He would tell his uncle.
The next morning, trembling and shaking, he presented himself before his uncle, who wondered what was up. With great difficulty Sam stammered out that he wanted to preach Jesus Christ to his own people.
The supreme moment had come, His uncle was infuriated. Drawing a knife from behind him, he stood before his nephew. Sam thought to run, but he seemed frozen to the ground. His uncle raised the knife above his head, and at that moment Sam felt the Lord’s presence with him in a way that he had never known before. If he died, he would go to be with his Saviour, forever. It was a dreadful moment. All of a sudden his uncle collapsed at his feet—dead. He had died from a heart attack. Sam had been spared, but deep was his sorrow when he thought of how his uncle had died a rejecter of Christ, unsaved and without hope.
This incident made Sam more than ever determined to carry the gospel to his own people. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).
I AM NOT
ASHAMED
OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
for it is the
power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth.
ML 07/14/1968