Malatya, Turkey...Martyrs for Christ

Last night Robert brought a movie/documentary home which we proceeded to watch. It was on the lives and deaths of 3 christian workers in Turkey in 2007.

Tilmann Geske, Necati Aydin,(Pastor of the church) Ugur Yuksel

The following is from a little booklet that came with the dvd....

The Martyrs
Necati, Uğur, and Tilmann are not larger-than-life icons. They are three real men with very different stories, backgrounds, and personalities, united by the bond of Jesus Christ and the courage to die for His Name’s sake.

The Church
Before the killings in Malatya, Turkish Muslim background Christians had faced constant pressure, media slander, and even torture, but no one had paid the ultimate price. Since the martyrdom, attacks and attempted murders have increased all over the country, strengthening the resolve of some and compelling others to flee. These killings mark the beginning of a new age of persecution and purification for the Turkish Church.

The Enduring Faithfulness of God
The Malatya martyrdom has challenged the most fundamental assumption in Turkey (to be Turk is to be Muslim) and has forced the public to acknowledge the presence of the indigenous Turkish Church. In the midst of much grief and suffering, God has brought great opportunity, as the lives of just 3000 Christians are put on display before a country of 72 million. Those we spoke with testify with a unified voice that God is working for His glory and their good and this fact has brought the Church great joy in the midst of persecution.

This movie is truly moving and compelling. It leaves you admiring these men and those they left behind, praising God that they were 'faithful unto death' and asking yourself, "Do I have the spirit of Paul when he said "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain"?

We are very comfortable in our middle class society here in the US. We have no fear, yet, of being arrested or tortured for our faith. All we have to worry about is, what will I make for dinner? What color of paint will I use? Will I find a husband/wife? What college will I go to? What doctrinal book will I read next? Not that these are not important and necessary things to think about but in the big picture of the Kingdom of God they are momentary and passing.

I realise that for mothers at home we have priorities and God glorifying ones at that. Our children and our home are what God has called us to first and foremost. Our hearts and our prayers, however, can be for those who face the powers of darkness daily. We can instill into our children, hearts for God that put Him first, hearts that "Seek first the Kingdom of God".

I am reminded of the words of Jim Elliot, another missionary martyr, who died at the end of an Auca Indian spear.....

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."