Commitment
The Bible explains commitment with the word “cross”. Cross is not always a nice word when applied to missions. The cross is something more than costume jewellery around the neck. It is the symbol of Christ’s death. The cross is a symbol of severe and complete commitment. It is giving oneself to another person or cause without restraint. For the Christian, it is the total commitment to Jesus and his ministry. Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). The cross here involves death to self; it is total commitment to Christ.
It needs to be noted that the background for this time period is the Japanese occupation. This began a 40 year period of oppression that taught Koreans the meaning of the cross.
Shrine worship
“We decided to oppose in every way submition [spelling Dr. Byram’s] to this requirement to the end” and “to be accounted worthy to witness for Him no matter what the cost”
The shrine worship had been explained that this act was only showing the Japanese that they were loyal to their government. Many churches and missionaries accepted this explanation and went to the shrines. Those who were more astute saw this shrine worship as no less than bowing to another god which they refused to do.
“Shere fright and terror grip the native church organizations, unless they worship at the Shrines of the Sun Goddess, and these shrines are being set up in the church buildings. Our strength and our boldness is not to be found in ourselves…We believe that the Word of God has power and that those who are enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ are afraid of that power…”
Persecution
We hear of new arrests every few days but with this news come messages of encouragement (they encouraging us) and the strongest groups are those where the greatest number have gone to prison.
In Prison (with Bruce Hunt)
A wonderful victory had been won right there. So all day long again there was that marvelous privi lege of witnessing to the highest courts in that land. We were in one and then we were in another. We were able to witness to the highest courts in that land to the one true God and the necessity of all mankind turning to him and to his son, Jesus Christ. What Jesus had done and how we must accept his sacrifice. It was clear and those people heard without any shadow of a doubt the true biblical teaching of the coming of Christ into the world and of the sacrifice made by him .
Freed from Prison
My (Roy Byram) experience remains a subject for great thanksgiving and even exultation, for we came to know that we leave behind us a member- ship in Christ’s body who resisted “unto blood” the demands of State Shinto. By going with our friends to prison in a sense we were able to show our sympathy, but not as he, may God grant him repentance, who went out with his students to worship with them at the Shinto Shrine to show his sympathy for them in doing something which they did not desire to do. In the providence of God we were allowed the unspeakable privilege of going with them to do something which they rejoiced to do for Christ’s sake.
Call of the Missionary
These were clear, definite calls of God, and they required obedience. Failure to obey almost cost Jonah his life. It is a tremendous and glorious thing to be entrusted with the Gospel of the Eternal God, but to become a missionary without God’s call, is something no one should dare to do.
