The Weekly Perspective

by Burke Shade, Associate Pastor

The conclusion of each letter to the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 ends with a similar phrase: “To the one who conquers, I [Jesus] will…” and then you have a promise of Jesus to that church. They range from eating of the tree of life, not being hurt by the second death, being given hidden manna, authority over the nations and ruling them with a rod of iron, white garments and confession of the conqueror’s name before His father, being made a pillar in the temple of God, to sitting on the throne with Christ. All worthy gifts to those who remain faithful to Jesus during times of tribulation.

Have you ever wondered what that looks life in real time, in real life? Well, this week is the 100 year anniversary of the Flying Scotsman, Eric Liddell, winning the gold in the 400 meter race at the Olympics in Paris, France. His athletic life and running was made famous in the movie “Chariots of Fire.” If you’ve seen the movie, you know that after his fame as a runner, he went back to his birth land, China, to continue the missionary work of his parents. While being caught in the midst of a devastating civil war and WWII, he chose to stay and carry on the ministry, and was finally interned by the Japanese after they invaded China. He died in 1945 of a brain tumor, just two months before the camp was liberated.

His friend and fellow missionary Annie Buchan was with him at the end. She told the makers of Eric Liddell: The Flying Scotsman: “Suddenly he said, ‘Annie, it’s complete surrender’ and that was his last breath. He went into a coma and never recovered.” Liddell never wavered in his Christian faith. “He had been a man who was surrendering to God all his life through, and I don’t believe that it cost him much to say ‘complete surrender’ because he knew where he was going.” — BBC, July 8, 2024, article, “It’s Complete Surrender”

Certainly, he was a conqueror in Jesus Christ! Certainly he believed his Savior.