I have been greatly impacted and inspired by people God has affected to live for him throughout history, like Adoniram Judson (August 9, 1788 – April 12, 1850). Adoniram Judson was an American who trusted in the gospel and was led to the country of Burma to share the gospel and God's word to those who needed to hear the gospel of Christ, where he then encountered the greatest hardships of life from the loss of family, falsely arrested by an outside intervening government, and a deep, dark depression that turned hopeful in the end.
Adoniram Judson is not perfect and his life is filled with failure and struggle, but the main point of his life is the perfect one of Christ Jesus, even in the midst of great darkness. The main aim of Judson's life was not to do 'ministry' like that of evangelism or Bible translation but his sole aim was who impacted him in the first place -- God. Therefore, anything that Judson did like evangelism or Bible translation was aligned to that aim, including the struggles and being humbled throughout his life.
The below biographical sermon resource provided a glimpse into a life affected by and following Christ regardless of where he takes you. The sermon has also provided great discussion among friends and family along with a great resource for teaching and sharing with others.
John Piper begins the above biographical sermon entitled "How Few There Are Who Die So Hard" of Adoniram Judson via their resource DesiringGod.org by stating,
"So what I would like to do in this message is show four things and close with a plea that all of you earnestly consider your role in completing the Lord's great commission.
- God's purpose to spread the gospel to all peoples.
- God's plan to make suffering a crucial means to accomplish this purpose.
- The position we are now in with regard to world evangelization.
- The pain of Adoniram Judson as an illustration of the truth.
- A plea to you to be a part of what Judson and Christ died for."
Here are some related books on Adoniram Judson:
Post Photo Credit: Wikipedia