by Elder Peter Lim

I’ve always been a fan of old epic movies such as “Ben-Hur” and “Gone With the Wind.” One of my favorites is “Spartacus” starring Kirk Douglas. It’s the story of a Roman slave who is mistreated and trained to die in a gladiatorial battle. He escapes to form a band of men who try to fight and escape from the tyranny of Roman slavery. Near the end of the movie, the men are captured and the Romans try to find out which one of them is Spartacus and offers to suspend their death sentence in exchange for revealing which one of them is Spartacus since he’s the one who led the revolt. They intend to make an example of him by executing him. Just as Spartacus is about to stand up and announce that he is Spartacus, one of his buddies stands first saying, “I am Spartacus.” Then another of his men stands up to claim that he is Spartacus. Before long, all his men are standing up claiming to be Spartacus. The movie ends with Spartacus and all of his men being crucified on crosses and publicly displayed along the Appian Way. The reason this movie hits me in a particular way is because these men were formerly slaves who would’ve done anything to escape, without caring for anyone else except for themselves. Near the end of the movie, they are willing to die to protect Spartacus because of the kindness and self-sacrificing example he showed. This isn’t a Christian movie and these men are not seeking to glorify Christ in any sense. Even the line “I am Spartacus” is really a lie unless it is Spartacus speaking. But the reason I am moved by this scene particularly is that these men are willing to step up and die because of the inspiration they received from Spartacus.

How much more so when we have a Savior who died the death that we rightfully deserved. This silly movie example hardly compares with the calling from our glorious risen Lord. When Isaiah received his calling as a prophet (Isaiah 6:8) in a vision, God asked the question, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”, Isaiah replied, “Here am I. Send me.” This enthusiastic answer to His calling came just a few verses after Isaiah cowered in fear because of his sinfulness, upon entering the presence of God. What happened? What transformed him from one who cowers with fear to one who is enthusiastically willing to do God’s work? His unclean lips were touched by the burning coal which symbolizes the purification of God, the atoning work of Christ. He had been cleansed and was now qualified to do God’s work.

He calls us now to evangelize the world. He calls us to that by being members of his body, the church (Eph. 5:30). When our church is in need, it is our role to fulfill whatever needs she has. With our church plant happening just a few weeks from now, the reality of many faithful servants leaving San Diego has definitely begun to show. Many of us are probably getting a little nervous about all the new people who need to step up into roles being vacated by these faithful servants. Fortunately, God has sovereignly given to our church all that we need in order to move forward. People have begun to expand beyond what they were comfortable with and have challenged themselves to serve more and at a greater involvement. But still more opportunities remain. Will you be the one to sacrificially make yourself available to do the Lord’s work? Are you willing to say, “Here am I. Send me?” Or would you rather stay in your comfort zone without being challenged and stretched in order to serve in an area that will definitely cause you to fall on your knees in prayer because you feel so inadequate?