To live is Christ

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Philippians 1:21 states, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Essentially its like this, if I live on here I get to tell people about the life giving message of Jesus. If I die, I get to be with him, I’m a winner either way. My friend Sam Thomas honestly lives out that piece of Scripture. Right now he is in a jail in India, without charge and with a $25,000 bounty on his head. You might like to know what his crime is. The list is as follows. He and his father M.A. take care of over 10,000 orphans (it may be more than that now). They provide food, clothing, and education for all of these. They build schools to educate thousands of other Indian children. They provide care for lepers. They hold medical clinics for the lowest of all of India’s castes; the Dalits and they plant churches and preach the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are his crimes. And right now his life is in danger. He is sleeping in a jail for the cause of the Gospel. What an unbelievably incredible privilege. He has slept at my house and we have driven together all over the south taking this message to churches. I’ve been to his house and eaten with him. I’ve seen his life and he really does believe that to live is Christ, to die is gain. I heard him say one time from a pulpit in India, “If you are here to kill me, go ahead, but if you do kill me you will not kill God’s church you will only give it more strength, for the blood of the martyrs is the seed of new churches!” These are perhaps some of the most courageous words I’ve ever heard. My soldiers are courageous, but they have weapons. Sam carries no gun, only his love for mankind and his devotion to Christ. If you are reading this stop and pray that God would use the life or death of Sam Thomas to bring glory to Jesus and that many would know his great name! You can read all about what is going on there by going to www.hopegivers.com

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