The Lost Soul

The Lost Soul

A prisoner, but born that way.

J Oscar Wells was a missionary in China when Japan invaded. He and his wife were taken prisoner and forced to live, with hundreds of others, on a ship as prisoners of war. It was during those years that they gave birth to their daughter Shannon. Consider, she had her parents, food at least enough to survive. She had other children to play with. She had never known anything else. She didn’t know she was a prisoner.

The illusion of freedom

The lost soul is born a prisoner of the devil. He or she is provided well enough to survive and often to believe they are thriving. 

The reality

Though they believe themselves to be thriving, the reality is, the keeper of the prison plans their final destruction. Like an animal that is fed well, giving plenty of clean fresh water and even doted upon by the farmer, the plan is to slaughter the animal, so the devil may provide everything necessary to keep the lost soul content and happy but the plan for them is death.

The battle of liberty

It is not until the lost soul realizes their condition, a battle begins, that they have hope of true liberty. The battle may be intense. There is the loss of all that they believe is theirs but is really only what the enemy of their soul wished them to have. There are feelings of helplessness, Dread at the prospect of destruction. There is the hope of escape but anxiety that it may never happen (what if it is not real?) There is the separation from other prisoners not willing to take the risk to fight for liberty. 

Surrender

It is only after the soul battles through these that he or she comes to realize they can never escape on their own. They are hopelessly trapped without a Saviour. When they surrender to the battle, then Jesus steps in. They need not fight the battle. Jesus has won it already. 

Liberty

The saved soul realizes that his liberty was gained, not by his struggle but by the Lord. Liberty is found in following the Saviour.

Marvin McKenzie

In the fields

Remote Missions in the Continental United States

Seven o’clock AM. He climbs aboard a four-seat prop plane destined for tiny Stuart Island.  The wind is blowing badly. It'll be a rough trip. Today he’ll make three visits to remote peoples on two islands not accessible by public transportation. When he arrives, there will be no vehicle to pick him up. He'll walk to the homes or, in some cases, they may furnish a quad for quicker transportation.

Other days he’ll visit these, and other islands, by either chartered or private boat. The population of these tiny islands varies from a few hundred to a few thousand, depending on the season. The islands are inhabited by two vastly different people groups, the one, subsistence dwellers. They earn just enough to supplement what they can’t provide by living off the land. The other, wealthy people, drawn to the islands for their beauty, and their solitude. Both people groups have this in common, they aren’t fond of strangers on their island.

My son, Bohannan McKenzie, pastors Lighthouse Baptist Church in Anacortes, WA. His church is on the most populated of the San Juan Islands, and the last that is accessible by public roads. The others can only be reached by plane or ferry. Most of the islands in the San Juans have no public ferry system. The people who live on them do so precisely because they are secluded.

Bohannan also owns Anacortes Plumbing. That’s his invitation and his ticket in. These folks have their own tiny villages, their own postal service, even their own tiny schoolhouses. What they don’t want is a bunch of visitors. What they have to have, from time to time, is a craftsman willing to deal with the hassles of working in such remote areas. And it is the trade that provides Bohannan access to people who would otherwise have no witness for Jesus Christ.

A family who lost their son – but there is no preacher on their island. Bohannan has had a two-year conversation of comfort and hope with them. He believes they are close to trusting Christ as Saviour. Again, and again he makes visits to these tiny towns. Again, and again his trade of plumbing gets him fresh invitations to return. Again, and again he has the opportunity to tell them, these isolated citizens of the United States, of Jesus Christ.

This is remote missions work in the continental U.S.

Marvin McKenzie

In the fields.