Scott Jennings: What Will Be Your Finest Hour?

Behind the backdrop of Nazi Germany invading Poland in September of 1939, prompting England to declare war, Winston Churchill was sworn in as Prime Minister on May 10, 1940. As the time came for Churchill to assume power, he was fully aware that he was a man for his time. With his ability to rouse public spirit and his staunch belief in the British resolve, he tackled the war that seemed impossible to win, knowing full well that the British Isles were the crown jewel that Hitler sought most. Facing the most perilous moment of English history, Churchill addressed the nation and the people that he loved,

“If we fail, then the whole world … will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years to come, men will still say: ‘This was their finest hour’.”

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It seems that adversity brings out either the best or the worst in us. We are exhorted to “count it all joy” when we fall into various trials (James 1:2), and yet the natural response of our hearts is often a desire to complain, withdraw, or become fearful in difficult circumstances.

There can be no doubt that God desires for each of his servants to grow in grace and maturity to the point that we can face into dark and troubling times with a response that is based on faith rather than fear … determination rather than despair. Even Jesus, as a Son of the Father, “learned obedience by the things which he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). So we also, as sons and daughters of the Most High, are destined to be fashioned and purified by troubles: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:6-7).

To equip us to become those who overcome in the face of trial, God provides us with detailed accounts of ordinary men and women in the Scriptures who looked disaster, defeat, and death in the eye and changed the course of history, whether in small ways or great. We know the stories of Joseph, Moses, Deborah, Gideon, David, Daniel, Peter and others who, by the grace of God turned incredible adversity into their finest hour for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

But there are other accounts as well … stories of simple believers, like you and me, throughout the course of church history who made a difference because they chose to look at a trial as an opportunity to triumph. May their finest hours described in the paragraphs that follow inspire us to count it all joy …

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TELEMACHUS

In the fourth century there lived an Asiatic monk who had spent most of his life in a remote community of prayer, raising vegetables for his cloister’s kitchen. When he was not tending his garden, he was fulfilling his vocation of study and prayer.

Then one day, this monk named Telemachus felt that the Lord wanted him to go to Rome, the capital of nations – the busiest, wealthiest, biggest city in the world. Telemachus had no idea why he should go there, and he was terrified at the thought. But as he prayed, God’s directive became clear.

How bewildered the little monk must have been as he set out on the long journey, on foot, over dusty roads westward, everything he owned on his back. Why was he going? He didn’t know. What would he find there? He had no idea. But obediently, he went.

Telemachus arrived in Rome during the holiday festival. You may know that the Roman rulers kept the ghettos quiet in those days by providing free bread and special entertainment called circuses. At the time Telemachus arrived, the city was also bustling with excitement over the recent Roman victory over the Goths. In the midst of this jubilant commotion, the monk looked for clues as to why God had brought him there, for he had no other guidance – no superior in his religious order to contact. “Perhaps”, he thought, “it is no sheer coincidence that I have arrived at this festival time. Perhaps God has some special role for me to play.”

So Telemachus let the crowds guide him, and the stream of humanity soon led him into the Coliseum where the gladiator contests were to be staged. He could hear the cries of the animals in their cages beneath the floor of the great arena and the clamor of the contestants preparing to do battle.

The gladiators marched into the arena, saluted the emperor, and shouted, “We who are about to die salute thee!” Telemachus shuddered. He had never heard of gladiator games before, but had a premonition of awful violence. The crowds had come to cheer men who, for no reason other than their amusement, would murder each other. Human lives were offered for entertainment. As the monk realized what was going to happen, he recognized that he could not sit still and watch such savagery. Neither could he leave and forget. He jumped to the top of the perimeter wall and cried, “In the Name of Christ, forbear!”

The fighting began, of course. No one paid the slightest heed to the puny voice. So Telemachus pattered down the stone steps and leapt onto the sandy floor of the arena. He made a comic figure, really – a scrawny man in a monk’s habit dashing back and forth between muscular, armed athletes. One gladiator sent him sprawling with a blow from his shield, directing him back to his seat. It was a rough gesture, though almost a kind one. The crowd roared in laughter.

But Telemachus refused to stop. He rushed into the way of those trying to fight, shouting again, “In the Name of Christ, forbear!” The crowd began to laugh and cheer him on, perhaps thinking him part of the entertainment. Just then his movement blocked the vision of one of the contestants; the gladiator saw a blow coming from his opponent just in time. Furious now, the crowd began to cry for the interloper’s blood. “Run him through,” they screamed.

The gladiator who’s view he had blocked raised his sword and with a flash of steel struck Telemachus, slashing down across his chest and plunging his sword into his stomach. The little monk gasped, and one last time cried, “In the Name of Christ, forbear.”

Then a strange thing occurred. As the two gladiators and the crowd focused on the still form on the suddenly crimson sand, the arena grew deathly quiet. In the silence, someone in the top tier got up and walked out. Another followed. All over the arena, spectators began to leave, one by one, until the huge stadium was emptied.

Certainly other forces were also at work during this time of Rome’s history. But that one innocent figure lying in the pool of blood crystallized the minds of a nation, and that was the last gladiator contest ever held in the Roman Coliseum. Never again did men kill each other for the crowds’ entertainment in a Roman arena. Although he did not live to see the outcome of his actions, surely this was Telemachus’ finest hour.

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JOHN G. LAKE

John G. Lake and his wife, Jennie, were married February 5, 1893. Jennie possessed a wonderful sense of humor, keen judgment, a strong faith in God, and a deep spiritual sensitivity. They loved one another dearly, and the Lord blessed the couple with a marvelous unity and with seven children.

After only two years, calamity struck. Jennie developed a life threatening case of tuberculosis and heart disease that began in 1895 and worsened month by month. It was the onset of paralysis that caused John to throw his Bible against the fireplace mantle in anger and despair on April 28, 1898. It fell open to Acts Chapter 10, and John’s eyes were drawn to verse 38, “… God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil …”. This moment defined his ministry; for with newfound faith he declared to those present that Jennie, now upon her deathbed, paralyzed, racked with coughing fits, and burning with fever, would be healed by her Lord at exactly 9:30 a.m. 9:30 came, and John knelt by her bed and called on the God who heals. At first, John heard a faint sound escape from Jennie’s lips. Then she cried out, “Praise God, I’m healed!” She threw back the covers from her bed, stood up, and they joyously worshipped God together.

The news of Jennie’s healing, and the doctor’s stunned reactions, provoked a national curiosity and the Lake’s were instantly thrust into a ministry followed by signs and wonders that ultimately led them to South Africa in early 1908. John and Jennie established the Apostolic Tabernacle in Johannesburg, and in less than a year had started over 100 churches throughout Africa. The work of overseeing these churches kept John more frequently away from home. And while on one such journey to the Kalahari Desert of Botswana, on December 22, 1908, John received the most devastating news of his lifetime. Back in Johannesburg, his beloved Jennie had collapsed. When he arrived home twelve hours later, she had already gone to be with the Lord.

Most accounts of Jennie Lake’s death attribute it to malnutrition and physical exhaustion. You see, when John was away, scores of sick people seeking him out would arrive and wait on his lawn until he returned. So, Jennie would feed them, with what little food she could spare, while they waited. She would try to make their stay as comfortable as possible until John returned. Between this and caring for her own children, she physically neglected her own needs. Her body simply gave out. His wife was dead, and John felt that he was to blame. Others blamed him as well.

It was the darkest of times for John G. Lake. He questioned his calling, his work, his worthiness and ability to continue in the service of the Lord. Wanting to leave it all, he returned to America to ponder his future. There he found that God would not release him, and John could not forsake God. At God’s direction, John returned to African soil in January of 1910, and during the next two years he gave himself to the Lord with abandon. In these two short years, his final years in Africa, he started two streams of churches – the Apostolic Faith Mission and the Zion Christian Churches – both of which still continue on the African continent. By the time he left Africa in 1912, his ministry there had produced 625 congregations, 1,250 preachers, and more than 100,000 converts.

John G. Lake’s darkest moment became his finest hour.

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GILES TILLEMAN

The year was 1544. Brussels, Belgium. Giles Tilleman was being brought to the place of burning, to be martyred for his faith in Jesus Christ. A hostile crowd surrounded him, scoffing and jeering. As he and executioner passed a poor man along the way, Tilleman stopped and gave his shoes to him, saying, “Better to do so than to have my shoes burnt, and the poor to perish for the cold.”

He mounted the steps to the platform and took note of the great heap of wood piled for his fire. "Take the greater portion of wood,” he requested, “and give it to those here in need. A little fire will suffice for my death.” The wood was distributed as he asked. Some in the crowd stopped their barbs.

Standing now, bound to the stake, the executioner was ready to strangle him and render him unconscious before the torture of the fire. But, Tilleman refused the noose. “I fear not the fire, but God alone. Do thou what thou must, only do it now.” The crowd fell silent, and many bowed their heads. And thus the blessed martyr, lifting up his eyes to heaven in the middle of the flame, died, to the great lamentation and tears of all who stood by.

In these simple acts of selflessness and faith, Giles Tilleman had his finest hour.

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Dear saint, your finest hour lies before you, and it is likely to manifest in a time of great trouble. May God grant you the grace and strength to “lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of you” (Philippians 3:12).

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The "Telemachus" story is found in many places, but I adapted it from the version told in Charles Colson's book, "Loving God" - Loving God; By Charles W. Colson;Published by Zondervan, 1997;Pg 242 ff

The Giles Tilleman story I adapted from Foxe's Book of Martyrs: Fox's Book of Martyrs a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Triumphant Deaths of the Primitive Protestants Martyrs; By John Foxe, Xinware Corp; Published by Xinware Corporation, 2007