CONSTRAINED

CONSTRAINED

“For the love of Christ constrains us . . .” (2 Corinthians 5:14)

The Greek word translated as “constrains” in our text is “sunecho.” It is found 12 times in the New Testament Scriptures and literally means to “hold together” or “confine.” For example, it is used in Luke 22:63 to describe how Jesus was held by soldiers and taken into custody. When Jesus was arrested in the garden the soldiers seized Him and led Him away to the house of the high priest. Jesus could have immediately summoned more than twelve legions of angels to deliver him from their grip, but He loved us too much for that (Matthew 26:53). Jesus deliberately let them blindfold and abuse Him because He loved us. In fact, He loves the whole world. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17) God wants to save the world, not condemn it! It was not three nails that held Jesus on the cross, it was His love “constrained” Him to die for us! “This is how we know what love us: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (1 John 3:16)

The commandment to love dates back to the very beginning: “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. (1 John 3:11-12) Loving God will all your heart, soul, and strength is part of the “Shema” which is a prayer that devout Jews recite every day (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). Moses also taught “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18) The “love of Christ,” however, is a new and more demanding love. This love comes as a “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-24). It is more powerful than any type of human love!

Jesus referred to this love on the night before Calvary: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Ordinary love was an old commandment! The NEW commandment involved a stronger and more powerful love. It is called the “love of Christ.” This new love is the same kind of love that “constrained” Jesus to die for us! When we love one another as Jesus loves us then “everyone will know” that we are His disciples!

The “love of Jesus” is what “constrained” the Apostle Paul. Even though the Jews hated Paul and tried over and over to kill him, Paul still loved them. Paul, himself, as you know, was a Jew (Acts 22:3). In fact, Paul loved the Jews so much that he was willing to be accursed from Christ if only the they could be saved. Paul wrote to the Romans: “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Hol Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” (Romans 9:1-5)

Here is a brief list of some of the persecutions Paul suffered at the hands of the Jews:

• Damascus was the city of Paul’s conversion. It was here that he was healed of his blindness, filled with the Holy Spirit, and was baptized. At once he began to preach in the synagogues proving that Jesus is the Christ. When the Jews conspired to kill him Paul escaped their plan by being lowered in a basket through an opening in the wall (Acts 9:15-25).
• Paul went to Jerusalem and spoke boldly in the name of the Lord, but when the Grecian Jews tried to kill him the brothers learned of it, took him down to Caesarea, and sent him to Tarsus (Acts 9:26-30).
• When Paul preached in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia the Jews incited the God-fearing women, stirred up persecution against him and expelled him from their region (Acts 13:49-50).
• When Paul preached in Iconium the Jews and Gentiles decided to stone him so he and Barnabas fled to Lystra and Derbe and continued to preach the good news (Acts 14:1-7).
• At Lystra some Jews came from Antioch, stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city thinking he was dead. God, however, raised him up and he and Barnabas left for Derbe (Acts 14:19-20).
• (It is my personal opinion that this stoning created Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” - 2 Corinthians 12:1-10:
• This left him with scars on his face (Galatians 6:17)
• Bad eye-sight (Galatians 4:15; 6:11)
• And affected his ability to speak (2 Corinthians 10:10; 11:6)
• When the prophet Agabus predicted a severe famine Paul and Barnabas took money from the brethren in Antioch to the elders in Jerusalem (Acts 11:27-30).
• For the next 15 years Paul went throughout the Mediterranean world raising money for the poor saints in Judea (1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:1 – 9:15; etc.)
• When Timothy joined began working with him, Paul had him circumcised for all the Jews in the area knew that his father was a Greek (Acts 16:1-5).
• After only three sabbath days the Jews in Thessalonica formed a riot and drove Paul out of town (Acts 17:1-10).
• When the Jews in Thessalonica heard that Paul was preaching in Berea they went there too and drove him out of town again (Acts 17:11-15).
• At Corinth the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive. This caused him to preach to the Gentiles and he stayed there for a year and a half (Acts 18:1-11).
• The Jews in Corinth then charged Paul in court with persuading people to worship God according to the law. When Gallio, the procounsel, refuse to hear the case the Jews publicly beat Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue (Acts 18:12-17).
• At Ephesus Paul spoke boldly for three months in the synagogue. When the Jews, however, became obstinate, refused to believe, and maligned the way, Paul took the disciples with him and had daily discussions in the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:8-10)
• On his way to Jerusalem the prophet Agabus came down from Judea to Caesarea. Then he bound his hands and feet with Paul’s belt and said: “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.” (Acts 21:10-11).
• In Jerusalem Jews from the province of Asia falsely accused Paul of taking a Gentile into the temple. The whole city was aroused and dragged Paul out or the temple trying to kill him (Acts 21:27-31).
• Roman soldiers rescued Paul and on the way to the barracks he was given an opportunity to speak to the crowd (Acts 21:31-40).
• When Paul mentioned that Jesus sent him to the Gentiles the Jews “Listened to Paul until he said this. They they raised their voices and shouted, ‘Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live.’” (Acts 22:22)
• “The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot.” (Acts 23:12-13)
• When Paul was taken to a prison in Caesarea the Jews were such a threat that they traveled at night with 200 soldiers. 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen (Acts 23:23).
• After two years in prison at Caesarea the Governor Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus (Acts 24:27)
• “Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?” (Acts 25:9)
• Since Paul knew the Jews in Jerusalem would kill him he appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 25:10-12).
• When Paul arrived in Rome in only three days he called together the leaders of the Jews hoping to win them to Christ (Acts 28:17-31).
• Paul explained to the Corinthians: “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
• When false apostles who were Jewish criticized Paul in Corinth he defended himself by saying: “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” (2 Corinthians 11:22-29)
• Don’t forget these words of Paul: “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel.”

JACOB DESHAZER

Jacob DeShazer was born in the United States November 15, 1912. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, DeShazer shouted “Japan is going to pay for this.” At the time DeShazer was an atheist. He enlisted in the Air Force and was a bombardier on the famous Doolittle Raid on Tokyo (April 18, 1942). After bombing Tokyo his plane ran out of fuel over Ningbo, China. For the next 40 months he was a prisoner of war. 34 of these months were spent in solitary confinement. Three of his crew members were executed by a firing squad and another died of starvation. His hatred for the Japanese could not have been stronger.

By the grace of God there was a Bible in the prison. Each prisoner could have this Bible for three weeks before passing it on to another. After reading the Bible for three weeks DeShazer, surrendered his heart to Jesus Christ. He was particularly fascinated by reading the prophets. He read through their writings six times and then connected the dots and realized that Jesus fulfilled those prophecies. On June 8, 1944 Jacob DeShazer surrendered to Jesus Christ and was “born again.” Jacob received physical life from his earthly father. His father’s DNA was in every cell of his body. When he was “born again” he received the DNA of his Heavenly Father. Peter described it like this: “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23)

The Apostle John explained it like this: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:7-18)

Remarkably, the “love of Christ constrained Jacob DeShazer to love the Japanese.” Remember the prayer of Jesus for those who crucified him “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) This also became the prayer of Jacob DeShazer.

The war came to an end August 20, 1945. DeShazer came back to the states, went to Bible College, got married, and returned to Japan with his wife in 1948. He love of Christ constrained him to spend the next 30 years of his life as a missionary to Japan.

MITSUO FUCHIDA

Mitsuo Fuchida was born in Japan December 3, 1902. In 1921 he entered the Japanese Naval Academy and became a pilot. He advanced rapidly in the Japanese air force and was made commander in October 1941. On December 7, 1941 he was the man who led the attack on the American base at Pearl Harbor. At 07:40 Hawaiian Standard Time, Mitsuo Fuchida slid back the canopy of his Nakajima

B5N2 torpedo bomber, tail code AI-301, and fired a single dark blue flare known as a "black dragon", the signal to attack. Over 2,400 Americans died in the attack and 1,178 were wounded.

After the war a number of Japanese military personnel were put on trial for war crimes and Fuchida was called as a witness. He had harbored hatred against the United States for decades and felt the trials were a sham. It was then he met his former flight engineer Kazuo Kanegasaki. Fuchida thought he had been killed in the Battle of Midway. Instead, he survived the battle and became a POW. Fuchida followed the “Code of the Warrior” which demanded revenge. He was therefore shocked to learn how kindly his comrade had been treated as a prisoner.

In particular there was a young American woman named Peggy Covell. Her parents were missionaries to the Philippines and had been killed by the Japanese. Instead of seeking revenge, however, she treated the Japanese prisoners with love. Then, providentially Fuchida read the testimony of Jacob DeShazer who constrained by the love of Christ to love his enemies. Fuchida became a Christian and said: “Looking back I can see now that the Lord had laid his hand upon me so that I might serve him.” On April 14, 1950, he accepted Christ as his Savior. In May he went to DeShazer’s home and knocked on the door. The two former enemies became life long friends. They were “constrained” by the love of Christ to work together leading others to Christ. Fuxchia established the Captain Fuchida Evangelistical Association and became a preacher. Fuchida spent the rest of his life as an evangelist. In 1959 he published his autobiography From Pearl Harbor to Calvary.

DAVE, MARK, AND RICK

Dave Mankins, Mark Rich, and Rick Tenenoff were New Tribes missionaries working in Panama in the village of Pucuro. This is about 15 miles from their border with Columbia. On January 31, 1993 they were kidnapped by armed guerrillas and held for a $5 million ransom. After a year of negotiations the kidnappers backed off from their demands for $5 million.

Though the kidnappers never identified themselves it was determined that they were associated with FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). Scott Ross, a spokesman for New Tribes said: “To tell all that has been done would take volumes. We have contacted FARC directly, interviewed hundreds of Indians, Columbian nationals and former members of FARC trying to initiate dialogues, continue discussion or gain information on the conditions of the men. We have traveled all around the world talking to dignitaries of numerous foreign nations attempting to seek a release. We have worked endlessly with our Congressmen in Washington, D.C., and others we felt might be influential in this case.”

The best evidence indicates that these three men died as martyrs in mid-1996. “Early in 1996, one defector told a Columbian army officer he knew where the men were being held. He later led the troops to the camp. Fleeing the military in fear, the guerrillas decided that Dave, Mark, and Rick were a liability. On the jungle trail in the hills of northern Columbia, an order was given that sent Mark, Dave, and Rick into the arms of their loving Lord.”

Mark Rich’s parents, Bob and Noel Rich, are veteran missionaries to Peru. Bob told me in person about a phone call he received from the man who killed these missionaries. Here is the story to the best of my memory.

Dave, Mark, and Rick won to Christ several of the men assigned to guard them. Their last guard vowed they would never convert him and forbade them to ever talk to him about Jesus. As I recall, his name was Alberto. When the Columbian army drew near he was the man assigned to kill them. He required each man to dig his own grave. Before each martyr died they looked him in the eye and said: “Someday, you too will confess Jesus Christ as your Lord.” We know that someday ever knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, but Alberto didn’t wait until the Judgment. The love of Christ “constrained” him to not only confess Christ, but to call his parents in Peru and also confess to them. As I recall Bob was teaching the Lord’s Prayer at the time, and realized that if he refused to forgive, he could never be forgiven. Please do not put limits on the constraining power of the Love of Christ.

GRAHAM, PHILIP, AND TIMOTHY STAINES

Graham and Gladys Staines were missionaries to India. They devoted themselves to helping lepers. Graham was fluent in the Odia language and also helped translate the Bible into the language of the Ho Tribe. His patients loved him and he taught them to earn money by making matts and baskets out of sabia grass.

On January 22, 1999 Graham and his two sons, Philip (age 10) and Timothy (age 6) attended a Christian camp at Manoharpur. Since it was cold they slept in their car. In the middle of the night a mob of some 50 people surrounded the car with axes and other weapons, set the car on fire, and burned Graham and his two sons to death.

Gladys went on national television and expressed her willingness to forgive those who killed her family. Here is the official affidavit she submitted to the government. “The Lord God is always with me to guide me and to help me try to accomplish the work of Graham, but I sometimes wonder why Graham was killed, and what also made his assassins behave in such a brutal manner on the night of the 22nd/23rd of January 1999. It is far from my mind to punish the persons who were responsible for the death of my husband Graham and my two children. But it is my desire and hope that they would repent and be reformed.”

LOVE NEVER FAILS!

There are literally thousands of faithful martyrs who were “constrained” by the “love of Christ” to die for their faith. Remember! “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)

The church in Corinth did not lack in any spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 1:7). The most powerful gift of all, as you know, is love!

An unknown author has written these profound words - “WHAT IS IT? It is the most valued possession of both the rich and the poor. The poor man can have it for nothing, but the rich man cannot buy it for any amount of money. It has no shape, color, or substance, yet it is easily recognized. The more a person gives it away, the more they have to give. It is around us everywhere, and yet many suffer because they do not have it. Some have frustrated their lives in search of it and yet perished

without it. Others have willingly given their lives because they had it. It is older than the world, yet it is every new. What is it? IT IS LOVE!”

Please consider:

“But eagerly desire the greater spiritual gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13)

“For Christ’s love constrains us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)