By now most people will be aware of the American adventurer and missionary John Chau who lost his life on an ill-fated mission to spread the gospel of Jesus with the Sentinelese people. Its come to light that since he was 18yrs old he has felt it in his heart a calling from God to connect with the islanders and become friends with them in the hope of sharing the good news.
No one actually knows what the tribe actually calls themselves. Due to their isolation, their language is different to their neighbours the Jarawa people who were also once uncontactable. They too reside in the archipelago of the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Indian sea and come under India's state control. Strangers are often greeted with arrows and there has only been one time where they interacted with outsiders. This tribe is so rare that exposure to Western diseases such as the flu to the various poxes could kill large numbers of them further putting them at risk of extinction.
So Chau knew the island has a 3 mile exclusion zone but he chose to venture there anyway. His first attempt he ran back and left notes. The next attempt he was killed as an unwanted intruder. His misadventure has lead to people asking if Christians have a right to spread the gospel. Christians have pondered if he indeed was motivated by a calling from God.
The Bible teaches us to use wisdom in all that we do. Should Chau have done the right thing and approached the Indian government for a Restricted Area Permit. Would you risk your life to spread the gospel? How do you share the gospel today? How do you know its a calling and not something you simply just want to do?
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