Monday, September 7, 2009

Raymund Lull and Boldness

“Death has no terrors whatever for a sincere servant of Christ who is laboring to bring souls to a knowledge of truth.”

While in Europe, Lull had hoped to recruit other believers in his missions endeavor, but few individuals were as excited about reaching Muslims with the gospel as he was. Throughout his travels he worked hard at reaching Muslims, Jews, and apostate Christians with the gospel message. In just a few years Lull made his mark in Majorca, Cyprus, Syria, Armenia, Italy, France and just about everywhere in between.

Working desperately to arouse interest in the work, he spent several years lecturing in universities and writing books. Few responded.

In 1307 Lull set our for North Africa once again. He made his way to the Algerian city of Bugia. Almost immediately upon arrival he found a public place, stood up boldly, and proclaimed in the Arabic language that Christianity was the only true faith and expressed his willingness to prove this to the satisfaction of all. At some point he evidently said something controversial about the character of Mohammed and the people responded violently. He was quickly arrest and thrown into prison for over six months.

While the mob was closing in and threatening his life, Lull cried out, “Death has no terrors whatever for a sincere servant of Christ who is laboring to bring souls to a knowledge of truth.”

On several occasions he was offered wealth and all sorts of pleasures if he would renounce Christianity and embrace Islam. He responded to the bribes by stating, “Ye have for me wives and all sorts of worldly pleasure if I accept the law of Mohammed? Alas I ye offer a poor prize, as all your earthly goods cannot purchase eternal glory. I, however, promise you, if ye will forsake your false and devilish law, which was spread by sword and force alone, and if ye accept my belief, Eternal Life, for the Christian faith  was propagated by preaching and by the blood of holy martyrs. Therefore I advise you to become Christians even now, and so obtain everlasting glory and escape the pains of hell.”

Lull was shortly thereafter banished once again and sent to Pisa.

[Via http://cfme.wordpress.com]

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