In this episode of The Go and Send Podcast, Cody and Mike dig into the remarkable story of John Paton, a 19th century Scottish missionary who sailed to the New Hebrides Islands — a chain of South Pacific islands so dangerous that sailors refused to go near them.
In this episode of The Go and Send Podcast, Cody and Mike dig into the remarkable story of John Paton, a 19th century Scottish missionary who sailed to the New Hebrides Islands — a chain of South Pacific islands so dangerous that sailors refused to go near them. The inhabitants were hostile to outsiders, steeped in witchcraft and tribal warfare, and known cannibals. Two missionaries had already been killed and eaten there just a decade before. John Paton went anyway.
What followed was a life of staggering loss, constant danger, and undeniable divine protection — including a threat on his life and a supernatural deliverance. His faithfulness over decades helped transform an island nation that today is 91% Christian — more evangelical per capita than the United States.
Cody and Mike also wrestle with the hard question this story raises alongside S3E1: why did God protect John Paton and allow John Allen Chau to die? And what does John Paton's life say to a Western church that has largely made peace with comfort? If you want your view of God stretched and your priorities challenged, this episode will do both.
Contact us at goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org
Resources & Links:
00:00 -- Introduction
00:43 -- Who Were the People of the New Hebrides Islands and Why Were They So Dangerous?
02:33 -- John Paton's Background: Born Poor, Shaped by a Praying Father
04:44 -- Ministry in Glasgow and a Question That Changed Everything
05:49 -- The Elder Who Said You'll Be Eaten by Cannibals
06:38 -- Paton's Famous Response: Cannibals or Worms
07:23 -- Arriving at the New Hebrides: Beauty, Darkness, and Cannibalism
08:55 -- Early Ministry and the Loss of His Wife and Infant Son
09:43 -- Years of Constant Threats and Perseverance
10:12 -- The Night an Armed Tribe Surrounded His Home
11:23 -- The Tribal Chief's Question: Who Were Those Men in Shining Garments?
12:19 -- Many Come to Christ, Cannibalism Stops, Scripture Is Translated
12:51 -- Vanuatu Today: 91% Christian, More Evangelical Than the US
14:04 -- What Drives Someone to Take That Kind of Risk?
15:15 -- Spirit-Filled Audacity and a Life Already Toughened by Hard Ministry
17:06 -- Paul, Shipwrecks, Stonings, and "To Live Is Christ, to Die Is Gain"
19:58 -- Angels, Spiritual Warfare, and Daniel 10
21:39 -- Elisha, Chariots of Fire, and the Curtain Pulled Back
22:16 -- Ephesians 6: The Armor of God Is for Here Too
23:53 -- Why Spiritual Warfare Looks Different in the West
27:53 -- Paton and Chau: Why Did One Survive and the Other Die?
29:03 -- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: Obedience With Open Hands
31:00 -- Daniel in the Lion's Den and Stephen's Stoning: Two Outcomes, Both Purposeful
34:26 -- How Do You Persevere Through That Level of Suffering?
37:20 -- To Whom Much Is Given: What Are We Doing With Our Blessings?
38:34 -- What Would John Paton Say to the American Church?
39:54 -- The Real Issue Behind Comfort: Too Small a View of God
41:27 -- Seeking the Lord Deeply Is Where It All Starts
43:08 -- He's Worth It: Closing Thoughts
44:38 -- Recommended Resources
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