To live is Christ: the courage of John & Betty Stam
- Ottawa Gospel Hall
- Nov 15
- 2 min read
What would make a young couple walk toward danger with peace? This message traces the heroic journey of John and Betty Stam, missionaries to China whose unwavering faith led them through joy, suffering, and finally martyrdom. Their story isn’t about fearlessness; it’s about knowing Jesus so personally that even death could not shake their hope.
Why they went to China
The Stams didn’t go to China to prove something; they went because they loved Jesus and valued people. Real Christianity isn’t about working our way up to God; it’s about trusting what Christ has already done. Salvation is a relationship with the Son of God, not just a change of religion. When we know Jesus died for us, gratitude grows, and love moves us to share the good news with others (see our short explanation of the gospel).
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
The centre of their message: Jesus
At the heart of the Stams’ life was a simple message: God loves you and sent His Son to save you. The Bible says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us… that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV). On the cross, Jesus took our sin so we could be brought back to God—this is reconciliation (being made right with God). Anyone who comes to Him by faith is received and forgiven.
“The difference isn’t our religion or rituals; the difference is Christ—trusted, living, and enough.”
Facing death with hope
Late in 1934 the Stams were seized. Even in those last hours, their confidence was not in themselves but in the Lord. The apostle Paul wrote, “We are confident… and well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8, NKJV). That is the Christian’s calm: not that suffering is small, but that Christ is near, and heaven is real.
The preacher pointed out that eternal life isn’t earned by sacrifice, even a martyr’s. It is received by faith in Jesus. When a jailer once asked, “What must I do to be saved?” the answer was clear: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:30–31, NKJV). That promise stands today.
For you, today
If you died today, where would you be? That’s not meant to scare you, but to invite you. Jesus welcomes all who come. Turn to Him in simple trust—repentance and faith—and rest in what He finished at the cross.
We pray you’ll know the Saviour the Stams loved. He is ready to receive you, and He will keep you—now and forever.
Historical Notes
John and Betty Stam (martyrs in China, 1934). A concise historical account of their lives and deaths can be found via OMF International’s biography and archives: https://omf.org/resource/john-and-betty-stam/
Locations and dates such as Jingde (Anhui), December 1934, and the rescue of their infant daughter are documented in multiple historical summaries, e.g., Christian History Institute: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/john-and-betty-stam
