A century after Patrick’s death, Columba left Ireland and founded a church on the rocky little isle of Iona. His student missionaries began evangelizing the countryside in northwestern Scotland, but God’s guiding hand quickly took them all throughout Britain and even to the European continent.

<p>A century after Patrick’s death, Columba left Ireland and founded a church on the rocky little isle of Iona. His student missionaries began evangelizing the countryside in northwestern Scotland, but God’s guiding hand quickly took them all throughout Britain and even to the European continent.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

GYC Southeast

Rhonda Grakov

Great in God's Sight Season 1

John: the Soul that Knows its Worth

Polycarp: Eighty-Six Years

Justin Martyr: Philosopher to Child of God

Patrick: Unlikely Freedom

Thomas: The Other Half of Faith

Columba: The Dove of Scotland

Jerome, Cyril, and Methodius: Bibles for East and West

William Wilberforce, Part 1: The Great Change

William Wilberforce, Part 2: The Great Cause

Mark: One Young Man


Hello and welcome to Greating God's Sight, the podcast that explores underrated heroes. We're so glad you've joined us for this episode entitled, Columba, the Dove of Scotland. Please be sure to subscribe and visit our website at thegreatpodcast.org. That's thegreatpodcast.org. Thanks for listening!

Approached each other on a cool spring day. The Irish countryside, clothed in layers of vivid green, formed a narrow valley between the opposing forces. The dew-moistened feet of countless soldiers tramped through the grass as each side maneuvered into position. Both armies were composed of loosely organized clans. Governed as they were by territorial and family relationships, these armies were far less orderly than contemporary Roman troops.

This sort of warfare was generally bloody and chaotic, but surprisingly, in this tangled clash of clans, we find a connection to a very important missionary. Not many Christian figures can be introduced by their relationship to warfare, but Columba of Iona is 1 of the few. He lived from AD 521 to 597. Only a century earlier, Patrick had spread the gospel through much of Ireland, but unfortunately occasional battles between the warlike Irish clans had continued. With most of Ireland now familiar with Christianity, A new frontier across the sea awaited Patrick's successors.

Columba selected Iona, a small, rocky island off the northern coast of Scotland as the headquarters for his mission work. In AD 563, he and some friends built a church on Iona, which would become the most effective missionary base in this period of Britain's history. And so, laboring from Iona, Columba is credited with Scotland's conversion to the Christian faith. However, Columba might never have moved to Iona were it not for the circumstances surrounding the Battle of Coldrebene in A.D. 561.

The historical record leaves us uncertain as to whether he actively participated in the battle or not. But his membership in 1 of the factions automatically embroiled him in the controversy. Columbo belonged to the royal family within 1 of the fighting clans, so it was impossible for him to maintain a position of neutrality as he sought to spread the gospel. This circumstance left him with the appealing option of moving to Scotland. A mission among his Irish countrymen would be met with friction and intrigue.

Furthermore, Columba authored many writings over the course of his lifetime, but it seems that 1 book of psalms he claimed as his own work shared another alleged author. The opposing claimant appealed to the local king to settle their dispute. It ended in favor of Columba's antagonist, and the copyright passed to him. This situation, coupled with the tribal warfare, made Columba's homeland look less hospitable by the moment. And so, as Patrick had left England to evangelize Ireland, Columba now left Ireland to evangelize Scotland.

The quaint little isle of Iona became the prime location for Columba to continue studying and sharing the word of God. As he parted from a land split by strife, Columba set out to be a peacemaker in his new Scottish home. Much like Patrick had done before him, Columba networked with local kings and rulers to maintain peace. When hostilities did arise, Scottish kings often sought his help and advice. 1 king, named Oswald, requested Columba's prayers and then attributed his victory in battle to the missionary's piety.

For local rulers seeking stability, Columbus served as an important instrument. As he promoted peace in the name of Jesus, he was placed in positions of great influence which he used to further the gospel. 1 nickname attributed to him during this time was Column Sil, or Dove of the Church. Even in his zeal, Columba could not maintain peace indefinitely. Yet it appears he had a prophetic gift, which God used to reveal to him when and where a certain battle would take place.

Columba chose to share this information with 1 of his traveling companions as they happened upon a certain well. He said, The day will come when that well will be unfit for human use because it will be filled with human blood. For my friends by kinship and your kinsmen, being at war, will fight a battle here." 3 decades after Columba's death, his words proved true. His friend took note of this prophetic fulfillment, and the story continued to be circulated. To spread the gospel as efficiently as possible, Columba needed assistance.

His initial team was composed of 12 students. It's possible he used Jesus's model of sending them out 2 by 2. The Church on Iona became a type of missionary training institute, equipping and sending out new gospel workers in a steady stream. The island church has often been incorrectly described as a monastery. Instead of serving as a stagnant home for monks, it provided a launch pad for evangelizing Scotland and the rest of the European continent.

Amazingly, Columba and his followers founded several hundred churches in a few short years. In spite of the many challenges he and his students faced locally, such as clan warfare, a rugged landscape, and inclement weather, Columbus' greatest difficulties originated abroad. In 596, towards the end of his life, the Pope sent a monk named Augustine to convert the pagans living in the British Isles. 1 might assume this would help Columbus' mission, but it did not. Columbus and his students soon learned of the problems caused by Augustine's arrival.

For 1, Columbus' mission was independent and able to support itself, but Augustine brought with him Rome's culture and authoritarian structure. However, 1 of the greatest sources of friction was the day on which each group worshipped. Rome, of course, observed Sunday as their holy day, in the wake of Constantine's conversion in AD 321. Columba and his followers, on the other hand, kept Saturday as the biblical Sabbath. Columba's own thorough study of the Scriptures may have led him to this conviction, but it seems that the early churches in Ireland from Patrick's day also obeyed the Fourth Commandment.

Regardless of its origin, this issue prevented Columbus' gospel workers from fully assisting the Roman Church in Britain. They required a higher authority than the Bishop of Rome. God's Word, which Columba himself had copied many times, had to be obeyed by the fledgling Celtic Church. As their source of authority was the Scriptures alone, Columbus churches held their own councils and enacted their own laws. Consequently, Celtic priests were allowed to marry, while Rome banned such ceremonies.

These issues added to the mounting friction between Columbus' followers and Rome's entourage, and unfortunately slowed the growth of the Sabbath-keeping church. Yet, Iona remained a stronghold of Columbus' teachings for over 600 years. Although his missionary outreach eventually became sandwiched between clan warfare in Ireland and corrupting influences from Rome, Columbus succeeded in branding his own form of evangelism that closely followed biblical doctrine. His followers founded numerous churches, translated hundreds of Bible copies, and promoted peace throughout the region for many years following his death. Like Columba of old, Jesus' modern disciples should be ready to use every opportunity to practice and teach gospel truths in whatever mission field they find themselves.

There may be doors wide open for evangelism in the neighborhood next door. Thank you for listening to Great in God's Sight, a podcast by GYC Southeast. We hope you have enjoyed this adventure through time and pray it serves to deepen your relationship with God. Each episode aims to draw insight from the life of 1 individual. While we strive to bring you a unique perspective on each believer, We encourage you to use your God-given curiosity to explore these topics for yourself.

Please remember to hit the subscribe button and share this episode with your friends via text or social media. You never know who might be encouraged! Until next time, we wish you God's blessing as you seek to be great in His sight too.

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Great in God's Sight Season 1

Columba: The Dove of Scotland

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Other Teachings in Series

John: the Soul that Knows its Worth

11m

Polycarp: Eighty-Six Years

8m

Justin Martyr: Philosopher to Child of God

11m

Patrick: Unlikely Freedom

10m

Thomas: The Other Half of Faith

9m

Columba: The Dove of Scotland

10m

Jerome, Cyril, and Methodius: Bibles for East and West

10m

William Wilberforce, Part 1: The Great Change

12m

William Wilberforce, Part 2: The Great Cause

13m

Mark: One Young Man

10m

Sound Doctrine