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Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Three
Preparing for Martyrdom
Becoming Part
Of The Persecuted Christian World
While most of us in the West
may not live in an atmosphere where martyrdom is a present threat or reality, I
believe that it is very important for all of us to remain connected to our
brothers and sisters who do. Presently there are numerous countries throughout
the world where persecution and martyrdom are common. I believe that there are
practical steps that we can all take to connect our hearts to those who live on
the front lines. Surely the Christian Church in the earth needs to strive to
build stronger bonds of unity, mutual support and connectedness. And of course,
we in the West, who presently “dwell securely in the coastlands,” can certainly
benefit from regular reality checks.
Jesus explained the principal
to us that where our treasure is, there our hearts would be also. Our
“treasure” may be defined by more than just our money. Beyond our finances, our
time and our energies are also equally our treasures. So if we wish to begin
building heart connections with those in lands of persecution then there are
some very simple things that we can do. Of course, to start, we can get to know
who they are and where they are, and we can begin to regularly pray for them.
If you are a leader or a pastor, then I encourage you to take a brief moment
during every Church service to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters
around the world. By this you will be facilitating the development of a bond
between your entire congregation and the persecuted Church. This is a good
reality check for those of us who live in such a state of comfort in the West.
Secondly, we can begin to
develop relationships with real people who live under the threat of
persecution. Letter writing, E-mails, or even visits are all very simple ways
to build bonds of mutual support. If you have a young family with children,
then “adopt” a family in a land of persecution. Your families can exchange
letters and the children can draw pictures and make small gifts for each other
etc. As a family, you can regularly pray together for your friends in Pakistan,
China, Iraq or wherever they might live.
And lastly, of course, you can
send money. Do not feel as though you necessarily need to send large amounts,
but simply choose an amount, and set it aside each month and send it wherever
you feel led to give. Even if you literally sent five dollars a month, you
would be sowing a seed and building a bridge.
How do you begin to get
acquainted with the persecuted Church? Firstly there are various organizations
that minister directly to the persecuted Church throughout the world. Each
ministry has its own special emphasis. I refer you here to three very good
ministries:
Each ministry has a newsletter
that provides updates about current events as well as prayer points and
practical ways to support their efforts. If you have e-mail, then each
organization has e-mail reports that they send out with day-to-day updates and
prayer requests. Contact one of these organizations and ask them to help you in
establishing a contact such as we discussed above.
Preparing For Martyrdom Is
Not Optional
But martyrdom is not merely
something for those in some far off lands to think about. Everyone who claims
the name “Christian” should be preparing his or her heart for potential
martyrdom. This is not an optional preparation for only those who live in third
world countries or those who live at certain times in world history. Preparing
for martyrdom has always been part of what it means to be a true Christian.
Christianity is the only religion that has as its highest example, a man who was
tortured and put to death publicly. As Christians, we are his followers. Yet
the concept of martyrdom is essentially a foreign one to most of us in our
western Christian culture. But in many parts of the world today, such as China,
Pakistan, or the Middle East, those who choose to follow Jesus likewise all
realize that they are saying yes to potential martyrdom. This was also the case
for Christians for the first three hundred years of Church history.
Persecutions and martyrdom were common, especially among those who assumed
positions of leadership.
Martyrdom And
Miracles
Yet during the periods of the
early Church and since the communist takeover of China, when martyrdom has been
commonplace, the Church has thrived. Not only does the Church grow in such an
atmosphere, but it is also experiences the greatest measure of power. Miracles,
prophecy, angelic encounters, visions: these are the experiences that we read
about as common in such an atmosphere of heavy persecution. Not surprisingly
then, the Bible likewise says that in the last-days, when persecution will have
peaked on a worldwide scale, the greater Church will experience that same
measure of power:
In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my
servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they
will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth
below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the
Lord. Acts 2:17-20
The Bible makes it clear that
the last-days will be a period not only marked by severe persecution and
martyrdom, but also by perhaps the greatest measure of corporate anointing by
the Holy Spirit for miracles and demonstrations of God’s power. God will show
mighty signs and wonders not only in the heavens but also “on the earth below.”
During the last-days, the Church will simultaneously shine the brightest and
experience its darkest defeat.
Overcoming By Being Overcome
In the Book of Daniel and the
Book of Revelation, we see the clearest articulation of this paradox. As the
Lord revealed images of the last-days to Daniel, he was totally confused and
utterly devastated. Daniel actually says that after seeing these things he was
sickened and remained so for days afterward. What did Daniel see? As the Lord
visited Daniel with visions of the last-days, he saw the mystery and the paradox
of the cross being lived out by the Church. Daniel saw the very means by which
the last-days Church would literally overcome Satan and his hoards and
ultimately receive their reward: the Kingdom of God:
“As I watched, this horn [Antichrist] was waging war against the saints and
defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in
favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the
kingdom. He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom
that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and
will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns
are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will
arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will
speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set
times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times
and half a time. But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away
and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness
of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the
people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and
all rulers will worship and obey him.' This is the end of the matter. I,
Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept
the matter to myself.” Daniel 7:21-28
This very passage is reflected
in the Book of Revelation:
The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise
his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and
to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He
was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he
was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All
inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been
written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the
creation of the world. He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go
into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the
sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and
faithfulness on the part of the saints. Revelation 13:5-10
The saints at the end of this
age will be “conquered.” They will fall by the edge of the sword. They will be
taken as captives by the armies of the Antichrist and multitudes will be
martyred. The Book of Revelation says that those who come through the
tribulation will be a vast multitude “that no one could count”:
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one
could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before
the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were
holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Then
one of the elders… said, "These are they who have come out of the great
tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb. Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and
night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over
them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst."
Revelation 7:9-16
In these verses, we see the
paradigm that defines the last-days Church. It is the paradox of the cross:
Like their Lord and Master, those who are defeated and overcome are the
actual overcomers. While those in the army of the Antichrist will think
that by defeating their detractors physically and militarily, they will be
gaining the victory, they will actually be setting their own snares. Instead,
in the wisdom of God, even as it was at the cross, the very ones who appear to
be being humiliated, beat down and defeated are the ones who are literally
crushing Satan under their feet (Romans 16:20). But how do they overcome him?
They overcame him by the
blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their
lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11
The overcomers will fix their
eyes on Jesus, who is not only the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews
12:2) but also our example. Jesus set the bar. As such martyrdom for those who
have chosen to become followers of Jesus fills the pages of Christianity’s
history books. Every apostle, except one, is believed by Church historians to
have died the death of a martyr for preaching the Christian message.
The Death Of
Stephen And Andrew
If you’ve read the Book of
Acts, then you’ve read the story of Stephen, one of the early leaders in the
Church. Like the believers in the last-days, Stephen was a man who was “full
of God's grace and power, (he) did great wonders and miraculous signs among the
people.” Stephen was also martyred for his bold declaration of the gospel
message. And like his Master, as Stephen died, he prayed for those who were
killing him:
While they were stoning him,
Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and
cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he
fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60
Stephen was just a regular
guy. But Stephen was an overcomer. While Jesus is our ultimate example,
Stephen is proof that it is possible for all of us to also be overcomers.
Andrew was the brother of Peter
and one of the twelve Apostles. Andrew also died the death of a martyr. The
account of his death is recorded in Church history. I have never been able to
read the story of Andrews’s death without crying:
Peter’s brother, was
crucified by Aegeas, a Roman governor, in the city of Sebastopolis. Andrew had
brought so many to faith in Christ that the governor came to the province to
compel the new Christians to sacrifice to idols and renounce their faith.
Andrew challenged Aegeas to his face, told him to renounce his false gods and
idols, and declared that the gods and idols of the Romans were not gods but
devils and the enemies of mankind. In a rage, the proconsul ordered Andrew not
to teach and preach, and warned him that if he did he would be fastened to a
cross. Andrew replied, “I would not have preached the honor and glory of the
cross, if I feared the death of the cross.” He was immediately condemned. As
Andrew was taken to the place of his execution, he saw the cross in the distance
and cried out, “O cross, most welcome and looked for! With a willing mind,
joyfully and desirously, I come to thee, being the scholar of Him who did hang
on thee: because I have always been thy lover, and have coveted to embrace
thee.” 1
Whenever I read this, I pray
that if and when my one opportunity arrives, I will likewise posses such a
willing spirit. It is clear that Andrew had actually anticipated and looked
forward to that moment. Andrew had not ignored the possibility of martyrdom
until it was upon him; he actually had meditated on the idea. There are
countless stories recorded throughout Church history of those who died glorious
deaths in the grace of God. I encourage you to occasionally read such accounts
and talk to the Lord about your feelings regarding martyrdom. Many such
accounts are available in books like the Foxes Book of Martyrs or the
more modern Jesus Freaks published by the Voice of the Martyrs.
Is Martydom
Glorious? Embracing The Shame Of The Cross
While it is encouraging to hear
stories of those who seemed to die with such spirit of courage and grace,
seemingly without any fear or in some cases without any pain, I do not
personally believe that every martyrdom is this way. While we like to read
about valiant stories of martyrs throughout Church history, I do not personally
think that every martyrdom is necessarily glorious. Reality rarely is as it is
described in books. My mind flashes to the recent martyrdom of Kim Sun-il, a
Korean Christian who was beheaded in Iraq after being taken captive by Muslim
extremists. Few news reports mentioned that Kim Sun-il was murdered
specifically because he was a Christian who was actively sharing his faith with
Iraqis.
Kim Sun-il was an evangelical
Christian who had always dreamed of being a missionary to Muslims. He had
learned Arabic for this purpose and was in Iraq working as an interpreter. All
the while he was sharing the gospel message with those he came in contact with.
After Kim’s death, the group that claimed responsibility, Tawhid wa al-Jihad
made this statement on their web-site:
We have killed an infidel
who tried to propagate Christianity in Iraq… This infidel studied theology and
was preparing to become a missionary in the Islamic world. 2
So while most people probably
just assumed that Kim was merely another political beheading, to those who
killed him, it was because he was speaking about Jesus to the Iraqi people.
While Kim had obviously heard
the call of God on his life and had been preparing for some years, when he found
himself in the hands of evil men who intended to kill him, he broke down. He
wept and begged for his life. Recordings of this were played on newscasts all
over the world. Three days later he was beheaded and the videotape was sent to
news organizations all over the world. Those who saw the footage said that Kim
did not weep or beg or fight as his captors read their message to the world and
then beheaded him. Instead Kim died with a solid resolve and without any
protest - courageously.
Why do I recall this horrific
event? Because it is reality. While, by the grace of God, when Kim Sun-il
died, he seemed to have accepted his fate and met it with faced it with a solid
resolve, the reality is that just days before his death, he was weeping and
pleading for his life. And the straight truth is, most of us would probably do
the same thing.
In preparing our hearts for
martyrdom, I think it is important that we shed our false notions that martyrdom
is purely a valiant, glorious and honorable event like we read about in the
pages of some Christian history books. We need to remember the very important
fact that martyrdom is not intended to make the martyr look good. Martyrdom is
not about the glory of Christians, but the glory of God.
I want to be very frank here
for a moment. The point that I am trying to convey is that I suspect that to a
degree we Christians – particularly men – might have a rather macho or
idealistic image of martyrdom in our minds. I fear that many young men in the
church tend to think of martyrdom as a means to essentially “look awesome.” We
imagine how we would be remembered if we were to die as a martyr. It is the
means by which we might achieve the status of Christian legend.
But if martyrdom is
identification with the death of our Lord – the death of Jesus on the cross,
then isn’t martyrdom also a shameful event? Is martyrdom limited merely to a
quick death? Or does martyrdom also include immense suffering, torture and
utter humiliation? Again, what was Jesus subjected to? Jesus endured not only
pain but also great shame and humiliation during his trial and crucifixion. And
not only shame and humiliation but an utter turmoil gripped His soul until he
actually began to sweat blood. I think of the many stories that came out of
Iraq after the war ended. I hear stories of people who were given the option of
confessing to a crime that they never committed or watch as members of their
families were raped, tortured and murdered. What if you were given the option
of renouncing Jesus or seeing your children abused and slowly tortured to
death? Which would you choose? I understand that this is a nightmare even to
think about. Please forgive me for even going here, but this is a point that
needs to be made. Martyrdom is not macho. Martyrdom is not glorious.
Martyrdom is not merely enduring great amounts of pain. Martyrdom is also not
merely dying gracefully. Martyrdom is utter embarrassment, shame, confusion and
absolute turmoil beyond what most have ever experienced. For me personally, it
does not take very long before even the mildest of difficult circumstances in my
life move me to begin complaining to God and giving myself over to sinful
attitudes. So how does one prepare his or her heart for martyrdom? We begin
today. Martyrdom is not a one-time event. Martyrdom is identification with
Jesus on the cross. And taking up our cross is supposed to be a daily
exercise.
Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny
himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23
Isn’t that what we signed up for? A lifelong exercise of
daily dying to ourselves, living for the glory of God and not our own? We
cannot expect to walk according to our own ways today and yet
expect to die for God tomorrow. Martyrdom is
something that we need to begin living now.
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit
with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his
throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3:21,22
Notes:
- Rick Joyner, Shadows of Things to
come, (Thomas Nelson, Nashville Tennessee, 2001), p. 116
-
Dhimmi Watch, Muslim, Christian Leaders
Condemn `Religious Killing' of Kim Sun-il,
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/002526.php