Present-Day Martyrs
Present-Day Martyrs
I blew the dust off an old quote the other day. It was in one of those obscure volumes off the top shelf in a back closet—one that would have never made it on the Christian Bestseller list.
The phrase went like this:
The final crown of glory in this world is martyrdom, and the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.
Don’t hear that kind of talk much these days, do we?
It’s not the kind of stuff that draws good ratings on Christian talk shows. That’s one quote you’ll never see stitched in needlepoint in the family room, or inscribed in gold on a greeting card. Not the sort of phrase likely to end up on a tee-shirt or bumper sticker.
Words like those seem a little musty … linked to another age, long ago and far away.
Yet nothing was more potent in bringing unbelievers to faith in the early days of the Church than the witness of suffering believers. Even when Christians were beaten, abused, condemned to death, and thrown to the lions, the world was astounded to witness them thanking their God that they had been counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name.
Nothing has shaken unbelievers—then and now—as the way believers endure hardship. What, they ask themselves, is this mysterious power that enables these people to remain so calm—even joyful—in the middle of terrible circumstances?
Most of our trials are featherweight compared to what the martyrs of old endured. As Scripture reminds us, most of us have never suffered to the point of shedding blood in our struggle against sin (Hebrews 12:4). No lions, no fiery death at the stake, no facing a firing squad.
When we do suffer—whether from the bumps and bruises of daily living or for our testimony for Christ—we ought to respond with double the thanksgiving and triple the joy.
The Lord has spared contemporary believers in the Western world from so much pain and suffering. He has been so gracious to us! Perhaps even to the point that when trials do come our way we are “surprised … as though something strange were happening” to us (1 Peter 4:12).
But it’s as true now as it was hundreds of years ago. The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church. And nothing will convince and convict those around us like the peaceful and positive way you and I respond to our twentieth century hurts and distress. The unbelieving world—your neighbors, the guy at the gas station, the postman, the lady at the cleaners, your boss at work—is observing the way we undergo our trials.
By God’s grace, you can hang on without a grumble or complaint … remain joyful in tribulation … shun the temptation to grandstand as a “martyr” … offer thanks in all things … trust and obey, no matter what.
It may not be martyrdom, but it will still startle and puzzle a watching world. It will still compel seeking men and women to reconsider Jesus.