First Baptist Church

During our family devotion time, I recently read aloud to my kids, Foxe’s Christian Martyrs of the World. I read the book nearly 20 years ago, but was able to re-experience it with my four kids (15, 13, 11, & 8). The Barbour edition, from which we read, is an abridged version of the lengthier version which can be obtained many places. That particular version is actually an abridgment of Foxe’s multi-volume work which chronicles the stories of many who gave their lives for the Christian faith in which they believed. Dave Wilkerson, author of The Cross and the Switchblade who worked so hard at evangelizing the inner-city of New York, owned the multi-volume set and recounted how he would read from it and how it gave him the strength to face each day and encounter threats upon his life by those who rejected his ministry.

Tradition relays to us that nearly all the 12 Apostles of our Lord gave their lives as martyrs for the Christian faith. It is one thing to believe in something, it is yet another to support it with our finances, it is yet another to devote large quantities of our time, but the ultimate is the willingness to give one’s life for a cause. Some have given their lives foolishly for unjust causes. Consider the terrorists who have given their lives in the name of hate and infliction of that hate on America and Americans. There is something commendable about believing in something so strongly, however if the cause is not just, it is all-for-not.

There is no greater cause than the cause of Christ. Hopefully you can echo with the Apostle Paul, “woe is me if I do not preach/proclaim the Gospel!” Paul also was the one who wrote the eloquent words of 1 Corinthians 13 which speak of the character of love. The context was that of the Corinthian church and the directive that within the body of Christ (the Church) the characteristics of love should be demonstrated. In the church at Corinth they were often not on display, which prompted Paul’s words written in the form of an address. The character presented in 1 Cor. 13 was not designed to be recited at weddings or used for greeting cards. It was designed to remind the church how to love God, how God loves them, and consequently how they are to love one another.

If those who laid down their lives as martyrs did not have an enormous love for God and the cause of Christianity, they could not have so readily been sawn in half, been devoured by lions, beheaded, nailed to crosses, burned at the stake, and were beaten and tortured in unimaginable ways. Yet not only did they allow this to happen by being so open and honest about their Savior, they actually, in many cases, relished the opportunity to bare witness for their Lord. Many died singing and calling out praises to God. Standing firm as a true testimony that even excruciating pain could not stifle.

We may not live in an era where we face such harsh penalties, but we should ask ourselves often, what sort of witness would I bear if put in some of these same situations? The glaring reality is that, the manner in which we live is a strong indicator of how we will die. If we live confidently day by day trusting Christ, it is highly likely we will die the same way. If our life is characterized by doubt we will likely die the same way – with doubts. Those whom John Foxe reports on, gave their lives with confidence in the Savior they served. They were, by no means, Christian in name only. They were Christian in every sense of the word. They had a very real and close relationship with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They felt a sense of honor and duty to lay down their lives for Him. There was even a sort of pleasantness in the experience itself. They knew He had given His life for them, so it was only fitting that they lay down their life for Him.

Believers today may not have to physically lay down their lives for Him, but Spiritually we are indeed called to give our lives for Him. The New Testament teaches us that we are not our own; we were bought with a price, therefore it is our duty to glorify God with both our body and Spirit, which are said to belong to God! It is clear what He has given for you – now what will you give for Him?

In Christ,

Pastor Allen Raynor