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A Pastor’s Perspective
“The
Blood of the Martyrs” by Mike Hill, pastor of
Calvary Chapel Aberdeen (mjhill@ida.net)
Listen
to CALVARY RADIO 90.3 FM
“Deny
or Die!” Many Christians today are forced to choose to either remain
faithful to their Lord or experience harsh treatment or
even execution. We
just rolled back into town after spending the weekend in
Island Park at a Christian teen camp. Our activities included an all-out snowball fight, team
ping-pong, Bible study, and worship.
We also viewed four videos that told the story of
the underground Church in Vietnam.
Eight teenagers from the United States and
Australia joined a team from Voice of the Martyrs on a
trip to Vietnam. Their
goal was to encourage the believers and supply Christian
resources to promote spiritual growth.
However, one teen shared, “We came over here
[Vietnam] to minister but I believe we received more
than we gave.” They
were shocked to discover the degree of persecution that
confronted Vietnamese believers their age.
Also, they were challenged by their faith.
A
teen from Australia burst into tears as she listened to
a 15-year-old Christian girl recount how when she
received Jesus as her Lord and Savior, she was
immediately thrown into jail for three days, raped and
tortured. Another zealous young man who distributed Bibles and told
others about Jesus was publicly beaten unconscious by
the police. When
he revived, he received more beatings.
The leader then shouted, “Deny your faith or
die!” The
young man was strengthened as he recalled the words of
Jesus: “Be faithful until
death, and I will give you the crown of life”
(Revelation 2:10b).
The persecuted young man told them about a God of
love and forgiveness, preaching Christ and Him
crucified. Rather
than lash back, the leader and the other policemen
listened intently.
They drove him to another location and the leader
asked forgiveness for beating him.
Other stories did not end with the release of
believers but with their death.
Tertullian, a church leader during the second
century, proclaimed, “The blood of the martyrs is the
seed of the church.” What does this mean? When
the enemies of the Cross attempt to silence Christian
believers through persecution and death, God will cause
the Church to grow even more.
The
book of Acts records how a great wave of persecution did
not defeat Christianity or destroy the Church.
Why not? Because
“those who were
scattered went everywhere preaching the word”
(Acts 8:4). In
that same chapter, there is even an Ethiopian eunuch who
responds to the good news of Jesus and excitedly asks
Philip the evangelist, “See,
here is
water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
Philip informs him, “If
you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he
answers and says, “I
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts
8:36-37). Do
you believe in
Jesus with all your heart?
(See Romans 10:9-13).
We
have the tendency to view mistreatment as needless
punishment or a waste of pain.
Jesus defined it as eternal treasure.
Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile and
persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you
falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is
your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the
prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11, 12).
The
believers in Vietnam are truly rich.
What about your spiritual account?
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