Reflection of the Day

"The blood of the martyrs is the seed [of the church]."

Tertullian

Apology, 50

"And we ourselves also beheld, when we were at these places, many all at once in a single day, some of whom suffered decapitation, others the punishment of fire; so that the murderous axe was dulled and, worn out, was broken in pieces, while the executioners themselves grew utterly weary and took it in turns to succeed one another. It was then that we observed a most marvellous eagerness and a truly divine power and zeal in those who had placed their faith in the Christ of God. Thus, as soon as sentence was given against the first, some from one quarter and others from another would leap up to the tribunal before the judge and confess themselves Christians; paying no heed when faced with terrors and the varied forms of tortures, but undismayedly and boldly speaking of their piety towards the God of the universe, and with joy and laughter and gladness receiving the final sentence of death; so that they sang and sent up hymns and thanksgivings to the God of the universe even to the very last breath."

Eusebius

Ecclesiastical History VIII.9.4-5

Men and women in the first four centuries knew what they were in for when they professed Jesus to be their Saviour and underwent baptism - a life of persecution and possible jail, torture and martyrdom. And many of them were martyred, singing praise to God till the very end, knowing that their citizenship is above in the heavens. By the grace of God and the witnesses of the lives and deaths of the saints, the church grew and spread throughout the Roman Empire. The decline of the church could possibly be attributed to the reign of Constantine, son of Constantius, when persecution ceased and the church enjoyed imperial patronage as Constantine came to place all his hope in the God of the Christians.

I, of course, am not advocating for persecution and martyrdom, rather, giving thanks for God's grace to live in a land with religious freedom to worship Him. Yet, I do wonder, in such times of peace as this, in lands of religious freedom, where to be Christian invites no external demands and seemingly requires little but the attendance of a weekly church service, how many of us truly know who and what we are living for and will be willing to persevere in our profession of faith when faced with recantation on pain of torture and death?

Morbid? Not at all. Not when to be Christian is to be crucified with Christ, called to be dead to self but alive to God in Christ Jesus, to bear one's cross and follow after Jesus daily. Martyrdom, if it comes to pass, is merely an extension of the cross borne daily.

Of the 1 billion Christian of the world, of what proportion will persevere in their profession of faith when faced with the prospect of persecution and martyrdom? What proportion is truly living for Christ, in Christ? We don't know what we are living for until we know what we are willing to die for. I fear that the proportion of Christians truly living for Christ will probably be less than half, though I pray that I be wrong in my pessimism.

Am I living for Christ, in Christ? I believe and I am, and desire to be so all the days of my life. Will I persevere in the faith if faced with persecution and martyrdom? I pray that I will if one day that trial of fire does fall upon my path.

Now, are you living for Christ, in Christ?