Issue 1287 – Martyrs – November 1, 2023
Halloween is behind us for another year.
As we move into another month, we step right into another important but largely forgotten (at least in much of the evangelical Christian world) date on the church calendar. Much of the church celebrates November 1st as All Saints Day and has done so since at least the 9th century. The celebration goes back centuries before being codified to be celebrated in November; records of the festival go back to the 4th century.
All Saints Day is also known as All Hallow’s Day. The night before is All Hallow’s Eve, which became known as Halloween.
All Saints is an important date because it causes people to stop and reflect on those who have given their lives for the faith, the martyrs.
The Christian faith has been passed from generation to generation at enormous cost. The first recorded case of martyrdom for the cause of Christ is in the Acts of the Apostles. It is, as you probably know, Stephen.
Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:54-60
Today’s image is a painting from 1604 by Italian artist Annibale Carracci, entitled “The Stoning of St Stephen.” Typical of the works of the period, the clothing and settings are more European than Middle Eastern
The Bible makes many other references to those who have been or will be martyred.
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?” And a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also. Revelation 6:9-11
Church tradition holds that all of the first 12 apostles except John were killed for their faith, and even he suffered tremendously for it. According to an article in Christianity Today, an estimated 70 million people have been martyred for Christ.
The estimates of Christians still being killed for their faith today range from 8,000-100,00 per year. Even the lower number, which is ultra-conservative, ought to cause us to reflect on the cost of following Jesus.
The probability of you and I being killed for following Jesus is very low, at least for the time being. It seems that the world is growing increasingly hostile to the faith, and over time, I would expect the number of martyrs in the West to grow.
God is sovereign over the process and remains in control of ensuring the faith endures. Still, we can look at those who gave it all for Jesus and emulate that level of faith.
Following Jesus isn’t merely a feel-good, emotional choice. It is an eternal commitment to follow the risen Lord no matter the cost.
May we be strengthened as followers no matter what comes, and may all the glory belong to the Lord.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
__________________________________________
Please like and share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.
Did you know that we have an email version? It has the same great content but in a different format. Subscribe today https://mailchi.mp/f27bbeb09c22/gleanings-1
______________________________
All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2023 KF “Kevin” Corbin Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
___________________________________________
#love #peace #hope #Gleanings #theWord #devotional #gospel#Christian #hope #encouragement #Biblestudy #faith #dailyBible #verseoftheday #grace #KevinCorbin #god #life #Jesus #father #son #HolySpirit #grace #mercy #hope #AllSaints #AllSouls #Martyr #Martyrdom #murdered #persecuted #Stephen #StoningOfStephen #MartyrdomStephen