The Gathering of Believers Part 3
By teaching about the church, it is not my intention to discredit in any way those who are imperfect like myself and who, by the grace of God, take the commands, precepts, directions, and warnings of His Holy Word seriously.
I dedicate this post to the martyrs.
Following Christ, Defined and Exemplified by Christ
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24). Jesus pronounced the three essential elements necessary for anyone considering what it means to come to Jesus Christ and then follow His ways.
Following Christ, Defined and Exemplified by Jesus' Call to Discipleship
The introduction to Jesus' statement regarding discipleship is, "Then Jesus said to His disciples..." He was speaking to those who were already following Him to one degree or another. Their commitment to Jesus was unknown to them, but not to our Lord. His statement is meant to bring their commitment into the light.
A disciple, by definition, is a learner or pupil who follows another's teachings and ways. Thus, Jesus' first statement begins with the words, "If anyone wishes, (that is desires), to come after Me, (that is to come to Me by following behind Me), he must deny (that is repudiate, disregard, even refuse to associate with) himself. Therefore, Jesus' first words set the tone for a follower of Christ. Jesus laid aside what it meant in experience to be the eternal (outside of time), all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere-present God and then sacrficially die for those He created and called for His death. To follow Jesus is a commitment of immense proportions.
The second element in Christ's statement is taking up his cross. In Christ's time, a cross would have been understood as one thing and one thing only: the means of a torturous death, a very unpleasant end to one's life. When the cross is understood correctly, anyone must carefully consider committing themselves to Jesus as He requires. All natural selfishness and self-centeredness come to light and reveal themselves for what they indeed are—wretched before Christ's sacrifice.
The final element is what people would assume to be easy when considering Jesus' offering of eternal life in heaven rather than the torments of an eternal hell. However, it is anything but easy. Luke, when recounting Jesus' message to Israel, wrote, "And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there [just] a few who are being saved?" Jesus would not allow His hearers to think faith was easy, so He replied. "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Strive in Greek is agōnízomai from where we get the term "agonize." It means to struggle, like engaged in an intense athletic contest or warfare. Salvation, by contrast, does not make life easy; it turns life into a battlefield where people must fight for their spiritual life against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
For this reason, and because salvation is a gift of God's grace, which cannot be earned, Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it." (Matthew 7:13, The Sermon on the Mount).
Following Christ, Defined and Exemplified by the Chosen Apostles and Saints
In 1:1, Paul referred to the believers in Ephesus as saints, "hagios," meaning set apart for God, which is His holy purpose. It is to be different, unlike others. For the believer, holy means a likeness of nature with the Lord, which is "distinct from the world. The distinguishing mark of the believer is they are special to the Lord. Why? He is their (Kurios) Master, and they are His (doulos) slaves.
Why is it so difficult to follow Jesus Christ? The question is easy to understand when one accepts the meaning of sin. Sin replaces the concept "made in God's image" with the audacity of considering ourselves equal to God and deserving to rule our lives even though we are creatures of time, dependent upon God for life, movement, knowledge, and existence from one second to the next. If you think about what I wrote and accept it as true, you will also realize the wickedness of the human heart. That wickedness prevents people from coming to Christ apart from Divine intervention.
However, the centuries reveal a people chosen, transformed, enlightened, and emboldened to confront a world of sinners so focused on their misunderstood and inflated sense of worth they go their way in opposition to God; nonetheless, these Puritans are more willing to face torture and death than letting sinners go their way without hearing about the love and grace of God.
John Fox, who wrote Foxe's Book of Martyrs, was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, in 1517. He undertook the enormous task of chronicling the tortures and deaths of multitudes of martyrs. If you question the resolve of all Christians, you will need to read perhaps not all but a part of Foxe's book. I believe the complete version is 2,100 pages.
How could anyone be aware of the sacrifices made by countless Christians through the centuries and critize the church? Christ laid the foundation on the cross and stepped out of time to bear an eternal punishment for the lost. At the same time, how can we observe the devil deceiving and corrupting Christ's Church, standing by idly, saying nothing, when we should engage the Church as did the Apostles by writing the New Testament letters to the Churches? Letters that can ensure the Church is built according to Christ's specifications. Those following Christ rightly defined and exemplified should question men and their earthly institutions who exercise fleshly energies outside Christ's will. Judgment should not be about matters of conscience (Romans 14:4). Only sinful pride prevents this process from being carried out and correctly.
Since Foxe's death, many have followed in the martyr's footsteps. However, not all people who die for religious purposes are martyrs for Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote, "...if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:3). Therefore, when I speak of martyrs, I speak of those who possess eternal life. Jesus said, "This is eternal life, that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent" (John 17:3). There is no person who offers a worthy sacrifice of their life to God who does not know Him, experientially and personally.
From Foxes Book of Martyrs
For time's sake, I will abbreviate the accounts.
Stephen suffered the next in order. His death was occasioned by the faithful manner in which he preached the Gospel to the betrayers and murderers of Christ. To such a degree of madness were they excited that they cast him out of the city and stoned him to death. The time when he suffered is generally supposed to have been the Passover, which succeeded to that of our Lord's crucifixion and the era of his ascension in the following spring.
Upon this, great persecution was raised against all who professed their belief in Christ as the Messiah or as a prophet. ...About two thousand Christians, with Nicanor, one of the seven deacons, suffered martyrdom during the persecution that arose about Stephen.
For time's sake, I will abbreviate the accounts.
James As James was led to the place of martyrdom, his accuser was brought to repent of his conduct by the apostle's extraordinary courage and undauntedness and fell at his feet to request his pardon, professing himself a Christian and resolving that James should not receive the crown of martyrdom alone. A.D. 44
Philip suffered martyrdom at Heliopolis in Phrygia. He was scrouged, thrown into prison, and afterward crucified A.D. 55.
Matthew, whose occupation was that of a toll-gatherer, was born in Nazareth. He wrote his Gospel in Hebrew, later translated into Greek by James the Less. The scene of his labors was Parthia and Ethiopia, in which latter count he suffered martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60.
James the less was the author of the Epistle ascribed to James in the sacred canon. At the age of ninety-four, he was beaten and stoned by the Jews and finally had his brains dashed out with a fuller's club.
Matthias, less known than most of the other disciples, was elected to fill the vacant place of Judas. He was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.
Andrew was the brother of Peter. He preached the Gospel to many Asiatic nations, but on his arrival at Edessa, he was taken and crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed transversely in the ground. Hence the derivation of the term St. Angrew's Cross.
Mark was born to Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He is supposed to have been converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he served ...and under whose inspection he wrote his Gospel in Greek. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria at the great solemnity of Serapis, their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.
Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was condemned to death and crucified, as some do write, at Rome, albeit some others ...Hegesippus said that Nero sought matters against Peter to put him to death; ...Jerome said that he was crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was.
Paul, the apostle who was before called Saul, after his great travail and unspeakable labors in promoting the Gospel of Christ, suffered also in this first persecution under Nero. Abdias declared that under his execution, Nero sent two of his esquires, Didymus and Parthemius, to bring him the word of his death. They, coming to Paul instructing the people, desired him to pray for them, that they might believe, who told them that shortly after, they should believe and be baptized at His sepulcher. When this was done, the soldiers came and led him out of the city to the place of execution, where he, after his prayers made, gave his neck to the sword.
Bartholomew translated the Gospel of Matthew into the language of India ...He was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by the impatient idolaters.
Thomas, called Didymus, preached the Gospel in Parthia and India, where, exciting the rage of the pagan priest, he was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.
Luke, the evangelist, was the author of the Gospel, which goes under his name. He is supposed to have been hanged on an olive tree by the idolatrous priests of Greece.
Simon surnamed Zelotes, preached the Gospel in Mauritania, Africa, and even Britain, in which latter country he was crucified in A.D. 74.
John, the beloved disciple, was brother to James the Great. He founded the churches of Smyrna, Pergamos, Sarid, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Thatira. From Ephesus, he was ordered to be sent to Rome, where it is affirmed he was cast into a cannon of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle without injury. Domitian afterward banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Some believe he was left there to starve to death.
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