Encouraged and Strengthened

August 23

Jesus tells us in John 15:18 and the beloved Apostle John reiterates to us in I John 3:13 that we as believers will be disdained by the world. The wrath of the haters of the good news of salvation lashed out at Jesus unto death and at John who was sorely persecuted by unbelievers who attempted to kill him but could not.

In these days of accelerated persecution of Christians, may we who know Christ as Savior and Lord hold fast to our commitment to Him. May we not be shaken in our resolve to follow Him, even unto death, if necessary. May we say with Job, who lost all things in the great trial of his faith, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him,” Job 13:15.

Persecution of followers of Jesus, though it has intensified in the 20th and 21st Centuries, is not a new thing. From the earliest followers of Christ, even until now, the enemy of God, who is also the enemy of God’s people has used his minions to slaughter believers in Christ in his attempt to destroy the Church.

This persecution began with the Apostles as history verifies. Here is a brief compilation of the deaths of the Apostles who were among the earliest Christian martyrs. The first martyr, Stephen, was stoned to death in Jerusalem by a frenzied mob that hated the Christ he loved and of whom he witnessed to them (see Acts 6:8-8:1).

How the Apostles Died:

1. Matthew was killed by the sword in Ethiopia.

2. Mark was dragged by horses through the streets of Alexandria, Egypt until he died.

3. Luke was hanged in Greece.

4. Peter was crucified upside down in Rome on an X shaped cross.

5. James the brother of Jesus was thrown over a hundred feet from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem when he refused to deny Christ. When he survived the fall, he was beaten to death with a fuller’s club.

6. James the Great, the fisherman called by Jesus, was beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded him was so touched by James’s faith that he was overcome by conviction, declared his new faith, and knelt beside James to be beheaded also.

7. Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, witnessed Christ in Asia, including Turkey. He was flayed to death by a whip in present day Armenia.

8. Andrew was crucified on an X shaped cross in Patras, Greece after being severely whipped by seven soldiers who tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. Witnesses to his execution quoted him as saying, “The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.” It took two days for him to expire and he preached to his executioners for the entire time until he died.

9. Thomas was stabbed to death with a spear during one of his missionary trips to India.

10. Jude was slain with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Jesus.

11. Matthias, who was chosen to replace Judas who had betrayed Jesus, was stoned and then beheaded.

12. Paul was tortured then beheaded in Rome by the evil Emperor Nero in A.D. 67 after a lengthy imprisonment. It was during the time of his incarceration that Paul wrote his many epistles which comprise a large part of the New Testament.

13. John, the Beloved Apostle, was boiled in a huge caldron of oil during a wave of persecution in Rome; however, he was miraculously delivered from death. He was sentenced to the prison island of Patmos where he wrote the Book of Revelation. He was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey. He died an old man, the only Apostle to die peacefully.

May we be encouraged and strengthened in our faith by the courage of these brave men who gave themselves for the glory of the Christ they loved and served. May we, as they did, be willing to endure any fate rather than to deny the Lord who gave Himself for us.