Blood of the Martyrs

November 26

Why do people suffer for their faith? Perhaps that question should be reworded, “Why do Christians suffer for their faith?” Though there may be incidents of religious persecution that include all the earth’s belief systems, the preponderance of religious persecution (it is estimated to be 75%) is perpetrated against Christians. Why?

Much of that persecution, although not all of it, occurs in Muslim countries. In the past 100 years (during the 20th Century) 26,000,000 Christians were killed for their faith (martyred). This is more than the combined total of all previous centuries. It does not count the untold numbers who were persecuted in other ways—those who have been denied employment, imprisoned, tortured, and even enslaved for their faith.

These things are going on right now in certain countries and, in many cases, persecution is worse than it has ever been. Yet Christians continue to proclaim their belief in Jesus in spite of the danger doing so brings upon themselves. Why? Because as I John 1:3 tells us, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard because we want you also to have fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ the Lord as we do.”

What we have is so precious that we desire all mankind to possess it! We yearn for all our brothers in the family of man to know forgiveness of sin and inclusion in the family of God through the sacrifice of Jesus. And though we be persecuted, we say with Tertullian, “Put us on the rack, grind us to powder, torture us, but our numbers will increase, for the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”