We were hanging out with some friends the other night, and we started talking about martyrdom. And divine protection. And the power of prayer and a positive confession.
Those lines are sometimes difficult to nail down.
Thoughts?
The Esther Project
A voice for the persecuted Church
My mind immediately goes to Matthew 16 and Luke 9. If we are called to follow in Jesus’ steps. Luke 9:23 says the Son of Man needed to suffer first (1st coming) before entering His glory (2nd Coming). So if we want to be His disciples we should expect the same. He was faithful to death, we must be as well. The way of the cross in the way of suffering. Matthew 16:24ff sums it up well.
If our anchor is set in the resurrection and the age to come, we will endure whatever comes in this age because we know we will have pleasure evermore when we are by his side in His Kingdom.
Thanks for asking the question. It’s a question I want to struggle over consistently. I want to be found faithful! Holy Spirit, help.
I was actually just thinking about Matthew 16 in regards to this, today, as well. It’s hard to argue with what may or may not be His will, when He expressly warns, “Guys, this is gonna go down.” How do you think that intersects with His promises for protection, or scriptures about the power of our prayer/confession?
Faithfulness is the final score, for sure. Amen, to that.
I think His primary concern is that we are with Him and on His side when he returns to establish His Kingdom. What are some of the Scriptures you are referring to related to protection and confession?
I wrote a bit about living for the age to come last week on my blog: http://djhorse.posterous.com/your-best-life-then
@Dave – Scripture that came up in this conversation we were having were ones like Psalm 91, or Proverbs 18:21. My husband and I came into the conversation late, but they had started to discuss if martyrdom is essentially always optional based on scriptures like those. God seems to say He’ll protect us a lot, so is it just a matter of having enough faith and speaking enough life to render any enemy powerless to take your life?
A word about martyrs…it’s so important that we are suffering for Christ because of him, not from a sense of self-righteousness or self-importance.
In other words, if it’s truly God saying “suffer for me” then I can follow through from a place of faith. But, if it’s me deciding to suffer without God’s leading, then I’m just unhealthy and probably co-dependent. It’s sometimes difficult to discern the difference. From personal experience, I know that when I’m acting in God’s will there’s a sense of peace that doesn’t come when I’m going on self-will.
One of my favorite quotes on martyrdom comes from the founder of Koinonia Farm, the community where I now live. Those who lived here in the 1950’s risked their lives to follow God’s urging.
“Faith is not belief in spite of evidence but a life lived in scorn of the consequences.” –Clarence Jordan
@dreams – Absolutely. I remember hearing about a whole wave of believers centuries ago who took the concept way too far and asked to be killed for their faith. Not really the point.