Church History: The Holy Forty

My best friend, Sandy Shockley, turned me on to the stories of the Christian martyrs. She graciously accepted my invitation to submit some of their stories for this Church History series. This is the account of “The Holy Forty” of Sebaste.
The 40 Martyrs were Roman soldiers who were put to death in Sebaste, which is in Armenia today. The account of these martyrs is well-documented historically and inspired great faithfulness in the ancient Church.

Around the year 320, the emperor of the eastern Roman empire, Lucinius, issued a decree ordering every Christian to renounce their faith or face death. When this decree was announced to the Roman army, 40 soldiers of different nationalities—all part of a famous “Thundering Legion”—refused to comply with the order to sacrifice to Roman gods. They were brought to trial in Sebaste, and the governor there threatened them with disgrace if they continued, and promised promotions for any who renounced their faith. They all stood firm.

The governor then devised a plan to test their faith. They were to be placed upon a frozen lake, naked and exposed to the howling wind, until they either changed their minds or froze to death. The 40 did not wait to be stripped, but undressed themselves, and encouraged one another in the ordeal. A fire and warm baths were prepared at the edge of the lake, and they were told that they could come in from the ice and warm themselves if they turned away from Christianity.

For three days and nights, the group endured. One young soldier decided to leave the group for the warmth of the baths, but the shock to his system killed him. One of the guards, seeing this disgrace, was inspired by the resolve of the remaining 39. When he was off-duty, he fell asleep by the fire and had a dream in which angels descended upon the soldiers on the lake and crowned them. He counted only 39 crowns, and decided to join them. He put down his arms and cloak, proclaimed himself a Christian, and walked out to the group on the ice, bringing the number of martyrs back to 40.

By the morning of the fourth day, most were dead, and the remaining were killed. All the bodies were burned in a furnace, and their ashes thrown into a river. The Christian community recovered some of the charred remains. (Credit: University of Norte Dame Indiana)

(From me: Beloved, Christ may not call you to persecution and death for His Name, but He is calling you to uncompromising faithfulness.)

Church History: Martyrs (part 1)

Starting with Stephen (Acts 7-8:1), the history of the church tells of the men and women who were martyred for their testimony of Jesus Christ. Over the next few weeks, we will look at some of their stories. Scripture tells us that James was executed by King Herod Agrippa around A.D. 44 (Mark 6:14-29). Ten years later, the Apostle Philip was scourged, imprisoned, and crucified. Legend says that Matthew was killed in A.D. 60 by violent means. Jesus’ brother, James was martyred around A.D. 66. Peter’s brother, Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross; Peter was also crucified – but upside-down as he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same position as his Lord. Tradition says Mark was dragged to pieces in Alexandria and Paul was beheaded in A.D. 66.

Even today, in many parts of the eastern world, people are still being killed for their faith. We don’t have the same level of persecution in the U.S., but I have no doubt that it’s coming. If someone were to ever point a gun at my head and demand that I betray my Savior or die, I say I would choose death. But am I betraying Him in my daily life? Will I betray Him with profane words while wearing my “Jesus is Lord” T-shirt? Will I curse someone who cut me off despite the fish symbol on my bumper? Will I walk into church on Sunday morning after walking into an R-rated movie on Saturday night? I say that I will take a bullet for Jesus, but will I take the humble road in a dispute with my neighbor?

What good is my bold declaration of devotion to Jesus if I don’t prove my kinship in the smaller matters of daily life? I don’t think I will ever be confronted with death for the cause of Christ, but every day I must choose to die to myself in the grocery store, my workplace, my home, and on the road.

Harold Chadwick, who updated Foxe’s Book of Martyrs in 1997 wrote these words after pouring over story after story of dauntless and devoted Christians who gladly died for the Name and cause of Christ: “Could we with our soft and self-serving Christianity, follow their examples of such courage and love for Christ that we would suffer being tortured, mutilated, and burned alive rather than recant our faith in Him?”[1] What say ye, Beloved?

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[1] Harold J. Chadwick, Forward to The New Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Updated through the 21^st Century, (Alachua: Bridge-Logos, 2001), xiv.

Identity

“Who am I?” “What is my identity?” Identity is the big push in our culture. But that’s nothing new. In the sixties wives and mothers were walking away from their families to “discover myself.” As psychology took a firm grip in the seventies, “knowing ourselves” became the cultural cry. I’m not sure we ever discovered anything worthwhile, we just turned all of our attention inward and brooded.
But identity is not entirely a bad thing. I believe it is important to understand who we are. Identity that recognizes one’s gifts and talents can encourage a lifelong goal. I was advised years ago by a wise friend to consider myself a writer and it spurred me to take writing seriously. We encourage Joy to think of herself as a dancer, a worship leader, or a preacher as she shows interest in all of those things. Yesterday she was a circus performer doing tricks on her trapeze. She is at that fun stage of self-discovery.
But identity has also become sorely twisted by the world as many allow sexuality or fantasy to shape who they are. Men choose to identify as women and women choose to identify as men – or as neither. High school students are identifying as animals. “This is who I am! You must accept me and accommodate me in my identity!” Worst of all, laws are being enacted demanding that the rest of us go along with their delusions.
The church is no exception. “Who I am in Christ” is a major theme in religious circles. It permeates popular Christian music and studies. It is big business for producers of kitschy Christian wall art, coffee cups, and t-shirts. Mind you, it’s not a bad thing for us to recognize that we are loved, saved, redeemed, chosen, blood-bought children of God. It really does give us Joy and hope and peace. As long as we remember why we are who we are.
I am loved because “God is love” (1 Jn 4:16). I am saved because the name of Jesus has power to save (Acts 4:12). I am redeemed because God is merciful (Rom 9:16). I am chosen because the Lord is gracious (Eph 1:11). I am a child of God because He claimed me as His own (1 Jn 3:1). I know who I am in Christ because my identity is Him. Don’t look within to find your identity. Look to the One who claimed you and saved you and made you His own. That, Beloved, is who you are.

Church History: Fathers of the Faith

My desire in this church history study is to teach you how the Holy Spirit moved over human history to build Christ’s Body and introduce you to the people He used along the way.

When the church began its westward movement it took deep root in Rome and then slowly moved toward France. One of the most prolific ancient Fathers, Bishop Irenaeus, ministered in Lyons and left a wealth of Christian writings. Irenaeus was firmly orthodox. He lived in a time (the second century) when false interpretations of Jesus were rampant. Not only did he defend the biblical Jesus and fight for authentic Christianity, but Irenaeus was instrumental in establishing the canon of scripture we know as the New Testament.
Canonicity means the collection of sacred writings which were accepted by the church as authoritative and true. Irenaeus argued for specific requirements in determining which writings would be included in the Christian manifesto: agreement with direct apostolic teaching, prophetic revelation, and early creedal statements. He eschewed fantasy and mythology, relying instead on eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ works and the works of His followers in the first century.
Irenaeus was a “third-generation” Christian. He was a disciple of Polycarp who was a disciple of John. He sat at the feet of the man who sat at the feet of the man who sat at the feet of the Lord Jesus. He endured fierce persecution in Lyons, taking the office of bishop after his predecessor’s death due to abuse. He was held in highest esteem by the churches of that era and lived up to his name as a peacemaker in an era of great doctrinal turmoil while still defending the orthodox Christian teaching against Gnostic heresies. Irenaeus argued that salvation had nothing to do with intellect or secret knowledge but was solely rooted in the work of Jesus.
By the end of the third century, the church had moved into Spain and Britain, then headed south into North Africa where Christianity was well-received and fruitful. North African churches were the first Latin-speaking churches in the world. Just west of Egypt was the town of Cyrene. The man who was drafted to carry Jesus’ cross was Simon of Cyrene (see Mark 15:21). It is almost certain that Simon became a believer and returned home to share the gospel. Simon’s son, Rufus was highlighted in Paul’s list of fellow Christians in Romans 16. By the end of the third century, the vast Roman empire was replete with gospel proclaimers.
What does that mean for you and me in the twenty-first-century church? Just that the seeds of the gospel were planted some two thousand years ago and they are still growing and still producing fruit for the Kingdom of God. When you and I tell the old, old story, Beloved, we are standing on the fields where Irenaeus and others went before.

Church History: The End of the Apostolic Age

Much of the book of Acts focused on the missionary journeys of Peter and Paul who ministered the gospel throughout Asia Minor and parts of Europe. But that is not the only place where the Spirit of the Lord was at work. The first congregation of followers of Jesus was in Jerusalem, the home of the “Mother Church.” The church here was growing as well, to the consternation of the Jewish hierarchy, Jesus’ brother, James, led the Jerusalem church, keeping the strict Jewish orthodoxy as closely as possible while declaring the good news of grace. He would be martyred in A.D. 62, leaving the church bereft without their leader.
Bigger troubles were brewing for all the Jews in Jerusalem. Tensions between the Jews and the Romans who ruled them simmered to a boiling point. In A.D. 66, the Jews revolted against their oppression. A bloody battle ensued for four years until Emperor Vespasian’s forces, under the leadership of Titus, broke through the walls of the city in A.D. 70. They went for the heart of the Jews, looting and burning the Temple and carrying the surviving treasures to Rome.
The Christians in Jerusalem fled the city, an act that was considered treason by the Jews. As a result, Christians were barred from the Jewish synagogues in every city. This, combined with the gentile movement in the church caused the Jews and Christians to be completely severed. It was the darkest time for God’s people in Jerusalem – all of them. Yet Jesus had prophesied this very event before His death. When His disciples were glorifying the temple, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Matt 24:2).
By this time most of the original apostles were dead. A.D. 70 and the destruction of Jerusalem is considered the end of the apostolic age. A new age and a new generation of Christians would carry on what Jesus’ first followers started. The church would experience a spiritual explosion, fueled by the dynamis (power) of the Holy Spirit. This, too, was prophesied by the Lord: “You will receive power when the holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The church was on the move.

The Power of Perspective

I love to examine Scripture in fine detail like original word meanings and cultural context. But I also need to keep the whole in mind. Take Ephesians 6:5-8; Paul told slaves to “obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” My curious mind immediately wants to do a word and cultural study of slavery. But is slavery Paul’s point? If we pull back we see that the bigger picture is obedience to and for the Lord. Pull back a little more and this section is sandwiched between family instruction and the armor of God. Once again the bigger picture is all persons doing all things “in the Lord” and being “strong in the Lord” (v. 1, 10). Pull back even farther and we see the whole theme of Ephesians is living as who we are “in the Lord.” We could take this macro-vision even further by noting that the entire New Testament is what God has done and is doing “in the Lord.” What is the focus of the entire Bible? The Lord God.
Right now, you may be dealing with something very difficult and all your attention is centered on this one thing in your life. It’s all you can see. You are hyper-focused on this single issue, person, or struggle. May I encourage you to pull back just a little and look for the bigger picture? This issue, person or need is one paragraph on one page of your entire life story. But it isn’t your whole story. God has a much bigger purpose in mind than just the solution to one problem in your life. Over and over the Bible tells stories of people who had a challenge—infertility, oppression, imprisonment, slavery, rejection, even lack of basic life necessities—and God moved in such a way that the resolution to their challenge became a much larger and more God-glorifying part of their story.
Jesus said, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (John 13:7). Beloved, there is a bigger picture forming. There is a higher purpose. There is so much more to your story than you can see in the moment. Give God your troubles, struggles, and difficulties and watch Him unfold something you never imagined. Your life is so much more than this moment. Trust the Author of your life story. He has a beautiful, wonderful ending ahead for you.

A Church in Danger

Have you noticed that there is a lot of hero worship in Christendom? There are “rock-star” pastors with thousands of followers and Bible teachers who sell out auditoriums around the country. I’m not saying popularity in the church is wrong. Jesus had quite a crowd that followed Him and hung on His every word. Take the fellow in Luke 9: “As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, ‘I will follow you where you go.’” (v. 57). He wanted to be part of Jesus’ entourage. But Jesus didn’t encourage this would-be fan. “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head” (v. 58). I believe Jesus was saying, “This is not going to be the high-life you’re expecting. I don’t have a multi-million-dollar mansion to put you up in. I walk hot, dusty roads and sleep where I can.”
What did you expect from Jesus when you chose to follow Him? A solution to all your problems? A good reputation in the community? A full life with heaven thrown in after it’s all over? Just a few verses before He said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (v. 23) Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and the cross. He might have also told the man, “Don’t hook your wagon to me unless you’re prepared to die.”
In case you haven’t noticed, there is a war going on between good and evil, between light and darkness. God’s people are the enemy of the present ruling authorities who are bent on the church’s destruction. If you choose Jesus, you need to know that you are also choosing self-denial, persecution, rejection, and suffering. That is what the Lord endured. Why should we expect any less?
I look at the modern church – particularly in the West – so comfortable in our air-conditioned sanctuaries. Where is the suffering? Where is the persecution? Where are self-denial and the cross? I’m pointing my finger at myself. I believe the enemy’s strategy against the church in the U.S. is not a full-on battle, but to make us relaxed and contented while he waters down our theology and sugarcoats our worship. Just before he hits us with an all-out assault.
I realize, Beloved, that this is not a warm and happy message. Take it as a warning. If our Christianity is comfortable, maybe we’re in more danger than we know.

Doctrines of the Faith: God the Father

The Apostle’s Creed is the core doctrinal statement of the Church. It outlines every foundational statement of the Christian faith. The opening statement says: “I believe in God the Father . . .” What does that mean? Are we “all God’s children” as many philosophers and modern songwriters have claimed?
Deuteronomy 32:6 is the first mention of the Lord as “Father.” Moses declared: Is He not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” In this sense, God is called Father because, like a human father He is instrumental in creating life. As man’s Creator, He is The Force of life. But the Old Testament people did not relate to God as a personal Father.
Jesus addressed God as Father in His prayers – often using the tender name “Abba” as little children would do – and he called Him “my Father” on multiple occasions when speaking to his disciples. In the prayer He taught them, said, “This, then is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your name. . .’” (Matt 6:9). He set this forward as a term of reverence. It was a step closer to the kind of relationship that He had with God but was still a formal declaration of devotion and veneration.
But go with me now to the tomb. When Mary Magdalene encountered the resurrected Lord in the garden, He told her to “Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (Jn 20:17). Now His Father was the disciples’ Father – and subsequently our Father. (On a side note: Jesus first called His disciples servants, then He called them friends. But after His resurrection, He called them brothers.)
Paul wrote that all who come to Christ Jesus “receive adoption as sons” [and daughters], and are full heirs with Christ. We are granted “the Spirit of Sonship” and that same Spirit “testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Rom 8:15-16). He also wrote that “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (v. 9). No Christ – no Spirit – no Father.
God is indeed the Creator of all people, but He is not the Father of all people. He is the Father of every person whom He chooses to come into saving faith through His Son, Jesus. Beloved, is that you?

How to Behave Like a Christian

Okay friends, I hear you. Yes, I’ve said that God isn’t after behavior modification, but then I said that behavior matters. Yet the harder we try to behave like a Christian, the more we stumble. It feels like an impossible scenario. And it is. So how do we do this Christian thing?
Colossians 3 has some excellent advice for us – in fact, in my Bible (NIV) this section is entitled, “Rules for Holy Living.” Paul gives the key right up front: “Set your heart on things above” (v. 1) and “Set your mind on things above” (v. 2). In Scripture both the heart and the mind center around our thoughts. “Set your heart” means “to seek by thinking, meditating, and reasoning.” Likewise, “set your mind” means “to direct one’s mind to a thing.” Our behavior starts with our thoughts.
The heart, in the original Greek, is “the seat of thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections . . .” and the mind is the locus of “considering and judging.” The first key is to recognize that we determine our thoughts. We choose what we meditate on and allow to take up valuable space in our hearts and minds. Granted, our thoughts can be triggered by outside forces – advertisers count on that. And lest we forget, the mind is the devil’s favorite playground. But you and I determine what stays in our minds.
One verse I claim often is to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). How? By setting our thoughts on things above. By grabbing that errant thought and taking it to Jesus and letting His Spirit direct us rightly. Which brings me to the most crucial point in our quest for living the Christian life – the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, “Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Rom 8:6). That is the conjoining of our minds with the Holy Spirit. Then we will be “controlled by the Spirit . . . [that] lives in us” (v. 9). And that is the complete surrender of our lives to the Spirit of Christ.
Beloved, what you think about, what you give your heart and mind to, what you pursue with your emotions are all under your control. But when you submit your mind and heart to the Holy Spirit He takes control. He leads you in the ways of Christ. That is how you and I live holy, godly lives. That’s how the impossible becomes possible.

Crazy-Quilt Life

I have two verses that are especially meaningful to me and they speak of the same thing.
Psalm 16:11: You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with Joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
Psalm 119:105: Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Did you see it? Path. A path in both contexts means a well-worn passageway. It is that trail or road that others have used before. These paths in Psalms tell me two things I need to know.
A path is there because it has been proven to get you where you need to go. A path would not exist if it got the traveler lost. A path says that others have been this way successfully. One person does not make a path. But many feet do. It is like an unseen guide calling out, “Follow me! I’ve been this way before and I know it is trustworthy.”
A path also implies a destination. Aimless wandering does not make a path. A path says there is something at the end that matters. There is a reason to follow the path. There is someplace you need to go. There is someone you need to see or something you need to do down the road. Many others have gone this way because they also had a purpose in their travels.
This speaks to me because my life seems like a lot of aimless wandering. I never imagined that I had a purpose or that there was a grand plan for me. I took whatever came to me and never tried to connect any dots to see if there was some direction or reason in any of it. Or if there was Someone behind it all. Even after I became a Christian, I assumed that I was to just do the best I could with the cards I was dealt and hopefully not mess up too badly before I could get to heaven.
Then I read a quote by Marilyn Meberg who said, “[You are] not on a haphazard course of [your] own poor choosing.” I cannot tell you how much that comforted and encouraged me. Yes, I have made many, many mistakes – some doozies. I have suffered the consequences – painful, hard, scarring consequences. But even in my stumbles, God has been working. I need to know that. I’ll bet you do too. Beloved, even a crazy-quilt life comes together to produce something beautiful. Stay on the path and watch God stitch.