What kept on motivating them that we are missing today?
I remembered what
Jesus told his disciples before his death that they were going to suffer
persecution, trials, and death for his name sake. I am too sure that none of
Jesus’ words has ever fallen to the ground from the prophesy of the end time- rumors
of wars, nations against nations, rise of false prophets, famines, etc (Matthew
24) to the prophesy of his death. I decided to know how his disciples’ lives
ended by searching through websites and e-books.
But one thing was
common to all their death- they were murdered, accused unfairly and persecuted
for preaching the gospel.
However, I kept
wondering within myself, why did these apostles agree to die for Jesus? Even
after seeing how their master Jesus was killed and how their fellow apostles
were being killed one after the other; they still maintained their faith and
prefer dying for it.
In comparison (this I
did because we are all going to be judged on the same standard), I checked our
present world to see that our so called Christians doesn’t seem to be too eager
in dying for the gospel. Then I ask myself this question
- What kept on motivating them that we are
missing today?
Before we answer this
question, let us examine how our apostles became martyrs
Matthew Arrested in Ethiopia. It was
there that he was staked or impaled to the earth by spears and then beheaded
Mark He died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by horses through
the streets until he was dead.
Luke He was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to
the lost.
John He faced martyrdom when he was boiled
in a huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However,
he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines
on the prison island of Patmos. He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on
Patmos. The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of
Edessa in modern Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die
peacefully.
Peter He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross, according to
church tradition because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in
the same way that Jesus Christ had died.
James the Just The leader of the church
in Jerusalem, was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle
of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered
that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's
club. This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the
Temptation.
James the Greater Son of Zebedee, He was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman
officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his
trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution.
Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside
James to accept beheading as a Christian.
Bartholomew He was also known as Nathanael was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed to
our Lord in present day Turkey. Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in
Armenia when he was believed to have been flayed to death by a whip. He
may have also been crucified.
Andrew He was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being
whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords
to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the
cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: "I have long desired and expected
this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging
on it." He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he
expired.
Thomas He was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary
trips to establish the church in the subcontinent.
Jude The brother of Jesus, was killed with arrows when he refused to
deny his faith in Christ.
Matthias, He was chosen by the Apostles to replace Judas Iscariot, after the
death of Judas in the Field of Blood. Information concerning the life and
death of Matthias is vague and contradictory. One tradition maintains that
Matthias was stoned at Jerusalem by the Jews, and then beheaded.
Barnabas One of the groups of seventy disciples, wrote the Epistle of
Barnabas. He preached throughout Italy and Cyprus. Barnabas was stoned to death
at Salonika.
Phillip He was crucified, according to the plaque in the church of the Holy
Apostles. According to most
historians, Philip’s death was exceedingly cruel. He was impaled by iron hooks
in his ankles and hung upside down to die.
Paul He was believed to have been tortured and then beheaded by the evil
Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment which
allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout
the Roman Empire.
Outlined above are the different ways the apostles died for one
purpose- the gospel. But how many of us these days would like to pass through
this intense punishment?
Again, I ask myself
this question - What kept on motivating them that we are missing today?
We have the same gospel, same bible showing documented evidence
of the truth, pastors everywhere teaching the truth. We even have free access
to hear and spread the gospel. We have the Holy Spirit even more. So what kept
this disciples going that we do not have now?
From my study of the scriptures, I realized that “the truth” kept them going. No one will
ever die to defend lies but good people are ready to die for the truth. The
truth kept the apostles going. What is this truth? Pontius Pilate asked this
same question in John 18:37-38:. Jesus himself stated clearly in John 14:6 that
HE is the truth. Their firm belief in Jesus, his words, doctrines, principles
was so real to them and was seen as the best way to God by these apostles. They
had complete and total trust in the truth. They could give their lives to
defend this truth. This is what we are missing today.
But now, people are not ready to die for this truth
anymore because they have failed to have a total understanding of the truth
itself. They have become lovers of lies, pleasures and themselves instead of
the truth. In 2Tim 3; 1 as we draw
closer to the end-times, Christians begin to drift away from the truth and
their first love begins to wax cold. What we are missing today is the total
dependence on the truth.
Even the so called preachers have failed to preach this
truth as it has been in the time of the apostles (Jude 4). They now restructure
the original truth in diverse dilutions that suit their needs and followers. So
tell me, how can there be that initial motivation? The Holy Spirit is still
with us, the scriptures are here but the truth has been tampered with. This is
where we missed it. By redefining the truth, we had lost the genuine love for God
that came with Christianity.
Conclusion:
John 8:32: And ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Fight to know the
truth today, love the truth, fight the good fight for the truth and walk in the
truth.
Look for a church
that teaches the truth, only this can guarantee an everlasting life.
God bless you.
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