Over the centuries persecution has proved to be the fertilizer growth of the Church. The blood of the martyrs solidified the faith of those who would spread the gospel throughout the world. So why are we so shaken when persecution comes? For centuries the early Church lived in persecution, not fearing but instead considering martyrdom as a special honor. No one wanted to die, but to die for Christ was a calling that few turned away from. As Clement of Alexandria relates from Book 7 of his Miscellanies:

“When the blessed Apostle Peter saw his wife led away to death, he rejoiced with her that her call had come and that she was returning to her true home. He called out to here by name in encouragement and comfort, ‘remember the Lord!’ Such was the marriage of the blessed and their perfect affection.”

Today, we find that type of belief staggering. Could it be because we refuse to surrender so much of ourselves and our lives to Jesus? Our Lord demands everything of us. No matter how many teachings or preachers you have heard tell you that you can still allow compromise and complacency in your walk with the Lord, real freedom can only be found in a total and absolute surrender to Him, “our life for His.”

Harold J. Chadwick writes: “Would you suffer persecution, poverty, and prison for Christ? Would you endure cruel tortures that take your mind and body to the very brink of death and beyond? Would you persevere? Would you ‘hold fast the profession of your faith without wavering?’ (Heb. 10:23) Would you stand boldly without shame and confess Christ as Lord, to your own or to your family’s peril? For two thousand years, courageous men and women have been tortured and killed because of their confessions of Jesus Christ as Lord.”

We in today’s Church are so busy living our lives the way we want, waiting for the Lord to come and take us out with a “shout.” If the early Church, that was so strong and dedicated to Him, went through such fearsome persecution without being taken out, what makes us think that today’s weak and worldly Church should deserve such an honor? – Frank Di Pietro, The Fire That Once Was