Video on Foxe's Book of the Martyrs

Following Christ

"Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me"(Mk. 8:34). Sometimes we wish we could take a black marker and blot out the words of the Bible that are hardest to take. This verse is certainly one of the hardest sayings of the Bible to me. "Deny myself?" Wait a minute, I thought God wanted me to be happy! "Take up my cross?" Hold on, certainly that isn't necessary. "Follow Christ?" Check back later; I'm awfully busy. As silly as this seems, It should sound really familiar. I wonder how many times Christ recieves this response from us. Consider the examples given in Luke 9:57-62(NIV):

"As they were walking along the road, a man said to Him,"I will follow You wherever You go." Jesus replied,"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head." He said to another man, "Follow Me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family." Jesus replied, " No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Christ exemplified sacrifice and service in His life. He modeled what is desired of us, and no one could ever say He had an easy life. Not to say that all of us are called to be martyrs for the faith, but all of us are called to place Christ ahead of everything in our lives. When you truly and openly do this, you will begin to notice a change in the people around you. The world will place your life under a microscope, and when, as is certain, you turn out to be less then perfect, the people around you feel justified in their rejection of Christ. Many of your friends start fading into the background, because you aren't as much fun as you used to be, and after all, they don't want to hear about any of that "religion stuff." Your own family may even begin to see you as offensive, and begin to feel uncomfortable around you. I guarantee this will happen to some degree if you stand up for Christ. For doesn't Christ say in Matt. 10:34-37:
"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me."

If you then do as you should and read your Bible, pray, attend church, and share your faith, you will find that the enemy makes it harder for you. To top that all off, you will have times of utter weakness, and bitter despair. You are asked to love those that persecute you, and to share the gospel of Christ with people who would probably rather recieve a giant stack of bills as to have you mention the Bible. You might even have days that you doubt your faith, or buy into a teaching that isn't true. The enemy will go to great lengths to discourage you from growing into the miracle God is making in you.

So where is the good news? It is freedom from sin and an enduring peace. We are never alone, because the Holy Spirit is sent to those who put their faith in Christ. He instructs in righteousness, gives wisdom and other spiritual gifts, strength in times of weakness, comfort in times of sorrow, unspeakable joy that the world can't comprehend, and countless other benefits. We have the eternal love of a beautiful Savior. We are promised an everlasting life in the presence of the God we serve and love. When we pray, we know that through Christ we are heard. We know that when we reach the eternal shores of heaven that the ones that left this earth before us in Christ will be there with us, and we will never suffer again. For the Lord says as He is about to be taken to His death in John 17:20-24:
"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them and You in Me; that they may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

When we see ourselves for the first time in the mirror of God's holiness, we see a vile, helpless sinner. Then, we see Christ suffering on the cross, and we find grace. Upon being born again, we see the world through new eyes. There is a contentment and a joy that cannot be had but through Christ. In trials we gain wisdom and inhuman strength, and we see a blessing in all situations. Even the sting of death has been taken away by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life.

Another great blessing, is that the Lord will use your life to show the light of Christ to all the people around you. You will be given opportunities to share your joy, and defend the Word of God. When you are bold for Christ, people see your passion and want to know more. When God plants the seed of His Word, hearts are convicted and people turn to Christ(Rom.10:17). The angels rejoice every time a sinner repents and trusts in Jesus(Lk. 15:10).

Let's be bold for Christ! When someone says something that isn't true about your husband, wife, child, father, or mother, any of us would defend the truth about them and get it straight. But, sadly, when it comes to Jesus, people fold to the lost world in fear of offending someone and let the lie continue in their presence. Over the years, this has led to thousands of different doctrines, and a "do-your-own-thing" Christianity. The only way to combat this domino effect and weakening church image is one Christian at a time, making the decision to obey the Word and stand up for Jesus.

The Lord says, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in Heaven(Matt.10:32-33)." When a Christian, or the Church for that matter, agrees with the world and not the Word, they are denying Christ. In John chapter one, Christ Himself is referred to as the Word. He says in John 7:38: "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." There is only one Christ, and He is the One detailed in the Holy inerrant Scriptures; there is no other.

What does it mean to confess Him? The word "confess", translated from the aforementioned Matthew verse, comes from the Greek homologeo meaning to give a confession, to give thanks, covenant, acknowledgement, or promise. Christ asks for you to acknowledge Him publicly and without shame. Christ asks you to believe the Word of testimony, in other words, believe in Him as the Scripture states. Many who claim to know Christ, profess a different Christ than that of the scriptures. They have in their own minds the Jesus of their choosing, one who is all happiness and peace and no Lord, God and Savior. For there is no other than the one contained in Holy Scripture, Amen! Christ wants you to confess Him even if it means your freedom or your life. Thousands of faithful Christians have heeded this, and have been imprisoned or killed for confessing the Christ of Scripture as Lord.

Ask yourself this question...would you confess Christ under any circumstance? How about if you are a teenager out with some friends and others are pressuring you to do things that you know are wrong? What if your place of work is having a party where you know many will be overindulging and you will be pressured to behave in like manner? How about if you are in a group of people talking badly about someone? What if your family or friends pressures you to do something against your convictions? And as a final example, what if your life or the life of your loved ones were threatened unless you denied Christ? I have been guilty myself of making the wrong choice in a few of these examples, and many more that aren't listed here.

We must be vigilant and prayerful, carefully monitoring ourselves, especially in tricky situations. The decisions that you make in these times affect the witness for Christ that you show the world. In other words, as a professing Christian, you are representing Him here on earth. Others know it if you have publicly confessed Him, so they are more aware of your choices than you realize. Perhaps if we take this responsibility as seriously as we should, the image of Christianity will be far better for it.

Love of God

The Love of God (Frederick M. Lehman)

(1) The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin.

CHORUS:
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall for evermore endure
The saints' and angels' song.

(2) When years of time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God's love so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam's race-The saints' and angels' song.

(3) Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.