You will be my Martyrs

In Acts 1:8 Jesus gave the disciples instructions to follow after the coming of the Holy Spirit: “You will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” Those words are familiar to most churchgoers, but what might not be as familiar is the history of the word witnesses. 

The word that Jesus used has become our English word for martyr. Although martyrs have become synonymous with those who die for their faith, the word originally just meant witness; but when so many of those witnesses began to die for their faith in Jesus, the word took on new meaning. As Alec Ryrie puts it in his book Protestants, martyrs are “believers who bear witness to their faith in the most vivid and unanswerable way, by choosing to die rather than to renounce it (p.85).”  

Martyrdom became such a badge of honor throughout the Medieval Period that Martin Luther once wondered if God was displeased with him because he had not been executed for his faith. Being put to death for their Christianity meant that they were worthy to die in a manner similar to their Lord.  It was during this time that John Foxe wrote his book that would later become known as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.

Unfortunately Christian persecution and martyrdom still occur in many countries. I don’t want to minimize that, but the majority of Christians around the world and throughout history will not be killed for their faith; in America Christian martyrdom is virtually unheard of. I certainly hope I will never die as a martyr, but I have been called to be one. The Greek word martyr, translated witness, means, “one who bears witness of the truth.” It is a legal term for those who have been compelled to state what they saw.

In other words, we have been served a subpoena by Jesus, called to bear witness of the truth. Let’s be His martyrs and tell the unsaved world the truth about Jesus.   

Intellectual, Yet Idiot

In his new book Understanding Trump, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich talks about a group of people in government, journalism, and academia that he says are hurting the country. Borrowing a phrase from author Nassim Taleb, Gingrich derides the “intellectual yet idiots,” or the IYIs. Idiot is admittedly a harsh term, but it may serve as a wakeup call.

The IYIs are people who are intellectual—they are great at taking tests and writing essays that professors love—but they are idiots at the same time in that they have never actually done any of the things they write papers about. Gingrich uses the illustration of a flat tire, saying they could write beautiful reports on how to change a flat, but if the flat were on their own car, they would have to call AAA to come to their aid. These IYIs are writing and reporting on new regulations and policy that will effect business, but they have never run or worked in business themselves, making them the least qualified to create policy. Sitting around discussing things is pointless; they need to have some skin in the game.

My fear is that the Speaker was unknowingly describing people in the church. There are people who can sit around discussing and debating the finer points of theology, yet they never go out and do anything; they can explain salvation in great detail, but they have never led an unsaved person to the Lord.

When I was in college I remember other Bible majors engaging in hours-long debates, quoting tons of Scripture to support their Calvinist or Armenian beliefs. They would argue about who initiates salvation, but not compelling others to be saved. They would debate pre- or mid-tribulation views of the rapture, but they wouldn’t put down their Starbucks and warn an unbeliever that a rapture is coming.

Being intellectual is half the battle. We need to “be ready at all times to give an answer to every man that asks the reason of the hope that lies” within us (1 Peter 3:15); but that is only half the battle. All that knowledge is worthless if we don’t do anything with it. Let’s get some skin in the game and look for someone today with whom we can share the good news of Jesus Christ. Let’s be biblically intellectual, but not idiots.

The Night is Coming

One thing we know for sure about each day is that it will end with the night. Eventually the sun will go down, so to speak, and the night will come.

In our world of electricity, 24-hour media, and 3^rd shifts, the night doesn’t always slow us down. But before we had indoor lights and technology to keep us awake, the night signaled the end of the day. Being inside wasn’t enough; people were in bed when the night came.

So when Jesus told His disciples that the night was coming they would understand His point: the work has to be done before it was too late.

Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night comes when no man can work (John 9:4).”

For Jesus, He had a specific mission that was coming to an end, but as His followers we also have a mission. It’s actually more of a commission.

And I believe that it is evening and the sun is setting. The night is coming, and there are millions of people all around us who need to hear the gospel message. Let’s spread the word before the night comes. 

Belief is not Hatred

As a Christian you have probably heard someone accuse you of being hateful. Many have criticized us for believing in the reality of hell, and that this belief makes us hateful.

But simply believing something to be true does not mean that we hate people. For example:

I believe smoking causes lung cancer but I don’t hate smokers.

I believe not brushing your teeth causes cavities but I don’t hate people with cavities.

I believe soft drinks are unhealthy but I don’t hate people who drink them.

Even though I don’t hate those people I still warn anyone who will listen. I give my two cents about nicotine; I make my daughter brush her teeth; I use discipline when it comes to soft drinks. But I don’t hate anyone who doesn’t share my beliefs.

In the same way, I believe people who reject Christ with their lives go to hell after they die. But believing something to be true does not equal hatred.

I warn anyone who will listen about the reality of hell because I love them, not because I hate them. How could warning someone be hateful?

If you feel the same way—if the love of Christ compels you to love your neighbor as you love yourself—then share the gospel with all who will listen. It’s the most loving thing you can do.

“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

Luke 24:46-47

Redeeming the Time

Think for a minute about how you spend your time. Is your time spent, wasted, or invested?

I am not opposed to playing video games or watching TV, as long as the content is appropriate. The Bible is clear (and science has confirmed) that rest and downtime are important. But those activities should not be all that we do.

Too many people get home from school, pick up their controller, and play video games until they fall asleep. Likewise, people get home from work, grab the remote, and watch TV until late into the night. This is the daily routine for millions of people.

A life lost in games and shows is an example of time wasted. Each hour wasted staring at a TV is an hour you can never get back. Are you proud of how you chose to spend that hour, which was a gift from God?

We should be more interested in investing our time—spending it in a way that yields a reward in the future. Ephesians 5:17 says, “Redeeming the time because the days are evil.” Another way of saying that in today’s English could be, “Invest your time wisely because we live in an evil world.”

 We invest our time through prayer, reading God’s Word, and attending church. Time spent in those areas is an investment because they can produce future results. Answered prayers are worth the time spent in praying them; and when a verse or concept comes to our minds at just the right time, we know that the time spent in reading and listening was worth the investment.

We also invest our time wisely when we share the gospel with a nonbeliever. If they choose to put their faith in Christ then there is an eternal reward. Even if they reject the message, a seed was planted that can grow over time.

Another way to invest our time wisely is to spend it with other believers. Whether learning from people who are older than us spiritually, or teaching those who are younger than us spiritually, we are investing time in other people. This is called discipleship, and it was a command of Christ.

Remember, we live in an evil world, so how are you investing your time? 

Convince, Correct, Encourage

Among the instructions that Paul gave the young pastor Timothy are convince, correct, encourage with all patience and teaching (reprove, rebuke, exhort in KJV).

We love encouragement, and we like to be encouraged by pastors. Encouragement doesn’t ruffle feathers, and we like to see the smiles on faces when we encourage. But how much do we convince and correct?

Those two are more difficult because they assume the one being corrected is wrong and the one doing the correcting is right. The concept of being right is frowned upon thanks to post-modernism. But as believers we need to put cultural correctness aside and fulfill our biblical obligations to convince and correct.

What kind of doctor would I be if I chose not to tell you that you were sick because I didn’t want to hurt your feelings? Or what if I didn’t think there is absolute truth, so I just told you that everything was fine? I would be a bad doctor, but that is what we do when we keep the bad news from people. The word gospel means good news, and there is no good news without bad news. We need to convince people of the bad news (they are sinners separated from God) and correct their wrong thinking (they are not good enough to make it to heaven). Yes, encouragement is easier, but that only comes after they have repented.

The message of forgiveness, friendship with God, and heaven are all encouraging, but only in their right context. Talking about a lifeguard, floatation device, and CPR is not nearly as encouraging to a person on dry ground as it is to the person drowning at sea.

In the same way, telling an unsaved person about forgiveness means nothing until they are convinced they are sinners and in need of forgiveness. That’s not a cruel message because we are offering encouragement in the same breath: Jesus offers us the forgiveness that we need.

Most importantly, don’t miss the asterisk in Paul’s admonition: use patience. It’s not about winning arguments or being the best debater. If we do not show patience and love, then no matter how right we are, we are wrong. It’s not about us being right, it’s about Jesus being right. We can win the debate and lose the convert. 

Go

Many of us are familiar with the event in which Jesus cast demons out of man and sent them into a herd of pigs. The details are recorded in Matthew, and if you use a red-letter edition of the Bible, then you will see two little red letters stand out among the black letters. Jesus simply says, “Go.” And with that imperative a host of demons flee into a host of swine.

Demons obey Jesus.

This event reminds us that Satan and his minions are subject to God. We also see in Scripture that the wind and waves, fish, the dead, and even donkeys obey the voice of their Creator.

If these demons immediately obey Jesus at His command to go, then shouldn’t we? This command in Matthew 8 reminds me of another command in Matthew 28. At this point Jesus has already died, risen again, and spent 40 days teaching His disciples, and then He leaves them with a final commission: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…”

Unfortunately, the demons obey Jesus’ command to go better than most Christians do.

To be fair, the word used for go in Matthew 28:18 isn’t a “drop what you’re doing and go” kind of command; it could better be translated “as you are going.” Since you are going to be going anyway, teach all nations as you go.

As you are going to work, tell your coworkers about me.

As you are going to school, tell your classmates about me.

As you are going to lunch, tell your waitress about me.

So as believers in Jesus, let’s not let the demons out-obey us. As you are going today, tell people about Jesus.  

I'd Rather be Fishin'

Although I’ve never been much of a fisherman, most of the first disciples of Jesus were. When Jesus was calling these men to leave their boats and nets behind to follow Him, He told them, “Fear not. From now on you will be catching men (Luke 5:10).” These professional fishers understood the analogy here—Jesus was calling them to spend their lives bringing other people to Jesus.

I’m no good at catching fish because I don’t have the patience. In fact, people keep telling me that if I would try longer than I would really enjoy it. That is the same strategy we should use when we are fishing for people. Be patient. Don’t give up. Maybe even change your bait.

That is not to say that our message should ever change, but the method in which we present it might. One of the most common reasons people give for not sharing their faith is fear: fear of rejection, ridicule, or messing up the message. But did you notice what Jesus said first in this verse? Fear not! It is not in our power that we fish anyway, but in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

So get out there and catch ‘em and let the Lord clean ‘em.