“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

The word "Martyr" has the sound of antiquity about it, the statistics say

that more Christians have been killed for their faith in this century than

in all previous centuries combined. Many today claim the Christian faith.

They claim to believe that Jesus is their Savior and that they obey God,

but when they are faced with challenges or temptations they give up this

faith. There were 3 guys in the Book of Daniel that did not waver.

*Daniel3:15...But if you do not worship, you shall be thrown at once into

the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can

rescue you out of my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered

the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you on this point. 17

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of

blazing fire, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if

He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve

your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!”* 

Many in today's society only claim faith in Christ because of its cultural value.

When this faith requires that they sacrifice, then their faith is no longer

existent, and they give into the values and morals of the world. This faith

is not a true, saving faith, but a faith that is only superficial. It is a

faith that only sees God as a way to get things that they want. When they

do not receive the things that they have requested, then they abandon God.

When their faith is being tested by fire, they dessert God and cling to

themselves and their lives. One day our complacency will come to an end.

Faith responds and does not conform, it is rooted in the power of God and

remains committed. Tertullian, the famous second-century lawyer who was

converted by watching Christians sing as they marched to their deaths gave

us this famous statement: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the

church.” St. Augustine wrote, “The martyrs were bound, jailed, scourged,

wracked, burned, rent, butchered—and they multiplied.” True Faith Stays

Standing.

Douglas