It’s sad to hear of the many Christians who have died for the cause of Chri
st. Throughout Scripture we read of those who valiantly gave up their lives for being God’s children. The Israelites in Egypt, the Hebrews in the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, and the Jews living under the Romans are just a few examples. There have been countless times when the church of Christ was persecuted. Isn’t it a blessing that Christians no longer seem to have such cares or threats today? Or are Christians still being persecuted? Sometimes American Christians live such comfortable lives that persecutions in other parts of the world are the least of our concerns.
According to the Aid to the Church in Need organization, there are an estimated 150,000 Christians killed because of their faith every year. That comes to about a dozen Christians dying for Christ each hour of every day. Since the time of Christ, some estimates put the total number of Christian martyrs at 70 million. An estimated 45 million of those gave their lives in the last century, 1 million in the past ten years.
There was a great man who ministered to the early Christian church and was fearless in his Christian life. His name was Epaphroditus (“handsome, charming”). Paul says this of him: “I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier. . . . Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him” (Philippians 2:25,29).
Epaphroditus was one who served the mission of Paul in many ways. He was like a brother to Paul; a companion in all his work; a fellow soldier who dared to suffer for his discipleship; a messenger or apostle who carried God’s Word with him; a witness for his beliefs; and even one who withstood illness and almost died trying to assist in Paul’s ministry. Epaphroditus was an ideal worker in the Lord’s church. Paul continues: “He almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me” (Philippians 2:30).
Literally, that passage says Epaphroditus “gambled with his life” for the mission of Christ. To him his life took second place to the cause of Jesus Christ. He knew when he undertook his ministry that it could end in his untimely death, yet he considered Christ’s mission to be of far greater importance than his own life.
What a lesson we can learn from this man who is barely mentioned in the Bible. His faith, his actions, and his inner strength serve as examples of the character that every Christian should have along with a willingness to remain firm in the faith regardless of the consequences.
Will there come a time when Christians in our own country will have to stand firm to obey God rather than men? Perhaps those days are fast approaching. Educational and political secularists are continuing to infringe on the freedom of the Christian life. Today we read headlines like these: “University of Michigan Kicks Christian Club Off Campus,” “Teacher Forced to Remove Bible Verses,” “Minnesota Social Worker Says Talking about the Bible Is Illegal in HUD Housing Complex,” “Chaplains Told to Stop Invoking the Name of Jesus,” “New Mexico Photographer Found Guilty of Refusing to Photograph Homosexuals.” The list continues. Today’s Christians should be certain to get fitted for the armor the Lord has provided in Ephesians chapter 6. A time may soon come when God’s people will have to stand up for the message of the cross regardless of the consequence. Not only adults, but young Christians as well, should be fully prepared to willingly sacrifice everything for the sake of the Savior.
The apostle Paul readied us for such a time with these words: “We who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body” (2 Corinthians 4:11). Are you ready?
From REAL PEOPLE by Reynold R. Kremer