Lately, I've been reading Richard Wurmbrand's autobiography, Tortured for Christ, and it has been difficult to put down. I found the following excerpt from the introduction by Tom White to contain a most fascintating perspective on the word 'martyr,' and thought it was worth posting. May it challenge your faith, as it has mine. "Many today believe that a martyr is simply someone who dies for his faith. Unfortunately, by this definition, we have lost the true significance and depth of martyrdom. St. Augustine once stated, "The cause, not the suffering, makes a genuine martyr." In his play Murder in the Cathedral, T.S. Eliot describes a martyr as one "who has become an instrument of God, who has lost his will in the will of God, not lost it but found it, for he has found freedom in submission to God. The martyr no longer desires anything for himself, not even the glory of martyrdom."
According to the original Greek, "martyr" simply means "witness." The writer of Hebrews states that "we are surrounded by so great a could of witness [martyrs]" (12:1), and Jesus instrucs us in Acts 1:8, "You shall be witnesses [martyrs] to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
The New Testament martyr not only personally testified the truth and power of Jesus Christ, but was instructed to take that witness to others, regardless of the cost. Later in the book of Acts, we read about the stoning of Stephen, making him the first to pay the ultimate price for that witness. It is at this time that word martyr took on a much stronger meaning as one who not only is a witness but as one who is willing to give his life or to be martyred for that cause.
The very truth to which we bear witness comes a great cost - it can cost us our reputation, popularity, and prestige. It may even cost us our families, friends, or our lives. But the message of our witness is so powerful that we are exhorted to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us" (Hebrews 12:1), in order to run with endurance the "race" that God has set before us in our life."
- Tom White
USA Director, The Voice of the Martyrs
To request a free copy of the book Tortured for Christ, go to http://www.torturedforchrist.com/
5 comments:
To tell you the truth, the cover looks a little scary and uncomfortable! : ) But, those paragraphs were amazing. Thanks for posting this.
i own the book, and hope to read it this summer. i started it several weeks ago, and am really inspired by this man's passon for Christ...so much that he wold die for his Savior. this is what God is teaching me to be passionate for Him ALWAYS!!
i miss you katrina! lots of love...quinn
That is a good book! I had never really meditated on that quote though. Thanks for sharing!
WOW! Evann is doing her research paper on him. Thanks for sharing the paragraph...very convicting.
Thanks for the book recommendation Katrina! We are always looking for new good books that will help us grow in our relationship with the Lord!
Hope that everything is going well with your job at the pregnancy center and all the other ministry opportunities the Lord gives you!
Pray for us - we are leaving right now for a month long ministry/vacation trip!
We are counting down the days till we get to see y'all in November!
With much, much love,
Kate
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