Martyred for Christ

1. Martyred for Christ – 3rd July 2016
Whilethey were stoninghim,Stephenprayed, “Lord Jesus,receive my spirit.”( Acts7:59).
The definitionforthisword “Martyred” referstoone who,by hisdeath,bearswitnesstothe truthof
the gospel.We can learnthat Stephenwasthe firstChristianmartyrthatwe read aboutinthe New
Testament.We can readthisin Acts7 as above.A Christianmartyrsignifiessomeonewhosuffersdeath
indefense of the ChristianFaith.
Whenreadingthe bible,we come acrossmanypeople fromdifferentwalksof live whoweremartyred
for the sake of Christ in orderto propagate the Good Newsmessage thatJesusbroughttosave us from
eternal damnation.These people wantedtoshare thisimportantknowledge with many othersaswell
and indoingso theywere willingtosuffer‘terriblepersecution’anddie horribledeathsindefenseand
for propagatingawarenessof the Scriptures.
Overthe centuriesmanypeople have willinglysacrificedthemselvesforsharingthe messageof
salvation. We can learnof the followingMartyrs’thatwe come across whenreadingthe New
Testament.
The Apostle Simon Peter, crucified withhisheaddownward,underEmperorNero,A.D.69. Apostle
Paul , sorelypersecuted,andfinally beheaded,atRome,underthe emperorNero,A.D.69.Apostle
Philipboundwithhisheadto a pillar,and stoned,atHierapolis,inPhrygia,A.D.54. Apostle James,the
son of Alpheus,orbrotherof the Lord, cast downfromthe temple,stoned,and beatentodeath witha
club,A.D.63. Matthew , the holyEvangelist(authorof the Gospel of Matthew),nailedtothe ground,
and beheaded atNad-davar,underKingHytacus,aboutA.D.70. Apostle Luke the holyEvangelist
(authorof the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles), hangedona greenolive tree,inGreece,A.D.
93. Apostle John the holyEvangelist(authorof the Gospel of John,The Epistlesof 1st,2nd,and 3rd
John,and the Revelationof JesusChrist), banished tothe Isle of Patmos,byEmperorDomitian,A.D.97.
Andrewthe holyApostle, crucifiedatPatras,in Achaia,aboutA.D.70. Bartholomew,the holyApostle of
Christ,firstgreatlytortured,then flayedalive,andfinally beheaded, inArmenia,byKingAstyages,about
A.D.70. Thomas ,(sometimescalled“DoubtingThomas”) the holyApostleof Christ,tormentedwith
red-hotplates, castinto a furnace, andhis side piercedwithspearsbythe savagesatCalamina,about
A.D.70. Simon Zelotesand Judas Thaddeus Slain.SimonZelotes andhisbrotherJudas Thaddeus,both
slainforthe truth of Christ - the one crucified,andthe otherbeatento death withsticks,aboutA.D.70.
Matthias Stoned the holyApostle of Christ(the apostlewhoreplacedJudasIscariot),tiedonacross
upona rock,stoned,andthen beheaded,A.D.70. Stephen,one of the sevendeaconsof the churchat
JerusalemStonedtoDeath(Acts7:59). James, putto deathwiththe sword,byHerod Agrippa,in
Jerusalem,A.D.45(Acts12:2). Timothy,(towhomwaswrittenthe Epistlesof FirstandSecondTimothy)
the spiritual sonof the Apostle Paul, stonedtodeathbythe heathenidolatersatEphesus,aboutA.D.
98. Johnthe Baptist beheadedinthe castle of Machaerus,at the commandof HerodAntipas,A.D.32
(Matthew14: 9).
We can learnof a manymore Martyrs inthe New Testament:Barnabas, a companionof the Apostle
Paul,draggedoutof the city andburned,at Salamina inCyprus,A.D.64. Apostle Mark,(authorof the
Gospel of Mark) the holyEvangelist,draggedtothe stake at Alexandria,diedonthe way,A.D.64.
Aristarchus, a travelingcompanionof Paul, slainatRome,underNero,aboutA.D.70. Epaphras, a

2. fellowprisonerof Paul, slainunderNero,aboutA.D.70. Four Friendsof Paul,fellow laborersand
relativesof Paul,namely, Priscalla,Aquila,Andronicus andJunia,martyredatRome,underNero,about
A.D.70. Silas or Silvanus (ministrypartnertoApostle Paul),scourgedatPhilippi,inMacedonia,and died
a martyr, about A.D.70. Onesiphorus,afriendof Paul,and Porphyrius,his companion,tiedtowild
horses,anddragged,or torn to death,at Hellespontus,throughthe edictof Nero,AboutA.D.70.
Antipas,the faithful witnessof JesusChrist, burnedatPergamosina red-hotbrazenox,A.D.95.
The martyrs that we read inthe NewTestament,eithersaw whattheyclaimedtosee ortheydidn't;
plainandsimple.Eithertheyinteractedwiththe resurrectedChristortheydidn't.Theycertainlyknew
whetherornot theirtestimonywastrue!Nevertheless,these men steadfastly clungtotheirtestimonies,
eventotheirbrutal deathsat the hands of theirpersecutors.AsChristianswe canaskfromourselves as
to whyso many people knowinglydieforalie?Theyhadnothingto gainfor lyingandobviously
everythingtolose. Despite beinggivenachance to recant,theydidnot due to theirfaithinJesusChrist
and theywantedtoshare His message withasmanyas theycould.