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Everyone thinks of martyrs as being Christians who died for the faith in days of old or in communist countries or so called Christian ones who had false teaching.

Well here is one with a difference, did you know that in 1998 156,000 Christians were martyred and in 1999 164,000 were martyred this means they held their faith until death.

On April 20th 1999 a young 17 year old girl was faced with a gunman who put a weapon in her face and asked her "Do you believe in God"? she replied "Yes I believe in God"

Why? her executioner asked her but before she could reply he pulled the trigger and the girl lay dead at his feet now this happened at Columbine High school Colorado.

So the question I pose to you today is "Do you believe in Jesus"?
Read the book Jesus Freaks by DC Talk and then answer and remember Matthew 16:25

25 For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

Footnotes:


Matthew 16:25 The Greek word means either life or soul.

Amen.

The word martyr, like many other words, has been given different meanings down through the years from witness to remember and an "exaggerated desire for self-sacrifice."

Yes, I would consider it the same as you do. The Greek word, psuchē, can be understood to mean life or soul but is more correctly understood to mean breath which was used by early Greeks to mean a living, breathing thing.

We have seen many martyrs for Jesus Christ throughout the world and with things changing so rapidly in the world towards evil I am sure that there will soon be many more.

It is a very sad thing that this kind of thing happens, though, something that is good to keep in mind is that everytime someone does die for the faith ultimatly it is spread and/or made stronger. As examples we can look at the Apostles. All but John were martyred. The church grew dramaticly during and following this. Another example is clearly illustrated in the movie "End of the Spear." In this true story those five men died for the gospel's sake and through their sacrifice not to mention the sacrifice of the rest of their families a whole nation was saved. As Jesus stated in john 12.24  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

This i not to say that it is an easy or wonderful thing for people to be martyred, but rather to say look on the bright side of it for we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. and ultimately God is in control  because He is sovereign.