Heart of a Martyr

In this episode, I talk about having the heart of a martyr and how it helps us reach the unreached.  

Transcript

In today’s episode, I am going to talk about having the heart of a martyr. 

One day in Bible college, I had a presentation to make and I decided to do mine on the Persecuted Church. The Persecuted Church is the global group of persecuted Christians around the world. To be persecuted as a Christian means to suffer discrimination or violence because of your Christian faith.
You could say I was pretty inspired by the persecuted church. I was young, bold, and in my early 20s. Supporting and learning from the persecuted church was a great passion of mine. 

For my presentation, I named it "How To Have a Heart of a Martyr.” My thinking here was that if we have a heart free of fear, then we can and will do anything for the spread of the gospel. After I announced the title of my presentation and started my talk, I started to get blank looks. Then I passed out these Voice of the Martyrs magazines. These are published reports on the persecuted church around the world. Pictures included. You would have thought I had passed around dirty magazines! Lots of weird looks.

My presentation fell flat. I even got a D on my paper! Now in fairness, it might have just been because I did a bad presentation, but this day always stuck with me. Maybe they just thought I was crazy. Or maybe their reaction was a normal one, because the persecuted church is such a foreign concept to our American Christian world. Have you ever heard it talked about in your church? I hope and pray that you have. I know I never did growing up in church. The first time I ever heard about it was at a mission conference in my early 20s. It’s vital and even biblical to know about it!

Having the heart of a martyr might sound crazy to some people, but to me it's the only way to live. It gives me great freedom because when my heart is in the right place, meaning completely trusting God and having an eternal perspective, I have no fear in sharing our precious gospel no matter the situation and I believe we all need that. 

It’s also biblical. Be willing to lose your life for Jesus and the spread of the gospel is a constant theme throughout the New Testament. 

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Matthew 16:24-28.

Do you want to know who is my inspiration outside of Jesus and his early followers? It’s the Persecuted Church. I want to take the time now to share a little more about the Persecuted Church. Why am I bringing up the Persecuted Church? How is it going to help us reach the unchurched? Two reasons. Perspective and inspiration. 

Did you know: In some countries, you or your family members can be sent to prison or even executed for being a Christian, so maybe we will be grateful that we can be one.

In some countries you or your family members can be sent to prison or executed for having a bible, so maybe we will not take ours for granted. 

In some countries you or your family members can be sent to prison or executed for sharing the gospel, so maybe we would be willing to share it with a friend or neighbor without repercussion. 

 To say we can take our situation here in the United States for granted is an understatement. Most of us cannot fathom what our brothers and sisters in Christ have to go through to even be Christian. 

Let’s take North Korea for example. 

Believers in North Korea cannot even imagine the access that Americans have to the scriptures. We can access the Bible at anytime, in any language, listen to any sermon, and buy any Christian book we want to. 

In North Korea, possessing a Bible is a reason to be sent to a prison camp for the rest of your life. Christians have to hide copies of the Scriptures, divide them up, and keep them in multiple locations so they won’t be found. Often times believers will memorize a book of the Bible and then destroy the copy so they will not get caught with the material.

The North Korean regime is known for monitoring and reporting on its own people by, what is called the inminban. The inminban, literally the “people’s group,” is in essence a mutual surveillance group, which operates in people’s places of residence. Everyone by default, is essentially a member. Everyone is being watched and you don’t know who is watching you. It could be your friends, and even family. The members are looking for religious materials or any religious practices. This can be as simple as praying over a meal. Violators are tortured in imprisonment camps and some face execution if they refuse to give up their beliefs. There have even been stories of couples or families escaping North Korea only to find out later that the spouse or someone else in the family also was a Christian because they kept it a secret. 

Nearly one-quarter of the 300,000 believers in North Korea are in prison for their faith. Many hide their faith, but those who confess to be followers of Jesus will be sent to political prison camps. Imagine having to face the reality of having to confess your faith or be sent to prison for life, separated from your family. Most Christians who are found guilty will never be seen again. 

Again, we cannot even imagine having to endure this kind of persecution and it happens in many countries. The World Watch List is an annual report prepared and published by the World Watch Research team of Open Doors. It ranks the 50 countries where it is most difficult to profess and practice the Christian faith. It states that in the last 30 Years of the World Watch List – a shocking trend has been happening. 

In 1993, Christians faced high to extreme levels of persecution in 40 countries. This number has nearly doubled to 76 countries in 2024.

Globally, more than 360 million Christians suffer at least ‘high’ levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.

Worldwide, 1 in 7 Christians now experience at least ‘high’ levels of persecution or discrimination; with 1 in 5 in Africa, 2 out of 5 in Asia, and 1 in 15 in Latin America.

More people have been martyred in the last 100 years than in the previous 19 centuries combined. Think about that! 

In Somalia

Converts from the majority religion to Christianity are regarded as a high-value targets and many converts have been killed on the spot when discovered. Young female converts to Christianity are forced into marriages, in which they face sexual harassment, physical violence and pressure in an attempt to ‘rehabilitate’ them.

In Yemen

It is illegal to convert from the majority religion to Christianity. Christian converts are at great risk of being killed, ostracized or expelled, by their families, clans and tribes.

In Nigeria

Militant groups such as Boko Haram, and other militant groups inflict murder, physical injury, abduction and sexual violence on Christians. Christians are dispossessed of their land and their means of livelihood. Many live as internally displaced people or refugees.

In Iran

When people from the majority religion become Christians, they can only meet in secret house churches. They are at great risk of being monitored, harassed, arrested and prosecuted for ‘crimes against national security’—an accusation that is poorly defined, and is often abused. Iranian house church leaders and members have received long prison sentences involving physical and mental abuse.

In Afghanistan

The Taliban’s takeover of power in August 2021 has forced most Christians either further underground or away from the country entirely. Many (if not all) house churches have closed, with believers forced to leave behind everything they own. Any promises the Taliban made about recognizing freedoms have proved to be false. Following Jesus remains a death sentence, if discovered.

In Burma

Since the military took control in February 2021. Fighting has increased across the country and the Christian minority is bearing the brunt of these attacks. More Christians than ever have become internally displaced people or refugees, and are living in camps or churches without adequate food and healthcare. 

In China

Tightening restrictions and increasing surveillance are putting Christians in China under great pressure. Surveillance in China is among the most oppressive and sophisticated in the world, and Christian leaders are particularly vulnerable to persecution, including imprisonment and even abduction. 

All churches in China must be registered with the Three Self Church. Three Self churches are the 60,000 churches in China that belong to the Chinese Communist Party-controlled Three Self Patriotic Movement.

Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) tries to restrict, control and twist Christianity to suit the Communist Party. 

Here are a look at their rules:

•  The Communist Party is the head of the church in China

•  The Communist Party decides how many people can be baptized per year.
 •  The Communist Party has the final say on who can preach and what can be preached.
 •  Preaching should focus on the social rules and the social benefits of Christianity.
 •  Preaching about the resurrection of Jesus is forbidden.
 •  Preaching about the second coming of Jesus is forbidden.
 •  Preaching against religions that deny the deity of Jesus is forbidden.
 •  Preaching that atheist Communist heroes went to hell is forbidden.
 •  Preaching cannot deny that all good Communists go to heaven.
 •  Preaching against abortion is forbidden.
 •  Preachers can preach only at the Three Self church to which they are assigned.
 •  Worshipping outside Three Self churches is forbidden.
 •  Importing Bibles is forbidden, even if they are given away for free.
 •  Printing Bibles is forbidden, even if they are given away for free.
 •  Evangelizing or giving out tracts is forbidden.
 •  Government officials cannot be Christian.
 •  Police officers cannot be Christian.
 •  Soldiers cannot be Christian.
 •  Teachers cannot be Christian.
 •  Children cannot become Christian.
 •  Teenagers cannot become Christian.

It is even being reported that China is even changing the scriptures. In the original biblical story in John 8, Jesus goes to the temple courts, where the teachers of the law and the Pharisees bring him a woman caught in adultery and ask Jesus if she should be stoned. Jesus writes on the ground and then tells them, “Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” After the woman’s accusers leave, Jesus tells her, “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

In China, they changed the story completely, claiming that Jesus stoned the woman to death while saying, "I too am a sinner. But if the law could only be executed by men without blemish, the law would be dead."

All of these things really are happening. Perspective can be a powerful thing. It forces us to take our eyes off our own world and look at the world of others. It helps us appreciate what we have and most of all, it humbles us to not take the gospel that we so love for granted. 

The Bible calls us to remember those suffering for the gospel. 

Hebrews 13:3 says, “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”

I want to challenge all of us with this. If we applied this scripture to our lives what would this look like? Please go back to this passage today or this week with your family and pray together about it.

Our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering for the gospel should be a great inspiration to us. I know they are for me. When I first started following Jesus, praying for and supporting the persecuted church shaped much of who I am today. Although I will only get to know a handful of them personally, I can honestly say that everyone in the Persecuted Church are great mentors of mine. 

I have studied the martyrs of the early church up to the current day and age. Praying for the persecuted church and listening to or reading stories about them has greatly motivated me in much of what I do. It is a weekly diet that I desperately need; to push my heart into the reality of loving Jesus and reaching others at all cost. 

If you want to add perspective and inspiration to your Christian life, pray and support the persecuted church. I promise you, Jesus wants this to be in your life because Jesus has a special heart for the persecuted church. It simply feels wrong and even sinful to ignore it. 

To find stories or information on the persecuted church, there are many organizations out there. They keep up with how Christians are suffering in certain countries and give you and your family prayer points to pray for. 

The Voice of the Martyrs would be one of those. They also have a podcast and interview survivors of the persecuted church so you can listen to their stories firsthand. (https://www.persecution.com)

Following and praying for the persecuted church will help you gain perspective and be inspired to live out your faith in a new light. Most importantly, I hope and pray that it inspires you to reach the unreached outside of our church walls with love and boldness so all can hear about the love that we have received. Let's not keep it to ourselves. 

If you have any questions, you can contact us through our website at lovingallpeoples.com. And please remember to follow our podcast to receive upcoming episodes. Thanks for the listen everyone. This is the Loving All Peoples Podcast.