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bigmike

The Church Was Built on Sacrifice, Not Comfort
“Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35).
When I learned of the death of missionary Martin Burnham, who, according to Philippine military sources, was assassinated by the Abu Sayyaf, I immediately thought of the phrase from Hebrews 11 in the New Testament, “and others ….” Well, obviously those words don’t mean much out of context. In this great chapter, often called “biographies of the heroes of the faith,” the writer catalogues the exploits of great men and women who lived over a period of many centuries, people who lived by faith and trusted God with their lives.
But the phrase “and others” stands out like a continental divide between life and death, between what seems to be answered prayer for some but unanswered prayer for others. Here’s the context: “Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35, KJV).
Following the words, “and others,” the text tells of some who were tortured because they refused to compromise, some who faced jeers and flogging, some chained and put in prison. Others were stoned, placed in a hollow tree (as tradition says happened to Isaiah the prophet) and were sawed in two. He adds, “They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground” (Hebrews 11:37-38). Did these individuals not pray for deliverance? And were their prayers unanswered?
Yes, of course, we would rather find our names on the list of people who got miraculous answers of deliverance—prison doors swing open, the dead are raised, and the protection of angels who surround us. That’s the kind of stuff that makes great news! But the reality is, God can be glorified, as Paul put it, whether it be by life or by death.
When I learned of Martin Burnham’s death, I was again reminded of the words of the old hymn written by Isaac Watts, a stanza of which goes, “Must I be carried to the skies / On flow’ry beds of ease, / While others fought to win the prize / And sailed through bloody seas?”
Isaac Watts reminded us that “this vile world,” to use his expression, is no “friend to grace.” Question: Have we been misled by the teaching that becoming a Christian will solve all of your problems, that God will always give you what you want, and that deliverance will always be just around the corner? The men and the women who walked with Jesus, the ones who eventually took the Gospel to the corners of the world in the first century knew there is a price tag attached to following Christ. They remembered Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
The clear and unending theme of Church history is that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. And what does that mean? Generation after generation, men and women of courage and commitment—the kind that Martin Burnham had—have been willing to die for what they believed in, and following their deaths, hundreds if not thousands stepped forward to take their places.
Don’t think for a moment that suicide bombers are the only ones committed to their beliefs. Thousands of men and women who follow Jesus Christ are willing to die for the cause of Christ. The difference is they do it to bring life, not death and destruction. Think about it, friend.
Resource reading: Hebrews 11:32-40.

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