Dakota Community Church
Church History Sunday - 1
August 22, 2010
The Martyrs Cry
Introduction
Today we will start the first of a series of messages that will be spaced out, Lord willing, over the next few years approximately once every three to four months.
My goal in creating “Church History Sunday” is to educate, to refresh, to remember, and to solidify our understanding of the Body of Christ as a single entity that transcends time and geographic place.
Deuteronomy 32:1-7
1 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 2 Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
3 I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! 4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
5 They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation.
6 Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?
7 Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past.
Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.
Truth is quickly lost if the past lessons are not learned by the succeeding generation.
Judges 2:8-11
8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.
This passage once seemed incredible to me – how was this much lost in a single generation? – Now sadly, it seems to make perfect sense.
It is important to learn the lessons of history, we see the mistakes made by previous generations and we have at least a chance of avoiding repeating them.
The Bible is a historical book, not a series of fables; it deals with real people who lived in actual places that can be visited, and at actual times in human history. The Bible “stories” give us real details of political leaders, foreign events, even astronomical occurrences that can be studied and verified.
In studying Church History we learn why things are the way they are.
Why is the calendar the way it is? Why are there various denominations? Why is there a pope? What is the reformation? Who are the Calvinists, Arminian, Lutherans, Mennonites, Anabaptists, and Pentecostals?
God loves the Church and the Church is not limited the little group that you meet with on Sunday morning. Since God loves the whole church we ought to endeavor to have an understanding of His loved one.
Ephesians 5:25-27
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
An understanding of church history will serve to strengthen our faith.
Luke 1:1-4
1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Too many Christians are ‘ashamed’ because they lack knowledge
They keep their faith to Sunday because they are afraid to talk about it afraid to look dumb; they incorrectly believe that it’s not valid historically or philosophically.
As you study Church History you will find that our faith is a reasonable faith based on logic and solid evidence it is not some fairy tale about pie in the sky.
Unlike many other religions Christianity is based on historical events, not just philosophical truths.
These events are validated by scriptural and secular (non-religious) sources
The martyrs cry.
Beginning with the death of our savior;
1. Christianity is a faith worth dying for.
Acts 7:51-59
51"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."
54When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Revelation 6:9-11
9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
Christians are sent as witnesses to the gospel.
The English word witnesses is translated from the Greek word marteo, from which we also get the word martyr it is used 29 times in the book of acts and speaks of –not only the ultimate sacrifice through death – but also of living a life of sacrifice for the glory of the Lord
As we study the lives of the apostles we see that they did both; they not only lived for Him…but they died for Him as well…
James the son of Zebedee was arrested with Peter and later beheaded in Jerusalem in 44 AD He was the first of the apostles to seal his testimony for Christ in his own blood. Tradition tells us that the officer who brought him to trial was so moved by the testimony that he declared himself convinced of the Divine authority of the Gospel and was executed alongside the apostle
Peter worked among the Jews eventually reaching Babylon he may have been executed around AD64 during the persecutions of Emperor Nero, or later in AD67. Apparently he was crucified, head-down, at his own request.
John 21:18-19
I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
James the brother of Jesus according to Josephus was stoned & clubbed to death in 62 AD Apprehended with a group of believers and carried before the Sanhedrin where they were commanded to recant their testimony. They placed him upon a lofty part of the temple and taunted him thus; “Tell us thou just one, tell us what we are to understand regarding this Jesus who leads the people all away?” James boldly replied; “Why do you ask me concerning Jesus the Son of Man? Behold He sits enthroned in heaven at the right hand of the Divine Majesty, and shall come again in the clouds of the sky.” At this many in the crowd shouted Hosanna which lead to James being thrown down and stoned.
One last example though not an apostle – Mark
Mark was amoung the first of those evangelists who died a martyr’s death after serving for a number of years as an assistant or secretary to the apostle Peter.
“The same Mark,” writes the historian Eusebius, “they also say, being the first who was sent to Egypt, proclaimed there the gospel which he had written, and was the first to establish churches in the city of Alexandria.” …in the year 61, the citizens of Alexandria became exasperated at the innovations suggested or brought about by Mark; and that, rushing into the church where he was preaching, they seized him, and tying his legs together, dragged him through the streets and over the stoniest places, till his torn and mangled body ceased to breathe; when they burnt the remains in a fire. (Foxe’s Annals of Martyrs Ch.1 pg 23)
Read also Foxe’s A.Mm pg 32-33 as marked
2. Why would so many choose death over denial?
Revelation 12:10-11
10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Why would they not shrink from death?
What was it that made them willing to die rather than deny Christ?
Polycarp, prayed for his brethren before being burnt alive
Martyred Feb. 23, 155
Roman police found Polycarp hiding in a farm house, where he gave himself up
Polycarp offered them as much food as they could eat, if they would allow him an hour to pray
Undisturbed - they agreed
Polycarp prayed for not one, but two hours: remembering all, high and low, who at any time had come in his way, and the Church throughout the world
Polycarp was taken to the stadium, was given numerous chances to deny Christ, and live Polycarp replied, "I have served him eighty-six years and in no way has he dealt unjustly with me; so how can I blaspheme my king who saved me?"
He was burnt alive at the stake, since he refused to deny Christ
They must have believed there were dire consequences to denial.
They chose to be burned alive rather than to deny Christ.
They chose to be fed to starving animals rather than to deny Christ.
3. What if you had to choose?
Philippians 1:20-21
20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Have you come to the cross?
Do you understand the weight of sin and your need of a Savior?
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
