Christ sent his people into the world to make disciples Mt28:19 "You will be my witnesses," he said.." to the ends of the earth" Acts 1:8 But, in response, the world was often hostile. The good news of a crucified and risen Lord and Savior often met forceful resistance. Yet the news needed to be spread, and God's New People needed to share his love no matter what. The challenge was to remain faithful regardless of the cost.
There were a number of reasons for hostility and persecution. From the beginning, many people detected something revolutionary and disturbing about Christians (Acts 17:6) Unlike so many of the religions of the day, Christianity was not characterized by an easygoing tolerance toward other faiths. The call of Christ to life-changing discipleship led to division (Mathew 10:34-36) Christians were not able merely to "live and let live" when it came to what other people believed, because Christ commanded that the faith be spread (Matthew 28: 16-20). Also while the Roman Empire allowed Jews to practice their religion more or less freely, Christians were making it clear that they were not simply a sect of Judaism. So they came out from under the umbrella of Rome's protection. Frequent charges against Christians included that of atheism (because of refusing to worship pagan gods) and anarchy (lack of patriotism, Christian attacks on traditional family values, etc.) Most importantly, the Roman Empire demanded total loyal to Casar and the Empire. This is something that faithful Christians could not give, because their unqualified loyalty was to Christ alone.
The extent of actual persecution was not as great as is often thought. The vast majority of Christians were never confronted directly by it. However, many of them lived under the threat of it. Relatively large persecutions were those under three different emperors: Domitian (A.D. 95), Decius (250) and Diocletian (303)
These Christians had to decide how to respond to this threat. As and example, consider the first Empire-Wide persecution (A.D. 250). The government required all citizens to present certificates showing that they had worshiped a statue of the statue of the emperor, who was officially considered to be a god. If they didn't, penalties could include degradation, the confiscation of property and torture.
What wee Christians' options as they faced this challenge? Key possibilities were:actively seek martyrdom by openly declaring one's Christianity and one's refusal to participate in Emperor worship; 2 simply not get a certificate, thereby quietly but firmly taking a stand; 3 get a certificate through someone Else's help, bribery, etc.; 4 worship the emperor's image, even though this meant making a break with the Church.
What did Christians actually do when faced with these options? Someone has estimated that perhaps one-third of all Christians obtained certificates. Others broke down under torture and consented to sacrifice to Caesar. Ultimately the choice for many came down to death or deserting Christianity. Many did choose the latter. Those that succumbed to the temptation to back away from Christianity under were bitterly divided , some groups, like the Novatians and Donatists, urged rigorous condemation. Others took the gentler stance of restoring those who had yielded to temptation.
The ultimate effect pf persecution was that the church, instead of being wiped out, was actually strengthened.The blood of the martyrs became the seed of the church also, the martyrs had an effect on the devotional life of many Christians, as popular admiration of them mushroomed through the years. Around A.D 313 when Constantine became emperor. He issued a number of edicts which led to the cessation of harassment and the eventual establishment of Christianity as the state religion. Thus the very empire that once attacked the faith now officially espoused it!
My thoughts:
Christians need to take a stand.
Christians need to deal with the weak who succumb
Christians need to deal with division
The Holy Spirit can bring great good even under highly adverse conditions
God Bless You and This Ministry!
