Eusebius, the church historian, tells of Blandina, an early church martyr, who, after watching her brothers and sister in Christ die for their faith, also faced torture because she would not “swear by the idols”.  “And after scourging, after the beasts, after the gridiron, she was at last put in a net and thrown to a bull.  She was tossed about for a long time by the beast, having no more feeling for what happened to her through her hope and hold on what had been entrusted to her and her close fellowship with Christ.  Thus she too was sacrificed.  The heathen themselves confessed that never before had they seen a woman suffer so much and so long.”    Church History  5.1.53-56 For the American Christian God has blessed us with the freedom to proclaim the good news of the gospel without threat of this kind of persecution.  However, I fear the blessing of God, instead of being the fertile ground for the life-worship that God so desires and which results in the saving of souls, has become the fertile soil in which apathy has taken root bearing the fruit of a disregard for the proclamation of the gospel.  The gospel has taken a back seat to the pleasure of self.  Yet, it is not for the Christian to define our lives and then attempt to sprinkle into them the gospel here and there with the hope of possibly affecting a lost world in word and deed.  No, our salvation demands that the gospel be the very thing that defines our lives and that it do so in such a way that our very existence is sure to affect the lost.  It is not for the Christian to examine consequences in order to determine course of action. Our actions are to be dictated by unconditional submission to our Lord and pursued no matter the consequence to body, reputation, family, or other area of life.  A life defined by the gospel, and in full submission to the Lord Jesus Christ is prepared for and even expecting no less than full rejection from the world.  Therefore, persecution, though not desired, is neither spurned, for everyone who desires to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.  It is an expected and welcomed part of living the gospel.  Expected, because they hated Him from whom the gospel was birthed.  Welcomed, because like Paul and so many others before us, it is our privilege to share in His sufferings.  “The heathen themselves confessed that never before had they seen a woman suffer so much and so long”

Macus Allen, Jr.

VBS July 14-18

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