Post by Betty on Jan 12, 2005 9:01:05 GMT -5
INSIGHTS from Bill Bright
Reflections from the late Founder and
President/Chairman Emeritus of
Campus Crusade for Christ International
The 40 Martyrs Of Sebaste
What we suffer now is nothing compared to the
glory he will give us
later (Romans 8:18, NLT).
Dear friends:
They are known as the 40 martyrs of Sebaste.
In the year 320, Constantine was Emperor of the
West and Licinius of the
East. Licinius, under pressure from Constantine,
had agreed to legalize
Christianity in his territory, and the two made
an alliance (cemented by
the marriage of Licinius to Constantia the sister
of Constantine), but
now Licinius broke the alliance and made a new
attempt to suppress
Christianity. He ordered his soldiers to renounce
their faith in Christ
or suffer the punishment of a cruel death.
In the "Thundering Legion," stationed near
Sebaste in Armenia (now Sivas
in Turkey), 40 soldiers refused, and when
promises, threats, and
beatings failed to shake their commitment to
Christ, they were stripped
naked one evening and herded onto the middle of a
frozen lake, and told,
"You may come ashore when you are ready to deny
your faith."
To tempt them, fires were built on shore, with
warm baths, blankets,
clothing, and hot food and drink close by. The
mother of the youngest
soldier was present and encouraged her son from
the bank.
These Christian warriors bravely replied, "You
can have our armor and
even our bodies, but our hearts' allegiance
belongs to Jesus Christ."
They refused to renounce their Savior, who had
died for them. Instead,
they huddled close together and sang a song of
victory.
As night deepened, 39 men stood firm, but one
broke and ran to the
shore. Then a remarkable thing happened.
The officer in charge of guarding these men had
secretly come to believe
in Christ. He then replaced the man who had
broken rank and walked out
onto the ice. He threw off his clothes and
confessed his faith in
Christ.
At sunrise the roman soldiers found 40 frozen men
who gave their all for
the cause of their Lord.
We still have what some scholars believe to be an
authentic eyewitness
account of their martyrdom. It includes farewell
messages to their
family and friends written shortly before their
deaths.
Dear friends, if your Christian walk ever seems
weary and you may
encounter opposition, remember "the 40 martyrs of
Sebaste" and how
blessed you are.
Or think of the apostle Paul, who wrote about his
"troubles, hardships
and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and
riots; in hard work,
sleepless nights and hunger" (2 Corinthians
6:4-5, NIV).
Or think of our glorious Savior, who "was wounded
for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of
our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we
are healed.... He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened
not his mouth: he is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a
sheep before her shearers
is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Isaiah
53:5-6, KJV).
Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission
each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright
Reflections from the late Founder and
President/Chairman Emeritus of
Campus Crusade for Christ International
The 40 Martyrs Of Sebaste
What we suffer now is nothing compared to the
glory he will give us
later (Romans 8:18, NLT).
Dear friends:
They are known as the 40 martyrs of Sebaste.
In the year 320, Constantine was Emperor of the
West and Licinius of the
East. Licinius, under pressure from Constantine,
had agreed to legalize
Christianity in his territory, and the two made
an alliance (cemented by
the marriage of Licinius to Constantia the sister
of Constantine), but
now Licinius broke the alliance and made a new
attempt to suppress
Christianity. He ordered his soldiers to renounce
their faith in Christ
or suffer the punishment of a cruel death.
In the "Thundering Legion," stationed near
Sebaste in Armenia (now Sivas
in Turkey), 40 soldiers refused, and when
promises, threats, and
beatings failed to shake their commitment to
Christ, they were stripped
naked one evening and herded onto the middle of a
frozen lake, and told,
"You may come ashore when you are ready to deny
your faith."
To tempt them, fires were built on shore, with
warm baths, blankets,
clothing, and hot food and drink close by. The
mother of the youngest
soldier was present and encouraged her son from
the bank.
These Christian warriors bravely replied, "You
can have our armor and
even our bodies, but our hearts' allegiance
belongs to Jesus Christ."
They refused to renounce their Savior, who had
died for them. Instead,
they huddled close together and sang a song of
victory.
As night deepened, 39 men stood firm, but one
broke and ran to the
shore. Then a remarkable thing happened.
The officer in charge of guarding these men had
secretly come to believe
in Christ. He then replaced the man who had
broken rank and walked out
onto the ice. He threw off his clothes and
confessed his faith in
Christ.
At sunrise the roman soldiers found 40 frozen men
who gave their all for
the cause of their Lord.
We still have what some scholars believe to be an
authentic eyewitness
account of their martyrdom. It includes farewell
messages to their
family and friends written shortly before their
deaths.
Dear friends, if your Christian walk ever seems
weary and you may
encounter opposition, remember "the 40 martyrs of
Sebaste" and how
blessed you are.
Or think of the apostle Paul, who wrote about his
"troubles, hardships
and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and
riots; in hard work,
sleepless nights and hunger" (2 Corinthians
6:4-5, NIV).
Or think of our glorious Savior, who "was wounded
for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of
our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we
are healed.... He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened
not his mouth: he is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a
sheep before her shearers
is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Isaiah
53:5-6, KJV).
Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission
each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright
