A guest pastor at my church preached a message called "Keep On Keeping On" a couple weeks ago, and told us the following two true stories about two martyrs, about the time just after Rome received Paul's letter (Romans). I thought they were really good, especially the last one, and so I asked him to email them to me:
One example of their suffering comes to us from history, just a few years after they received this letter. In 155 AD, the Bishop of the church of Smyrna, a man named Polycarp, who was a disciple of John the Beloved, was martyred for Jesus. This man was arrested at the request of an angry mob that cried, "Away with the Atheists; let Polycarp be sought out!"
The old preacher, he was 86 at the time, was given the opportunity to renounce Jesus. The magistrate, who did not want to see the old man die, said, "What harm is there in saying, Lord Caesar?" But, Polycarp refused! When they entered the stadium, where the executions took place, they tried again, saying, "Swear by the fortune of Caesar; repent, and say, 'Away with the Atheists.'" Polycarp fixed his gaze on the crowd, waved his arms at them, and said, "Away with the atheists!" The magistrate again attempted to get Polycarp to renounce his faith and said, "Swear, and I will set thee at liberty, reproach Christ." To that, the old man cried, "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?"
After a few more attempts to get the old preacher to renounce Jesus, they led him away to the stake to burn him alive. They were about to nail him to the post and Polycarp said, "Leave me as I am; for He that giveth me strength to endure the fire, will also enable me, without your securing me by nails, to remain without moving in
the pile." So, they left him loosely bound and they lit the fire. As the flames rose around him, he was heard to pray and rejoice in Jesus. He died for his faith and in doing so he left an indelible imprint on the fabric of time.
There was a believer who was arrested during these same terrible days of tribulation. They attempted to threaten him to cause him to recant his faith in the Lord Jesus. So they said to him, "If you do not recant your faith, we are going to banish you." And the Christian said, "Do what you will with me because my Jesus said, 'I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee.'" The magistrate then said, "We'll take all of your property and your possessions away from you." That faithful saint said, "No, you can't do that either, my treasures are laid up in heaven where no human hand can touch them." The magistrate then said, "If you do not renounce Jesus, we will put you to death." He said, "You can't do that either. I've been dead with Jesus for 40 years, my life is hid with Christ in God and you can't touch it."
