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The birds go flying through the orchard, and they do not say a word to one another till they come to a cherry tree where the cherries are very sweet and ripe. Then they all fall to at once and begin to peck away with all their might. So nobody says much of an ordinary Christian who is doing little for…

When Patrick Hamilton was burned in Scotland, there was such an impetus given to the gospel through his burning that the adversaries of the gospel said, “Let us burn no more martyrs in public, for the smoke of Hamilton’s burning has made many eyes to smart until they were opened.” So, no doubt, it always…

When one of the martyrs was about to burn for Christ, he said to the judge who was giving orders to fire the pile, “Will you come and lay your hand on my heart?” The judge did so. “Does it beat fast?” inquired the martyr. “Do I show any sign of fear?” “No,” said the judge. “Now lay your hand on your…

Picture yourself sitting in a gloomy dungeon, a captive in the hands of the cruel tyrant Nero, and under the supervision of the infamous prefect Tigellinus, the most detestable of all Nero’s satellites. Conceive yourself as expecting soon to be taken out to death—perhaps to such a horrible death as the…

I remember reading, in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, the story of a man of God who was bound to a stake to die for Christ. There he was, calm and quiet, till his legs had been burned away, and the bystanders looked to see his helpless body drop from the chains. He was black as coal, and not a feature could…

“You are a very peculiar person,” said one to a Christian. “I thank you for that testimony,” answered the Christian, “for that is what I desire to be, as Peter says, ‘You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession” (1 Pet 2:9). “Ah!” said the other, “but there…

I have known a man begin to build his house, and he has spent a great deal of money upon it. At length, he has thought, “I do not quite like the situation. Shall I finish the building?” One strong argument for going on has been this: “I have spent so much money on it; I must go through with it.” Now,…

Our forefathers died for half a truth, and we will not bear rebuke for a whole one. Two women were tied to the stake at Wigton and drowned in the rising tide—do you know what for? Simply because they would not say, “God save the king.” You say, “What does that matter?” Well, it was comparatively a theological…

If you have been in a piano factory, did you go there for the sake of music? Go into the tuning room, and you will say, “This is a dreadful place to be in; I cannot bear it; I thought you made music here.” They say, “No, we do not produce music here. We make the instruments, and tune them here, and in…

I have heard of a woman who was condemned to death in the Marian days. Before her time came to be burned a child was born to her, and she cried out in her sorrow. A wicked adversary who stood by said, “How will you bear to die for your religion if you make such ado?” “Ah,” she said, “Now I suffer in…

We are sometimes apt to think that a charge that is unfounded is very cruel to us. I have heard people say sometimes, and I have laughed when I have heard them say it, “Mr. So-and-so has charged me with such-and-such a thing, but I am quite innocent. I should not have minded if I had been guilty.” I…

Many Christians resemble the nautilus, which in fine smooth weather swims on the surface of the sea in a splendid little squadron, like the mighty ships. But the moment the first breath of wind ruffles the waves, they take in their sails and sink into the depths. Many Christians are the same. In good…

The hammer said, “I will break the anvil.” The anvil did not answer, but abode in its place, while the hammer smote it day after day. Month after month, year after year, the anvil patiently received the blows, but after a while the hammer broke. And though it did not say so, for it was too quiet to speak,…

When John Philpot, the martyr, was addressing a young man about to die for Christ, he said to him, “Brother, you are a vessel in the great house of your Master, and this day he will scour you, scour you hard, but remember you will soon stand upon the shelf, shining bright and glorious.” Sometimes pains,…

In the olden time when the gospel was preached in Persia, Hamedatha, a courtier of the king, having embraced the faith, was stripped of all his offices, driven from the palace, and compelled to feed camels. This he did with great content. The king passing by one day saw his former favorite at his ignoble…

In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, “Brotherly forgiveness makes room for the forgiveness of Jesus to enter into their common life. Instead of seeing their neighbours as men who have injured them, they see them as men for whom Christ has won forgiveness on the cross. They meet on…

According to Open Doors, In 2020 there were: • Over 340 million Christians living in places where they might experience persecution and discrimination • 4,761 Christians martyred • 4,488 churches and other Christian buildings attacked • 4,277 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned.…

When Leah Sharibu, was 14 when Boko Haram terrorists kidnapped her along with over a hundred other students from her school in northeast Nigeria on Feb. 19, 2018. Sharibu is the only one of her classmates left in captivity under the Muslim terrorist group. The Nigerian government negotiated the freedom…

In Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, Eric Metaxas writes, “The authority of a servant leader, as opposed to the authoritarianism of the mis-leader, came from God and was a leadership of serving those below oneself.” —Jim L. Wilson Metaxas, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, 269. Mark 10:42–45…

In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, “. . . only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.” —Jim L. Wilson Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 63. John 14:23 (HCSB) Jesus answered, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We…

When computer modeling determines wind conditions are favorable, Pastor Eric Foley of Voice of the Martyrs Korea, travels with his team to the border to release helium-filled balloons carrying copies of the New Testament as well as digital and audio Bibles loaded onto SD memory card. The balloons disappear…

In a country where Christians are coming under attack by some in our own governments, Adam Mabry a pastor in Boston says, “The world is desperate for a people who are secure enough in grace that they can flourish under Caesar, whoever he or she may be.” Jamie Dean, “Win, Lose, or Brawl,” World Magazine,…

The Chinese government is requiring all recipients of government payments to give up their worship of God. “The participants were ordered to remove crosses, religious symbols and images from the homes of people of faith who receive social welfare payments and replace them with portraits of Chairman Mao…

In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, “Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship.” —Jim L. Wilson Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 91. Philippians 3:10 (HCSB) My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed…

In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, “Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.…