Life of a Martyr
Words by Simon Gardner, Redruth
As Christians we will not all be asked to die the death of a martyr, but we are called to live the life of a martyr.
A man called Telemchaus was a monk around the late 300’s A.D., he found himself at Rome in an amphitheatre watching gladiators kill each other for public entertainment. Appalled he entered the ring, standing between the fighters he cried “In God’s name stop”! Whether by the axe of a fighter or the stones of the crowd, accounts differ, one thing is clear, Telemachus was killed there and then for his act of loving bravery (This moment actually marked the decline of gladiator games).
I wonder if Telemachus knew when he woke up how his day would work out? I wonder as he planned his day whether the evening entry said “usual meal and then watch a bit of TV... well actually no, I won’t be needing an evening meal tonight, or ever again”. Do any of us come near thinking “pork chop night tonight... well actually no, I won’t be needing an evening meal tonight, or any other night for that matter”.
Stephen was the first to die for the faith, he had been loving people - preaching the good news and performing healings and no one could stand before his Spirit anointed reason, so enemies made up stories and in Acts 6:12 it says “they came upon him and seized him” - ambush! I wonder if that was in his day planner: 12:00 feed the widows, 13:00 tell people of Jesus’ love and whatever healings the Lord puts in front of me, 14:00 get ambushed, testify to the Sanhedrin and then get stoned - to death”.
It’s been said we need a ‘new wine skin’ and I agree that Holy Spirit is directing us to a different expression of God’s kingdom than we have yet experienced. I sense that God’s focus is not primarily the outward shape of what we look like and do as church (it will certainly have effect on this) but on the inner life of believers, a redeveloped inner shape, a fresh inner motive, a new encounter and consistently deeper relationship with Holy Spirit (this will certainly move us to a different outer expression of doing church). What we might call the ‘spirit of the martyr’, we will not all be asked to die the death of a martyr but we are called to live the life of a martyr, yielded to the point of giving up our lives every day.
This is not a new or radical call for christians it is simply: Luke 9:23 ff “deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow me” - the cross means death to self, 1Cor. 6:19-20 “You are not your own, you are bought with a price” - I have no claim on my own life, or the apostle Paul’s testimony in Acts 20:24 “But I reckon my own life to be worth nothing to me; I only want to complete my mission and finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do”. Or indeed many other scriptures. The word ‘martyr’ is simply the word for one who testifies, it’s just that some who do this end up losing their earthly life (see Revelation 6:9-10, the word for ‘witness’ here is martyr).
Of course our Father God is not a spoil sport, he does not want us empty to remain empty, reckoning ourselves dead, crucified with Christ, Gal.2:20, is so more, much more of Christ may dwell in us and through us. Dying to self is one aspect of being a martyr, but the main point is fully living in and outwards Christ’s life, his power and love, putting Jesus fully on display, this is the heart of God, the life of the martyr - Stephen’s face shone like an angel Acts 6:15.
Telemachus’ martyrdom heralded the end of gladiators, first martyr Stephen released the church to spread beyond Jerusalem, what will our living martyrdom bring? There are still things on the Father’s heart to bring to pass - “And the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” Habakkuk 2:14 and Philippians 2:10 “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth”.
Words by Simon Gardner, Redruth
May 7
