Abide in Christ, Die for Christ

During the middle ages, in France, the reformation, based on the true gospel that was struggling to survive, was horrifically restricted. The Catholics found a Judas for their cause that would lead them to all his fellow protestant believers, who would surely be put to death.

"A poor artisan, an adherent of the reformed faith, who had been accustomed to summon the believers to their secret assemblies, was seized and, with the threat of instant death at the stake, was commanded to conduct the papal emissary to the home of every Protestant in the city. He shrank in horror from the base proposal, but at last fear of the flames prevailed, and he consented to become the betrayer of his brethren." GC, 226

After reading this, I felt so much dislike for this man. My mother tried to convince me to pity his situation (which I'm sure was the more Christlike thought process LOL) but I wasn't having none of it. This Judas led a processional to the houses of all the protestant reformers, from which the occupants were swiftly removed and chained  by soldiers, to be held until their ultimate demise at the stake. But they did not face death with fear.

"There was no pulpit like the martyr's pile. The serene joy that lighted up the faces of these men as they passed along . . .to the place of execution, their heroism as they stood amid the bitter flames, their meek forgiveness of injuries, transformed, in instances not a few, anger into pity, and hate into love, and pleaded with resistless eloquence in behalf of the gospel."--Wylie, b. 13, ch. 20.

In the face of death, serene joy was on their faces. The thought of dying for and in Christ was pleasing. They were heroic in their stance. And like Jesus, forgiving to those who were hurting them. Forgiving?!

The acts of the traitor were outrageous and stirs up feelings of anger. But I must say that the reaction of those martyrs are equally as shocking if not more so. The funny thing is that the acts of the traitor are so human. He sought to protect his own. We all do that. He valued his life more than others, even more than the gospel of Christ. Self preservation is the way of the world.

The church of God will be persecuted . Those who do the will of God will be hated of all men. Jesus said it. The question is which side would I fall in? Will I be willing to give up my life or will I go the way of the world and preserve my life?