The Day of the Christian Martyr is celebrated every June 29th, which marks the martyrdom of the Apostle Paul. However, Paul wasn’t the first martyr. Yet, he was present at the stoning of the first one, Stephen.
Stephen wasn’t one of Jesus’ first 12 disciples. Nevertheless, He was zealous — passionate — about spreading the Good News, that Jesus was indeed the Jewish Messiah. He gave the longest sermon in the New Testament! His story and sermon is chronicled by Luke in the Book of Acts. The folks at One for Israel, a Messianic Jewish ministry, present an interesting study on Stephen in a podcast…
The word “martyr” actually means “witness”. These people died because of their witness to the Christian faith. Note, too, that not all people who are persecuted become martyrs. In other words, die. Martyrdom is the result of Christian persecution, which still goes on today. I’ll cover some stories of modern-day martyrs in a bit.
Early Christian Martyrs
- James, Son of Zebedee, brother of John — slain by Herod (Acts 12). He was the first Apostle to be martyred in AD 44. Aka: James the Elder and James the Great.
- Andrew, Peter’s brother — was crucified on a X-shaped cross in Patros, Greece, in 60 AD. Legend has it that he hung, bound, not nailed, for 3 days preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. See his story below.
- James, the Brother of Jesus — author of the Epistle of James, head of the Christian Church in Jerusalem. He was thrown off the roof of the temple in Jerusalem, stoned to death and buried at the Mount of Olives, c. 62 -69 AD. It had to be before 70 AD, when the temple was destroyed. Aka, James the Just.
- Apostle Paul — beheaded in Rome c. 62-67 AD
- Apostle Peter — c. 62-67 AD, in Rome, he hung on a cross upside down because he did not want to be crucified like Jesus. By the way, Peter was NOT the first Pope!
- Doubting Thomas — speared to death in India c. 72 AD.
- Polycarp — a Christian bishop of Smyrna. He died in 155 AD, by being burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body.
Andrew’s story from The Voice of the Martyrs…
“If you do not denounce this Jesus, you will die on the cross,” Governor Aegaeas fumed. This Christian had caused him personal embarrassment in the eyes of Rome by spreading Christianity throughout the governor’s Greek province and even to his own wife.
“Had I feared the death of the cross, I should not have preached the majesty and glory of the Cross of Christ,” Andrew replied.
“Then you shall have it! Crucify him!”
As Andrew approached the X-shaped cross, he joyfully proclaimed, “O beloved cross! I rejoice to see you erected here. I come to you with a peaceful conscience and with cheerfulness, desiring that I, who am a disciple of him who hung on the cross, may be crucified. The nearer I come to the cross, the nearer I come to God.”
Andrew hung, bound to the cross for three days, preaching and exhorting the people before him, “Remain steadfast in the Word and doctrine which you have received, instructing one another, that you may dwell with God in eternity, and receive the fruit of his promises.”
Andrew declared, “O Lord Jesus Christ! Don’t let your servant who hangs here on a tree for your namesake be released to live among men again; receive me into your kingdom.” Then, having finished his plea, he gave up his spirit to God.
Extreme Devotion (Christianbook Affiliate)
Martyrs of the Reformation and Renaissance
- Jan (Iohannes) Hus — 1372 – 1415 — He was an early Czech reformer, who probably influenced Martin Luther. He was burned at the stake for heresy against the doctrines of the Catholic Church. He sang Psalms as he was burning. His followers were known as Hussites.
- Joan of Arc — 1412 – 1431 — Considered a heroine of France, she was convicted as a heretic and burned at the stake by the Catholic Church. She was later exonerated.
- William Tyndale — had the audacity to translate the Latin Vulgate Bible, which no one could read but Catholic priests, into common English. This eventually became the well-known, King James Version. In 1535, he was arrested and jailed for over a year, then convicted of heresy. He was executed by strangulation, then his body was burnt at the stake. His dying prayer was that King Henry VIII of England’s eyes would be opened.
Modern-Day Christian Martyrs
The Center for the Study of Christianity of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary estimates that 100,000 Christians are martyred every year for their faith.
- Jim Elliot — 1927 – 1956 — an American Christian missionary and one of 5 people killed during an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador. His whole group was martyred: Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and their pilot, Nate Saint.
- Graham Staines — 1941 – 1999 — an Australian Christian missionary, who was murdered along with his 2 young sons (6 and 10) in India by members of a Hindu fundamentalist group. His surviving wife and daughter stayed to minister to lepers and the poor until returning to Australia in 2004.
- John Chau — 1991 – 2018 — an American Evangelical Christian missionary who had a heart and passion to reach the Sentinelese. They live in a self-isolated island, North Sentinel Island, off the coast of India. He attempted to visit them, an unreached people group, and convert them to Christianity. The Voice of the Martyrs is featuring him this year for the Day of the Christian Martyr…
Learn More from these Organizations
- Voice of the Martyrs
- Open Doors
- International Christian Concern
- The Nazarene Fund
- Catalytic Ministries
- More Ministries with the passion of spreading the Gospel to unreached people groups all over the world.
Emulate, Don’t Venerate Christian Martyrs
As you can see, it would be impossible to venerate all of the Christian martyrs of the world. Why pick one or two? If you want to honor their lives, emulate them. That is, copy them, learn from them, be inspired and motivated by their stories. They are stories of determination and zeal to obey and do what Jesus told us, ALL His followers to do… The Great Commission…
Jesus told us…
14 “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.”
Matthew 24:14 NLT
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 NLT
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:6-8 NLT
Are you Following Jesus or a church?
Not sure? Here’s what you need to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
Then, you’re going to tell people about it. Seek HIS WILL for YOUR life. Remember what He told us….
And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20 NLt
An He ALWAYS keeps His promises!
