It started with Jesus.  The persecution of Christianity began with three nails and two pieces of wood.  And it would only get worse.  Here is a brief summary of the deaths of those early witnesses.  Stephen was stoned.  James was martyred without many details.  Phillip was scourged and then crucified.  Matthew was killed by sword.  Matthais was stoned and then beheaded.  Andrew was crucified.  Mark was dragged to pieces.  Peter was crucified upside down.  Paul was martyred by the sword.  Jude was crucified.  Bartholomew was beaten and then crucified.  Thomas was killed by spear.  Luke was hanged on an olive tree.  Barnabus was martyred with few details.  Simon was crucified.  And John was thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil, yet miraculously was not harmed.  He was then banished to the Isle of Patmos where he wrote the Book of Revelation.  I could go on about how Christians were martyred.  They were flogged, beaten, stoned, burned and used as torches at parties for the elite of the Roman empire.  They were fed to the lions.  Bloody animal skins were sewn onto their skin and then they were left in the wild to attract wild animals.  Should I go on..?

     In spite of all of this, the Bible says that the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing since the days of John the Baptist.  And it is true.  From the disciples of Christ, the Gospel has spread all over the world.  No other religion has faced the same amount of persecution as Christianity.  And yet, Christianity is the largest religion of the world with an estimated 2.1 billion Christians around the world.  Christianity is followed by Islam with 1.5 billion.  But Islam, though persecuted at times, has not had anywhere near the persecution of Christianity.  So, though Christians have been repeatedly tortured and killed, the Kingdom of Heaven has been advancing forcefully throughout the ages.

     What are the weapons Christians have used to spread Christianity throughout the world? Love spilled out in many forms including forgiveness, generosity, compassion, and generosity.  I know, they don't seem like deadly weapons, but they keep winning battles.  If Christianity has been able to survive all of the attempts of the Devil to wipe it out with these weapons, how strong are we when the Devil comes against us if we will just raise our weapons?

     You may be tempted to pull out the worldly weapons of anger, rage, greed, and selfishness.  But these do not work.  If they did work, Christianity would have been wiped out already.  These are the weapons of the defeated and we are the victorious.  No matter what the Enemy has brought against you and no matter what you may be facing today, do not fear.  If the Devil has not been able to destroy Christianity after all of these years, He will not destroy you.  Stand firm.  Lift your eyes to the Lord and raise your weapons-for they are Divine!

(Posted by Pastor Lee; March 2, 2010)