Episode 141: Baptism of EXTRAORDINARY Boldness 2.0 - Martyrs

A follow-up to the last podcast message - wherein we definitely need a BAPTISM of BOLDNESS to preach the Gospel, throughout Church History the most spectacular expression of BOLDNESS is undoubtedly the hundreds of thousands of Christians who have lost their lives for their faith as martyrs. 

In this follow-up message, I share many of those stories - from the Apostle Peter's martyrdom in the first century to Polycarp's (a personal disciple of the Apostle John) in the 2nd century to the innumerable martyrs in the early 4th century (AD 303-AD 313) that was infamously known as the "Diocletian Persecution". 

The level of boldness that the martyrdoms during the Diocletian Persecution illustrate is hard for us to believe today. However, annually they estimate that today more than 300,000 Christian martyrs die annually for their faith around the world. So, maybe it is for us Western Christians that this level of boldness is so hard to believe.

May we be inspired to live our lives differently as we consider the names and stories of these early Christian martyrs! Many of them had many opportunities to deny Christ and save their lives - and yet, they chose NOT to deny their Lord and suffered the most horrible torture and painful deaths in the Name of the Lord Jesus.