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FOR THE FAITH
March 11, 2025 3:08 PM
“Shouts rang out from the streets of Oxford England as a spectacle began to unfold in the city square. A tightly packed group of onlookers crowded together, each one straining to get a glimpse of the event of the day. Some spoke quietly whispered words into the ears of their companions as others shouted for the event to begin, and yet amidst the crowd, some stood silent with sad expressions painted across weary faces.
Armed guards formed a tight perimeter to keep the crowd from rushing forward towards the center of the square. The crowd surged forward creating a tight press of bodies and the air was filled with a feeling of expectant excitement. However a disturbance formed in the back of the mob as a group of uniformed soldiers pushed their way through escorting two men bound in chains.
Both captives walked with their heads bowed, whispering gentle prayers to the God who had been so faithful to them all their lives. One man walked hunched over by the weight of his many years, and over his gaunt frame he wore mere rags, yet in his demeanor there was a fierce dignity that could not be taken from him. To his side, the old man’s younger companion stood tall and dressed in the black robes of a Protestant clergyman, making a clear statement that he would not give up his confession.
The once rowdy crowd grew silent as the two men were led to the center of the square where there stood a tall black stake on a raised wooden platform. There at the stake, the younger man turned to embrace his older friend offering quiet words of encouragement before the two of them kneeled together in silent prayer. A richly garbed man stepped forward, and spoke out against the two men, condemning them for their faith, and yet still the men held fast in prayer. Upon finishing his condemnation of the two, the richly dressed man ordered the guards to lash the men to the stake.
All around the men the guards began to pile up tightly bound bundles of sticks as the crowd watched on. The silence was palpable, broken only by the occasional choked sob from those in the crowd who had pity on the men before them. Yet at the stake the men stood proudly. The old man now stood straight with a smile on his face that perplexed the crowd, and as his executioners brought forth a flaming bundle of his sticks he turned to his companion and offered a final encouragement. ‘Be of good cheer, Ridley; and play the man. We shall this day, by God’s grace, light up such a candle in England, as I trust, will never be put out’. Then, turning his eyes heavenward the old man began to pray for God to receive him as the flames began to rise up the pyre.”
On October 16, 1555, these two men, Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer were burned at the stake for their confessions of faith. Condemned to death by Queen Mary I of England, whose persecution against Protestants earned her the moniker of Bloody Mary, Ridley and Latimer held fast to their convictions to the end. These two, in choosing death over the compromise of their values became an example for their fellow Protestants around England. Because of their martyrdom, the English reformers were encouraged to hold fast in the face of such relentless persecution.
This is an example drawn from history, yet today all around the world our brothers and sisters in Christ share in the persecutions of our older siblings. In Afghanistan Christians are lined up and beheaded by the Taliban. In India radical Hindus set themselves upon churches armed with machetes. Recently in the Congo, seventy Christians were taken from their homes and executed by Islamic Jihadis. Unseen to our eyes, the churches around the world are under constant attack, and yet in the midst of such trials they stand firm, holding fast to their confessions even to the death.
Here in America we are blessed with security and the freedom to worship. Our faith is unhindered by violence, and though the evil we stand against is no laughing matter the danger we experience in the proclamation of our faith is minimal. Due to this, the attitude of the church in our nation has grown lax, and the importance of our confessions has seemed to diminish. Unlike the nations where a confession of faith is a death sentence, here in America it is viewed as commonplace and unimportant. This should not be, and leaves us with a question that should stop each of us in our tracks. What do we stand for?
As I write this I can already hear the instant replies whispered in response to that question, claiming to stand upon the firm foundation of Christ. For some of you I am certain of the firmness of your faith. For others however, the question remains, and I apologize for saying so, but I hope that it makes you uncomfortable to reflect upon such an inquiry. Do you truly stand upon the truth? Or do you stand on unstable ground, ready to capitulate at your soonest inconvenience.
Where do you draw the line in your faith? Do you allow your faith to dictate your life, or does your life dictate the depth of your faith? If it is the latter, I warn you that you walk on dangerous ground. The idea that our faith is something that we can leave at the door of our workplace or sacrifice at the altar of comfort is a foolish one and leads only to the enemy gaining a foothold in our homes and communities. Our faith is not a quiet faith, and by the silence of our tongues we spit in the face of our savior. However the pattern I see, both in myself and the church at large, is that we are silent both in our prayers and in the sharing of our faith and as a result the fruit we bear more closely resembles that of the world than that of Christ.
“If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38) To stand for Christ means that we are neither silent nor cowardly, but that we openly share our faith. We have been commissioned to share the gospel and make disciples, and yet we are silent in the midst of many opportunities to do so. Silence in the midst of opportunity finds its root in shame or fear. Can we truly believe in the strength of our confession if we allow ourselves to be too overcome by fear to live out or calling in the presence of others?
We must be outspoken both in action and in word rather than be ashamed of the salvation to which we were called. The purity of our confession is refined in the overcoming of earthly trials. The good news is that you are not alone. When Christ gave the great commission he didn’t simply disappear without another word, but He left with a promise that he would be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). The strength to live out your faith and endure hardship is not found within yourself, but it is based upon Christ who is our firm foundation.
If what I wrote today convicted you, then I encourage you to take action. But let your first action be to seek Christ and His strength, because He will give you that which you need to live out your faith. All you have to do is ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7).Once you taste and see the goodness of our Lord, your cup will be filled to overflowing so that you have no choice but to pour the overflow into the lives of others. When you are found by Christ, and recognize the depths of His love, you will be filled with an unquenchable desire to join Him in His work. The key, however, is that you have to turn your eyes to Him and live for Him.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Apart from Christ we cannot live boldly and bear the fruit of the godly life. Without Him we cannot face the fires, but with Him we will come out unscathed. Apart from Christ we can do nothing, but with Him, He will use us to do more than we could have ever imagined.
As I close this, I encourage you to step out in faith so that you can live in the way that you were called to. Trust Christ, and seek Him, and He will use you. Abide in Him and you will bear the fruit of life.
Armed guards formed a tight perimeter to keep the crowd from rushing forward towards the center of the square. The crowd surged forward creating a tight press of bodies and the air was filled with a feeling of expectant excitement. However a disturbance formed in the back of the mob as a group of uniformed soldiers pushed their way through escorting two men bound in chains.
Both captives walked with their heads bowed, whispering gentle prayers to the God who had been so faithful to them all their lives. One man walked hunched over by the weight of his many years, and over his gaunt frame he wore mere rags, yet in his demeanor there was a fierce dignity that could not be taken from him. To his side, the old man’s younger companion stood tall and dressed in the black robes of a Protestant clergyman, making a clear statement that he would not give up his confession.
The once rowdy crowd grew silent as the two men were led to the center of the square where there stood a tall black stake on a raised wooden platform. There at the stake, the younger man turned to embrace his older friend offering quiet words of encouragement before the two of them kneeled together in silent prayer. A richly garbed man stepped forward, and spoke out against the two men, condemning them for their faith, and yet still the men held fast in prayer. Upon finishing his condemnation of the two, the richly dressed man ordered the guards to lash the men to the stake.
All around the men the guards began to pile up tightly bound bundles of sticks as the crowd watched on. The silence was palpable, broken only by the occasional choked sob from those in the crowd who had pity on the men before them. Yet at the stake the men stood proudly. The old man now stood straight with a smile on his face that perplexed the crowd, and as his executioners brought forth a flaming bundle of his sticks he turned to his companion and offered a final encouragement. ‘Be of good cheer, Ridley; and play the man. We shall this day, by God’s grace, light up such a candle in England, as I trust, will never be put out’. Then, turning his eyes heavenward the old man began to pray for God to receive him as the flames began to rise up the pyre.”
On October 16, 1555, these two men, Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer were burned at the stake for their confessions of faith. Condemned to death by Queen Mary I of England, whose persecution against Protestants earned her the moniker of Bloody Mary, Ridley and Latimer held fast to their convictions to the end. These two, in choosing death over the compromise of their values became an example for their fellow Protestants around England. Because of their martyrdom, the English reformers were encouraged to hold fast in the face of such relentless persecution.
This is an example drawn from history, yet today all around the world our brothers and sisters in Christ share in the persecutions of our older siblings. In Afghanistan Christians are lined up and beheaded by the Taliban. In India radical Hindus set themselves upon churches armed with machetes. Recently in the Congo, seventy Christians were taken from their homes and executed by Islamic Jihadis. Unseen to our eyes, the churches around the world are under constant attack, and yet in the midst of such trials they stand firm, holding fast to their confessions even to the death.
Here in America we are blessed with security and the freedom to worship. Our faith is unhindered by violence, and though the evil we stand against is no laughing matter the danger we experience in the proclamation of our faith is minimal. Due to this, the attitude of the church in our nation has grown lax, and the importance of our confessions has seemed to diminish. Unlike the nations where a confession of faith is a death sentence, here in America it is viewed as commonplace and unimportant. This should not be, and leaves us with a question that should stop each of us in our tracks. What do we stand for?
As I write this I can already hear the instant replies whispered in response to that question, claiming to stand upon the firm foundation of Christ. For some of you I am certain of the firmness of your faith. For others however, the question remains, and I apologize for saying so, but I hope that it makes you uncomfortable to reflect upon such an inquiry. Do you truly stand upon the truth? Or do you stand on unstable ground, ready to capitulate at your soonest inconvenience.
Where do you draw the line in your faith? Do you allow your faith to dictate your life, or does your life dictate the depth of your faith? If it is the latter, I warn you that you walk on dangerous ground. The idea that our faith is something that we can leave at the door of our workplace or sacrifice at the altar of comfort is a foolish one and leads only to the enemy gaining a foothold in our homes and communities. Our faith is not a quiet faith, and by the silence of our tongues we spit in the face of our savior. However the pattern I see, both in myself and the church at large, is that we are silent both in our prayers and in the sharing of our faith and as a result the fruit we bear more closely resembles that of the world than that of Christ.
“If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38) To stand for Christ means that we are neither silent nor cowardly, but that we openly share our faith. We have been commissioned to share the gospel and make disciples, and yet we are silent in the midst of many opportunities to do so. Silence in the midst of opportunity finds its root in shame or fear. Can we truly believe in the strength of our confession if we allow ourselves to be too overcome by fear to live out or calling in the presence of others?
We must be outspoken both in action and in word rather than be ashamed of the salvation to which we were called. The purity of our confession is refined in the overcoming of earthly trials. The good news is that you are not alone. When Christ gave the great commission he didn’t simply disappear without another word, but He left with a promise that he would be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). The strength to live out your faith and endure hardship is not found within yourself, but it is based upon Christ who is our firm foundation.
If what I wrote today convicted you, then I encourage you to take action. But let your first action be to seek Christ and His strength, because He will give you that which you need to live out your faith. All you have to do is ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7).Once you taste and see the goodness of our Lord, your cup will be filled to overflowing so that you have no choice but to pour the overflow into the lives of others. When you are found by Christ, and recognize the depths of His love, you will be filled with an unquenchable desire to join Him in His work. The key, however, is that you have to turn your eyes to Him and live for Him.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Apart from Christ we cannot live boldly and bear the fruit of the godly life. Without Him we cannot face the fires, but with Him we will come out unscathed. Apart from Christ we can do nothing, but with Him, He will use us to do more than we could have ever imagined.
As I close this, I encourage you to step out in faith so that you can live in the way that you were called to. Trust Christ, and seek Him, and He will use you. Abide in Him and you will bear the fruit of life.