“IF WE ARE PUNISHED FOR THE SAKE OF OUR LORD…”

What should be out attitude and our response, *IF WE ARE PUNISHED FOR THE SAKE OF OUR LORD?* James, the brother of our LORD says… 
– “2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials” – James 1:2-4
Peter the disciples of our LORD says… 
– “6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,” – 1 Peter 1:6
Our LORD Himself says… 
– “11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – Matthew 5:11-12

True to the words of our LORD, and in the rich tradition of the apostles and the early Church, Justin, an early Christian apologist, is beheaded, on 1 June 165 AD, about 1859 years back, to date, along with of his disciples for their faith in the LORD Jesus Christ. Just before being beheaded, Justin said “If we are punished for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, we hope to be saved.” The Church soon began to call him “Justin the Martyr.”

According to Church history, the reason for Justin’s beheading is, his courageous and outspoken defense of Christianity, and his open opposition to the persecution. Justin’s letter to Emperor Antonius Pius, in 150 AD was, successful in staving off persecution. However persecution started again under Emperor Marcus Aurelius, in 167 AD. 

“When Justin wrote to Aurelius criticising this persecution, he was seized and presented to the prefect of Rome, Rusticus. Rusticus interrogated Justin and told him that if only he denied his faith, and followed the Roman gods, and the edicts of the emperor, his life could be spared. But Justin held fast in his faith – and for that he was scourged, and put to death alongside six companions in the faith.

Becoming a Christian is much more than a mere confession and a belief in a certain set of doctrines. Even the devil does that. The difference is seen in the way we think, speak and do things, after we become the disciples of the LORD Jesus Christ. Words of Justin the Martyr should, not only give us insight, as to how the early Church understood the Christian faith, but also lived it… 
– “We used to hate and destroy one another and refused to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies.”
– “We ourselves were well conversant with war, murder and everything evil, but all of us throughout the whole wide earth have traded in our weapons of war. We have exchanged our swords for ploughshares, our spears for farm tools…now we cultivate the fear of God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of the future given us through the Crucified One….The more we are persecuted and martyred, the more do others in ever increasing numbers become believers.”
– “We who formerly hated and murdered one another now live together and share the same table. We pray for our enemies and try to win those who hate us.” 
– “Let it be understood that those who are not found living as He taught are not Christian- even though they profess with the lips the teaching of Christ.”

May the LORD help us to walk in His ways, as the LORD Jesus Himself had taught us, and had Himself walked that path. Even so the LORD help us.