More Important Than Martyrdom?
I don't know about you, but i've heard some Christians talk about how martyrdom is the highest goal of the Christian life. How it would be the greatest privilege to the believer to die for their faith. And, while i understand that their heart is probably just one of great gratitude for all that Christ has done for them that they want to give themselves back to him no matter the cost, even unto death...there can be a weird kind of fatalism about that kind of goal. Why focus on dying for Him when we are called in scripture to be focused on living for Him?
Anyway, that's why this passage of scripture is helpful to me. Here we have the Apostle Paul (here still called Saul) preaching Christ in the synagogues after his recent conversion. And, this seems to have so upset the Jews that they plotted to kill him. But their plot became known to Paul, so the disciples let him down through the city wall in a large basket!
No, if martyrdom was the goal of the Christian life, then Paul would have ran to meet his quick demise. But, here we see the practical response to God-given revelation. God allowed it to be known to Paul that his enemies were plotting to kill him, so the disciples made a way of escape.
So, here's the point. It's not always God's will for us to suffer for Him. Truly Paul did suffer greatly for Christ, but, this time was not God's time for him to suffer and die. Paul still had much work to do here, so escape was the wise thing to do. I think that sometimes we feel that escape is the cowardly, unspiritual thing to do...but, sometimes to run into danger can be the most foolish thing to do, especially when God has not ordained it for us.
Anyway, that's why this passage of scripture is helpful to me. Here we have the Apostle Paul (here still called Saul) preaching Christ in the synagogues after his recent conversion. And, this seems to have so upset the Jews that they plotted to kill him. But their plot became known to Paul, so the disciples let him down through the city wall in a large basket!
No, if martyrdom was the goal of the Christian life, then Paul would have ran to meet his quick demise. But, here we see the practical response to God-given revelation. God allowed it to be known to Paul that his enemies were plotting to kill him, so the disciples made a way of escape.
So, here's the point. It's not always God's will for us to suffer for Him. Truly Paul did suffer greatly for Christ, but, this time was not God's time for him to suffer and die. Paul still had much work to do here, so escape was the wise thing to do. I think that sometimes we feel that escape is the cowardly, unspiritual thing to do...but, sometimes to run into danger can be the most foolish thing to do, especially when God has not ordained it for us.
