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Are you a
Martyr? What IS a Martyr anyway?
from
Doug Perry, www.FellowshipOfTheMartyrs.com
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printable PDF
version
The Greek word that we translate
as martyr is "martus" and means "witness".
(Strong's #3144/Thayer's - http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/3/1116129082-4871.html)
Here it is more specifically:
martus {mar'-toos}
1) a witness
a) in a legal sense
b) an historical sense
1) one who is a spectator of
anything, e.g. of a contest
c) in an ethical sense
1) those who after his example
have proved the strength and genuineness of their faith in Christ by
undergoing a violent death
That Greek word (martus) shows up
34 times in the Bible. Only THREE times is it translated as
"martyr" (Acts 22:20, Rev. 2:13, Rev. 17:6). Twice it's
translated as "record" (2 Corin. 1:23, Phil. 1:8). The rest
of the time it's translated as "witness" or "witnesses".
The word came to be used as one
who dies for their faith - only AFTER those who were called
"witnesses" to the life of Jesus refused to change their
story even under threat of death. Having held the cloaks when Stephen
became the first witness/martyr, Paul clearly knew this could happen
and would be the by product of being "witnesses".
Nonetheless, he constantly urged us to be faithful witnesses. And
Paul lived it to the very end.
God told me to start the
"Fellowship of the Martyrs." What does that mean?
What is it supposed to be? Simply put, it's a place to gather those
people who have been up close and personal eye witnesses as to the
nature, character, holiness and Lordship of Jesus Christ and wouldn't
change their story in court no matter what the threat against them.
Even if that meant losing their lives -- either in the physical realm
through death or in the spiritual by slowly killing off little pieces
of themselves rather than deny Christ's authority. By carrying their
crosses toward Calvary and getting one step closer every day. People
who fear God more than they fear anything else.
So keep that in mind and
consider these that you are used to hearing, but substitute in the
alternate translation:
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
martyrs (witnesses) unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and
in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Act 22:15 For thou shalt be his
martyr (witness) unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Act 22:20 And when the blood of
thy witness (martyr) Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and
consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
And here we learn about the
power of accountability and the peace of strength in numbers:
1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of
faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and
hast professed a good profession before many martyrs (witnesses).
Hbr 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also
are compassed about with so great a cloud of martyrs (witnesses), let
us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
[us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
MAN!! Isn't that COOL!!
Wouldn't you just love to be a part of a GREAT CLOUD of martyrs?!
If you're a part
of THAT cloud, you should lay aside EVERY weight and run with
patience and peace!! Are you doing that?
How about this? We were CHOSEN
for this task.
Act 26:16 But rise, and stand
upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to
make thee a minister and a martyr (witness) both of these things
which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear
unto thee;
Not only that, but we were
CHOSEN for this before the beginning of time!
Act 10:41 Not to all the people,
but unto martyrs (witnesses) chosen before of God, [even] to us, who
did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
Hey! That's US! Not just the
Disciples! How much are you eating and drinking with Jesus? What does Communion
mean to you? Isn't that what we're doing?
AND to top it all off, the one
out in front of us is THE Faithful and True Witness!
Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ,
[who is] the faithful martyr (witness), [and] the first begotten of
the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of
the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the
faithful and true martyr (witness), the beginning of the creation of God;
And this is what we have to
look forward to before He comes to gather all His witnesses again:
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman
drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the
martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
But, good news, the Holy
Spirit in us goes with us right up to the end.
Act 5:32 And we are his martyrs
(witnesses) of these things; and [so is] also the Holy Ghost , whom
God hath given to them that obey him.
I pray that I will be counted
worthy. I want nothing more than to find and be a part of a gang of
honest-to-goodness, switched on, sold out, full-time, hard core
witnesses (martyrs) to God's glory who FEAR Him more than they fear
anything else!! The more of those radicals we can get in one place,
the more damage we can do to the enemy!
Praise God for each of you and
what you have meant in my life already. I was alone for a long time.
Hallelujah!! The Great Cloud
is gathering!!
Doug Perry, www.FellowshipOfTheMartyrs.com
Copyrighted, but use freely
without charge and with a link.
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