December 11: Am I Willing to Die for the Name of Jesus?
Suggested reading: Acts 21:7-23:35
Acts 21:10-14
Amplified Bible (AMP)
10 While we were remaining there for some time, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
11 And coming to [see] us, he took Paul’s belt and with it bound his own feet and hands and said, Thus says the Holy Spirit: The Jews at Jerusalem shall bind like this the man who owns this belt, and they shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles (heathen).
12 When we heard this, both we and the residents of that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul replied, What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart like this? For I hold myself in readiness not only to be arrested and bound and imprisoned at Jerusalem, but also [even] to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.
14 And when he would not yield to [our] persuading, we stopped [urging and imploring him], saying, The Lord’s will be done!
Paul accepted the prophecy about his death and was ready to "die for the name of the Lord Jesus."
Everything happened as Agabus said.
Acts 21:27-36
Amplified Bible (AMP)
27 When the seven days were drawing to a close, some of the Jews from [the province of] Asia, who had caught sight of Paul in the temple, incited all the rabble and laid hands on him,
28 Shouting, Men of Israel, help! [Help!] This is the man who is teaching everybody everywhere against the people and the Law and this place! Moreover, he has also [actually] brought Greeks into the temple; he has desecrated and polluted this holy place!
29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and they supposed that he had brought the man into the temple [into the inner court forbidden to Gentiles].
30 Then the whole city was aroused and thrown into confusion, and the people rushed together; they laid hands on Paul and dragged him outside the temple, and immediately the gates were closed.
31 Now while they were trying to kill him, word came to the commandant of the regular Roman garrison that the whole of Jerusalem was in a state of ferment.
32 So immediately he took soldiers and centurions and hurried down among them; and when the people saw the commandant and the troops, they stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the commandant approached and arrested Paul and ordered that he be secured with two chains. He then inquired who he was and what he had done.
34 Some in the crowd kept shouting back one thing and others something else, and since he could not ascertain the facts because of the furor, he ordered that Paul be removed to the barracks.
35 And when [Paul] came to mount the steps, he was actually being carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob;
36 For the mass of the people kept following them, shouting, Away with him! [Kill him!]
Acts 21:40-22:22
Amplified Bible (AMP)
40 And when the man had granted him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, gestured with his hand to the people; and there was a great hush. Then he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying:
22 Brethren and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make in your presence.
2 And when they heard that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they were all the more quiet. And he continued,
3 I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but reared in this city. At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated according to the strictest care in the Law of our fathers, being ardent [even a zealot] for God, as all of you are today.
4 [Yes] I harassed (troubled, molested, and persecuted) this Way [of the Lord] to the death, putting in chains and committing to prison both men and women,
5 As the high priest and whole council of elders (Sanhedrin) can testify; for from them indeed I received letters with which I was on my way to the brethren in Damascus in order to take also those [believers] who were there, and bring them in chains to Jerusalem that they might be punished.
6 But as I was on my journey and approached Damascus, about noon a great blaze of light flashed suddenly from heaven and shone about me.
7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me [harass and trouble and molest Me]?
8 And I replied, Who are You, Lord? And He said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, Whom you are persecuting.
9 Now the men who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear [[a]the sound of the uttered words of] the voice of the One Who was speaking to me [so that they could understand it].
10 And I asked, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord answered me, Get up and go into Damascus, and there it will be told you all that it is destined and appointed for you to do.
11 And since I could not see because [of the dazzlingly glorious intensity] of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and [thus] I arrived in Damascus.
12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the Law, well spoken of by all the Jews who resided there,
13 Came to see me, and standing by my side said to me, Brother Saul, look up and receive back your sight. And in that very instant I [recovered my sight and] looking up saw him.
14 And he said, The God of our forefathers has destined and appointed you to come progressively to know His will [to perceive, to recognize more strongly and clearly, and to become better and more intimately acquainted with His will], and to see the Righteous One (Jesus Christ, the Messiah), and to hear a voice from His [own] mouth and a message from His [own] lips;
15 For you will be His witness unto all men of everything that you have seen and heard.
16 And now, why do you delay? Rise and be baptized, and [e]by calling upon His name, wash away your sins.
17 Then when I had come back to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple [[f]enclosure], I fell into a trance (an ecstasy);
18 And I saw Him as He said to me, Hurry, get quickly out of Jerusalem, because they will not receive your testimony about Me.
19 And I said, Lord, they themselves well know that throughout all the synagogues I cast into prison and flogged those who believed on (adhered to and trusted in and relied on) You.
20 And when the blood of Your witness (martyr) Stephen was shed, I also was personally standing by and consenting and approving and guarding the garments of those who slew him.
21 And the Lord said to me, Go, for I will send you far away unto the Gentiles (nations).
22 Up to the moment that Paul made this last statement, the people listened to him; but now they raised their voices and shouted, Away with such a fellow from the earth! He is not fit to live!
Acts 23:12-15
Amplified Bible ( AMP)
12 Now when daylight came, the Jews formed a plot and bound themselves by an oath and under a curse neither to eat nor drink till they had done away with Paul.
13 There were more than forty [men of them], who formed this conspiracy [swearing together this oath and curse].
14 And they went to the chief priests and elders, saying, We have strictly bound ourselves by an oathand under a curse not to taste any food until we have slain Paul.
15 So now you, along with the council (Sanhedrin), give notice to the commandant to bring [Paul] down to you, as if you were going to investigate his case more accurately. But we [ourselves] are ready to slay him before he comes near.
I have to ask myself, am I ready to speak truth to the point that people want me dead?
I say that I am, but am I really?
Gracia Burnham (born January 17, 1959, Cairo, Illinois) and her husband Martin were American Protestant missionaries in the Philippines with theNew Tribes Mission for 17 years from 1986.
The couple was among a larger group kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist separatist and terrorist group operating in the southern Philippines, on May 27, 2001. While most of the group were freed after ransoms were paid and several beheaded, the Burnhams were in captivity for a year and a few days. The kidnappers demanded ₱45,000,000 for their release. A ransom of ₱15,000,000 was paid, yet the kidnappers refused to release them. During the eventual rescue attempt by the Philippine Army on June 7, 2002, Martin was killed by three gunshots in the chest and Gracia was wounded in her right leg.
Since her release and the death of her husband, Gracia Burnham has returned to the United States with their three children. She has written two books about her experiences, In the Presence of my Enemies (2003) and To Fly Again (2005). She has also set up the Martin and Gracia Burnham Foundation.[1]
The Burnhams' capture and captivity were the subject of a July 2008 episode of the TV series, Banged Up Abroad.
Gracia and Martin were graduates of Calvary Bible College in Kansas City, Missouri. (Wikipedia)
The Nag Hammadi massacre was a massacre of Coptic Christians carried out on the eve of 7 January 2010, in the Egyptian city of Nag Hammadi. The massacre occurred at the hands of Muslim gunmen in front of the Nag Hammadi cathedral, as Coptic Christians were leaving the church after celebrating the midnight Christmas mass according to the Coptic calendar. The massacre resulted in the murder of eight Copts and one Muslim bystander.[1][2] Nine other Copts were confirmed to be wounded, and two Muslims were reportedly wounded in the attack.[3]
The Nag Hammadi massacre was a massacre of Coptic Christians carried out on the eve of 7 January 2010, in the Egyptian city of Nag Hammadi. The massacre occurred at the hands of Muslim gunmen in front of the Nag Hammadi cathedral, as Coptic Christians were leaving the church after celebrating the midnight Christmas mass according to the Coptic calendar. The massacre resulted in the murder of eight Copts and one Muslim bystander.[1][2] Nine other Copts were confirmed to be wounded, and two Muslims were reportedly wounded in the attack.[3]
Following the attack, two other Coptic Christian women were killed in nearby villages when Muslim mobs set their houses on fire. Numerous Coptic businesses were looted and destroyed in the accompanying attacks.
The Nag Hammadi massacre gained widespread international attention, and was condemned by Pope Benedict XVI,[4] Lebanese MP Nadim Gemayel,[5][6] Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini,[7][8][9] and Canadian foreign minister Lawrence Cannon.[10][11] The attacks were one of the most serious outbreaks of anti-Christian violence in Egypt, and the worst since the murder of 21 Coptic Christians in Kosheh in January 2000. (Wikipedia)
Pastor murdered in Dagestan
On July 15, Pastor Artur Suleimanov (49) was murdered by a gunman who shot him in the head as he was getting into his car to leave the Hosanna House of Prayer in Makhachkala, Dagestan -- a federal republic of Russia in the North Caucasus region. He passed away approximately an hour later in hospital. Pastor Suleimanov was well known as a dynamic leader of one of the largest Protestant churches in the republic. "Pastor Suleimanov was a wonderful Christian brother and his shocking death is a devastating loss for the Dagestan church," a coordinator with Barnabas Fund has said. "He and the Hosanna House of Prayer church were very active in ministry and outreach in particular. We see his murder as an attempt to put further pressure on Christian converts in Dagestan." Pastor Suleimanov leaves to mourn a wife and five children. (Source: Barnabas Fund)
Pray for Pastor Suleimanov's wife and children as they grieve his loss. Pray that the comfort of Christ will be more than enough for them (2 Corinthians 1:5). Ask God to change the heart and mind of the man behind this murder. Pray that God will embolden Christians in Russia to continue spreading the gospel in their nation amid opposition.
For more on the trials facing Christians in Russia, go to the Russia Country Report. (The Voice of the Martyrs)
"Dear Jesus am I really ready to die for You? I want to be bold and unafraid as Paul was. I read about modern day martyrs such as these and it seems farfetched. I wouldn't imagine this would ever happen here in America. But under our current leadership, we can all agree that our country is heading this direction. I must be willing to die for You, Jesus! You died for me! I can't hide my love for You in my heart! That's not love at all. I must broadcast my devotion to You as Paul did! I will die for You if that's Your plan. You are worthy of my extreme sacrifice. How I love You, my Jesus. Yes! I WILL die for You. AMEN."
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