Antipas

A local doctor told me of a friend, he had come to him with critical complaints, was sent to a specialist who found he was dying of terminal cancer, the oncologist told him he had about six months to live.

Anyway, my physician friend could not locate his dying patient, a man of some prominence and wealth in the community, he finally found some hints of where he might be located. The patient's parents had owned a small farm at the edge of Green Swamp in Brunswick county, the farm, very neglected, the small house almost falling down, was the retreat for the dying patient. When the doctor friend found him there, after a long drive through a wilderness of back roads, he said to his patient, “what in the world are you doing out here? You should be at your nice home in town where you have conveniences and the care which you need.” The patient said, “here on this desolate, isolated farm I have an outhouse, a hand pump, a wood stove for cooking and warmth, I do my laundry in a wash pot, and have just the bare necessities of life. Death will be a relief after living like this.”

Antipas, is only mentioned one time in the Bible, he is mentioned in Revelation 2:13, tradition tell us that Antipas was chosen by the apostle John as leader of the first century church at Pergamum. It was a secular, sinful city, and he had to stand almost alone against the satanic forces there. Because of his stand, his life was taken by the evil unbelievers of Pergamum, by roasting him in brass bull. Although Antipas is only mentioned one time in God's word, he lives forever in history as one of the first martyrs of the church.

This week in England, the Druids were recognized, for the first time, as a religion, on the same level as Christianity. The same country which sent David Livingstone, George Greenfield to Africa, Hudson Taylor to China, William Carey to India, now has more mosques than churches, builds more caskets than cradles. As in America, in western Europe, the tares receive greater care than the wheat. Only in countries where government clamps down, as in communist China, communist North Korea, and even communist Cuba, does the church grow. As long as the church is apathetic to God and government, does the government allow the churches to thrive. It is the home churches, the small, excited, devoted groups that governments detest.

The Christian witness is most vital when standing where it is hardest to stand, before family, friends, neighbors, civic groups, political groups. It is becoming increasingly difficult to stand tall in your church, I find most churches are just whispering, whimpering, winless, profligates of habit.

The soldier of the cross has a real hunger for God's Word...teaching and preaching, he regards each day as a gift, each minute and interaction between him, the creature, and his Creator. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24) There are 86,400 seconds in each day, everyone has many things to do if you are as busy as you should be. We are all given the same number of seconds, we need to find time in each day to celebrate our relationship with Christ. There is no argument about His sovereignty, His word. For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89) God knew what He was doing when He chose weak, frail, failed human beings to carry His cross, but He does not need cowards. Humility is the greatest sign of character. I never scored a touchdown, never hit a home run, never made a hole-in-one, never honored with a congressional medal, never took a bullet for anyone, but the things I have done, I try to do well. I stand amazed and ashamed that I could not have done better. I know I was chosen, and I know that the One who died for me, deserves better than I have given Him.

Your stand will often be costly, cost family, friends, popularity, business. Because, if you are truly saved, a born again child of God, you are different: transformed, not conformed (Romans 12:1-2), and most people do not want to be different. We are all captives of the world, the flesh, the devil. Most just want to be different in the church house, perhaps even in the court house, or our relative's house. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8) Walking humbly with God, all the time, to date, is not as difficult as threatened by martyrdom. The first century church, the church of Pergamum, Antipas, was difficult because of the Pharisees and Romans, church and state, were equally cruel. Because of men like Jefferson, who went all the way to Connecticut to speak at the Danbury Baptist church on the separation of church and state, we have the freedom to speak in church, freedom to even criticize the church and state. The Christian's allegiance is to the Christ who saved him, God of glory Who gave us this country, and our willingness and ability to God and country.

In speaking, I have used many times the apostle Thomas, and the tradition that his knees were gnarled from spending so much time in prayer. Having traveled to India many times, I think of his knees walking that great distance, from the Holy Land to India, across the treacherous Himalayas, and then martyred while proclaiming Christ at Chennai in India. He must have had some converts, in this country, then as now, Hindu/pagan Gods because someone lives to report his stand for Christ.