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What did Jesus actually sacrifice?

...y all the pain and suffering that Jesus had to endure before his death was a big deal, and it showed, as we can see from the Gospels when Jesus says to his disciples that he is “deeply grieved, even to death” (Matt 26:38). Luke 22:42-44‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.’ Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. We can see from the quote above that Jesus really wasn’t looking forward to this, despite knowing its purpose. He even needed an angel to come to...

John Chau, missionary to the Sentinelese: martyr or madness?

...uries, on pain of death, the people of the Roman Empire had to swear loyalty to the Emperor and publicly perform some act of worship and veneration towards him. This wasn’t an attempt to root out Christians necessarily, but they did refuse to partake due to their beliefs in worshipping God alone and not committing idolatry by performing an act of worship towards the reigning Caesar. As far as the Romans were concerned, the Christians were traitors and committed a treasonous act. It didn’t really matter why, only that they couldn’t be convinced otherwise and were killed for it to be an example to others. Were these early Christians martyrs or completely ma...

The Coming of Jesus: The Olivet Discourse – Part 1

...fered the pain of their folly,  for Felix brought them back and punished them. At this time there came out of Egypt to Jerusalem a man who said he was a prophet, and advised the multitude of the common people to go along with him to the mountain called the Mount of Olives, which lay a distance of five furlongs from the city. He said that he would show them that  at his command the walls of Jerusalem would fall down, through which he promised that he would procure them an entrance into the city. Now when Felix was informed of this he ordered his soldiers to take up their weapons, and with a great number of horsemen and footmen from Jerusalem he attacked the Egy...

The Coming of Jesus: Revelation Fulfilled?

...f Rome on pain of death. Eusebius doesn’t miss this connection either when writing his Church History, as in Book 3.18 he writes about John’s apocalypse and how he “accurately indicated the time” of persecutions which were performed under Domitian’s harsh rule. Chapter 19 and 20 of Church History also relate how the Emperor had all the “descendants of David” (Jews) killed and then those who were “the descendants of Jude” (ie. related to Jesus’ earthly relatives) “on the ground that they were of the lineage of David and were related to Christ himself.”. Eusebius mentions that “even those writers who were far from our religion did not he...

Before The Pumpkins: The Day Two Women Defied Rome

...power, no pain, no chain, can silence the voice that says, I am a Christian. Reflection You can’t read their story and not feel moved by it. Their sense of conviction and faith is a testimony to the power and strength of God dwelling in believers, and a witness to us today that no matter what we face, if we rely on God and trust in him during those times, he will give us the strength to endure. There’s no bitterness in their testimony, only trust. Their faith was not about defiance but devotion. The quiet, immovable conviction that Christ is worth everything, even life itself. Their story reminds us that the Church was built not on force, but on faith; n...

Before the Pumpkins: The Barbecued Deacon

...ended his pain. His joy came from knowing that death had lost its sting, and that Christ’s victory was already his. In a world that prizes wealth, power, and safety, Lawrence reminds us where true treasure lies. The Church’s riches are not in marble halls or golden chalices (or the collection plate), but in the faces of those whom God loves: the poor, the forgotten, the weak, and the suffering (cf. James 1:27). To serve them is to serve Christ Himself. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes. (Matthew 6:19–20) As we look back on this deacon who faced the fire with a smil...