We are fast approaching what has grown into a bigger and more popular holiday in recent years – Halloween. Stores “pop-up” at this time of year to cater to those who want to fill their yard with skeletons and ghoulish displays or find costumes for themselves or their pets. Yes, Halloween is a great money-maker in the western world. There is much that could be said about the ungodly practices, pagan origins, and unbiblical falsehoods about Halloween. It began with the Celts almost 2000 years ago as they marked the end of their year and, believing the spirits of the dead were more active, hosted rituals to try to foresee the future and ensure their own prosperity. As with many pagan holidays, the catholic church came in and tried to supplant the paganism with a church holiday of their own. So it was that in the 8th century, Pope Gregory III took an existing church holiday called “All Martyrs Day” that was celebrated in May and expanded it to include all saints and martyrs, establishing “All Saints Day” to be celebrated on November 1st each year. There is not room in this short blog to speak to whether Christians should be celebrating Halloween or even whether we should be celebrating Catholic holidays that were designed to replace pagan ones, but I would like to share some thoughts about remembering the martyrs of the Christian faith.

On October 6, 1536, a 42-year old man was standing tied to a wooden stake with a chain around his neck awaiting his execution. His crime: translating the Scripture into the English language. His name: William Tyndale. He believed that every person should be able to read God’s Word in a language they could understand. His translation was banned from publication by the leaders of the church and the King. Just before he was strangled to death before his body was burned, Tyndale cried out “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.” Within two short years, his dying prayer was answered. King Henry VIII ordered an English translation of the Bible from Miles Coverdale which was largely based on Tyndale’s work. Other English translations followed, including the King James Version of the Bible which is still the best-selling version of the best-selling book of all time. Yes, Tyndale lost his life that day – but how many lost “commoners” found new life in Jesus Christ because of a Bible that they could now read in their own language. Martyrdom seems senseless in the moment, but God always has a plan.

God had a plan when His own Son died for the redemption of mankind. God had a plan when each of Jesus’ disciples died the deaths of martyrs. God had a plan when the many known and unknown Christians of the past 2000 years have stood up for their faith at the expense of their own lives. Even today, there are still martyrs for the faith. Look to those Christians and missionaries in countries where Christianity is outlawed and the ruling regimes are brutal. Places like Afghanistan, Iran, China, North Korea, and many others regularly persecute, imprison, and even kill Christians for their faith.

Jesus tells us in Mark 8:35 – “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” None of us are standing in line for this kind of persecution or punishment, but have you taken the time to ask yourself this question: “Am I truly willing to make the sacrifice of martyrdom if that is what God requires of me?” Many people wear a cross around their necks as a symbol of Christianity. This symbol was a brutal form of execution in Roman times. In today's terms, it would be the same as adorning your home with pictures of electric chairs or firing squads. The cross is the sign of a willingness to pay the ultimate sacrifice according to the will of God. When Jesus said, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34), He was telling us that a commitment to Christ will require self-denial, persecution, and perhaps even death. You may not realize it, but we are living in a society that is gradually becoming more hostile to the Bible’s perspective. This shift away from God's truth should be expected as we draw closer to the return of Christ. THerefore, if we are followers of Christ, we should expect more persecution. So, unless Jesus comes back soon, I suggest that you take time to reflect on the martyrdom of others, for someday it may be required of each of us as well.