Dear Friend of the Persecuted Church—

“And they [the saints] overcame him [the accuser of the brethren] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."
Revelation 12:11

Last week we discussed the first element of overcoming, the blood of the Lamb.  This week, we move on to the second of those three elements.

The Word of Their Testimony

“The servants of God overcame Satan, ... [2] By the word of their testimony, as the great instrument of war, the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God,--by a resolute powerful preaching of the everlasting gospel, which is mighty, through God, to pull down strongholds."
Matthew Henry

The Application of Grace

God’s grace is offered freely to all men, but only those that accept that grace can have the testimony of its power.  Indeed, each believer’s testimony is nothing less than a story of God’s grace applied to their individual life.

The power of the testimony comes from its source, the grace of God, and there is no more powerful argument for God’s power and majesty then to use personal examples of His working.  The believer with a powerful testimony can stand against the deception of the father of lies, because the truth shines out of his life.

Polycarp is one such example.  He was the Bishop of Smyrna, a prominent leader in the early church.  As an elderly man he was arrested by a Roman proconsul, dragged to the stadium, and told that if he did not recant his beliefs he would be burned alive.  The proconsul begged him to give in, saying, “Swear, and I will set thee at liberty, reproach Christ.”

Polycarp would not be moved.  His testimony was untouchable: “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?”  The fire raged, and the dagger pierced his heart, but his testimony stood so firm that the proconsul sent his herald out to the center of the arena, proclaiming three times, “Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian.”

Power in the Face of Suffering

“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”
C.T. Studd

The word of the believer’s testimony is the personal knowledge that Jesus Christ was that ultimate sacrifice, and for that reason no amount of suffering can overcome it.  When a believer experiences the eternal joy of life with Christ, he or she has the power to face temporal suffering—no human sacrifice is too great.  Their testimonies don’t make persecution easy, but they make it worth the sacrifice. 

What about you?  What is your testimony?  The application of God’s grace to your life puts you in a perfect position to raise up your brothers and sisters in prayer.

Yours for the Body of Christ,

Gabriel J. Waddell
Executive Director

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This Week in the Persecuted Church

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