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Happy Martyrs and Sacrifice Day!
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, December 29, 2025 (Donate)
And I tell you, you are Peter, and
on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. (Matthew 16:18, ESV)
Today is the fourth day of Christmas. The purpose of this
holiday is to remember the Christians who have been exiled, murdered, and
persecuted for their faith. In a sense it is like our modern “Memorial Day” and
“Veteran’s Day” all wrapped up together, but for the “soldiers” of Christ.
As Christ marches forward in victory many have been killed
along the way. We think back to the early days of the church and persecution that
occurred then. Stephen, was martyred in the book of Acts (e.g., Acts 7:59).
Many Christians, like Paul and Peter, were beaten, stoned,
imprisoned and/or killed for their faith. The apostles of Christ were largely
put to death in horrible ways. Then there were the purges of Emperor Nero and persecution
by Emperor Domitian.
Until the Edict of Toleration (AD 311) and Edict of Milan
(AD 313), Christians severely suffered. But it didn’t stop it. For 1000 years, Christians
have been attacked and put to death for their faith. Consider the famous book that documents massive numbers of martyrs through the centuries: Foxes
Book of Martyrs.
During the Reformation, many Christians were killed, one
needs to simply consider the history of the Huguenots (French Protestants). And even
today, Christians are slaughtered in Nigeria and arrested and silenced in the
United Kingdom for their faith. In the
USA, Christians are dragged into court for following their religion (e.g., Jack,
the baker, Phillips). Even I’ve been persecuted in various ways.
This is time a to pray for the leaders of the local church, whether pastoral,
elders, deacons, or even for those in parachurch ministries, missions organizations, and evangelists. You may never know
the extent of persecution they receive behind the scenes.
In the past, many used to give gifts as a tradition to the pastoral
leaders on Martyrs and Sacrifice Day as way of encouraging them to stand firm
and be bold for Christ in the midst of all the trials and tribulation that they
face. But also do not forget to pray for those who do the persecuting—pray that
they repent and received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
But I say to you, Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44, ESV)
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various
churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers
in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding
news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight
Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
