Come and Die!

“It doesn’t matter if public opinion embraces a certain concept or if the majority of believers accept a certain standard. If that concept or standard is contrary to the will of God, it must be questioned, challenged, or rejected...Fellow soldiers, holy servants of the risen Lord, blood bought disciples of the Master, heed the call. It’s now or never; it’s time to put up or shut up. Either we take a stand once and for all, or forever hang our heads in shame. History is awaiting our move. So on with it! Let’s start a revolution!” (Dr. Michael L. Brown)

“I pledge my head to heaven for the gospel.” (Keith Green)

“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” (D. Bonhoeffer)

In AD 111 Ignatius was thrown to the lions as a result of reproving the Emperor openly for his worship of other gods. When he learned of his punishment for confronting the sin of this ruler, Ignatius stated, “Now and only now do I become a true disciple of Jesus Christ… It is sufficient for me if I but become a partaker of Christ. Let the devil and evil men afflict me with all manner of pain and torment, with fire, with cross, with fighting against wild beast, with scattering of the members and bones of my body; all this I esteem as very little, if I but enjoy Christ.” (Martyrs Mirror)

Revolutionaries and those who are willing to fight for reform both in society and in the religious establishment of their day had better be prepared for their day with the lions.

To buck the system and stand in the face of ungodliness and lukewarmness is not meant for men who still live. It is for dead men only. Only then can one walk with courage against the flow of popular opinion and a sin stained church. For the one who dares to accept the call of a revolutionary or reformer, best be ready for loneliness and rejection. Be ready to preach, pray or die in a moments notice (The missionaries’ motto). Be ready to have your head served on a silver platter. Also, be ready for the heavenly bliss of a dead man’s march toward heaven. Be ready for the pilgrim’s prize. Be ready for the prophet’s portion and the servant’s reward.
To call men and women to be revolutionaries and reformers is to call them to biblical Christianity in its simplest form. Jesus bids us come and die, that we might truly live. For those who think they are the only revolutionaries and reformers out there, remember what God told Elijah, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal.” (I Kings 19:18) Don’t lose heart, we’re not alone. Keep your feet on the ground and your heart in heaven. Set your face like flint. Be single eyed and close minded. Embrace the cause and die if necessary! It is only then that we can understand what the joy of the Lord really means. Embrace the cross and kiss the Son!

- Tom Zurowski


[Return to Reflections]