“And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison” (Matthew 14:10).
TEXT — Matthew 14:1-12
Message
Bishop Hugh Latimer was martyred in 1555. After being sentenced to death for his convictions, he wrote an open letter in which he declared, “Let us consider all the dear friends of God, how they have gone after the example of our Saviour, Jesus Christ; whose footsteps let us also follow, even to the gallows if God’s will be so.” He and his friend Nicholas Ridley were tied to the stake a short time later. As the leaping flames began to touch their bodies, Latimer called, “Be of good cheer, Brother Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England as I trust shall never be put out!” – Copied from The Speaker’s Quote Book, Roy B. Zuck.
John the Baptist was a burning and shining light in his lifetime and at death. Herod, the king, gruesomely martyred him because his fiery message condemned his incestuous relationship with his brother, Philip’s wife. “For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.” John paid the supreme price for fearlessly confronting the king. He lit the world with the light of righteousness that a million martyrdoms would never put out.
It has always been part of man’s depraved nature to fight or persecute the preachers of righteousness. Though John was murdered and buried, silenced as it was, the truth he proclaimed could not be buried. The question is, where are Herod, Herodias, and her daughter whose seductive dance eventually led to the king’s oath that resulted in the beheading of the Prophet of God, the forerunner of the Saviour of the world? Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod, and other enemies of the Church have all gone into oblivion.
The pattern set by John the Baptist and the apostles of Christ must challenge Christians to stand uncompromisingly and preach Christ in and out of season. Our lives and times are in the Lord’s hands. Like our Master and Saviour, we must remain faithful to the end. Like the apostles, we must resolve to obey God rather than men, not minding the loss of material gain, human praise, and recognition while standing for Christ and declaring the whole counsel of God.
Thought for the day
You cannot be a burning and shining light without attracting the fury of the powers of darkness.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
Leave a Reply