Tag Archive - Martyrdom

Unity of Brethren

April 19, 2011 in Movements, Past with 2 Comments

IF YOU MISSED THE FIRST PARTS OF THIS SERIES CLICK HERE

Following the “Hussite Wars” and the Utraquists compact with the Roman Church the remainder of John Huss and John Wycliffe followers formed a church independent of the Roman Church known as the Moravian church or the Unity of Brethren officially in 1457.  By the time the Protestant Reformation as we know it launched in 1517 by Martin Luther with the nailing of the 95 Theses to the church door, this group had been fighting for freedom and reformation in the church for nearly 100 years.  Martin Luther was the fulfillment of John Hus’ prophecy given right before he was burned at the stake.  Martin Luther came on the scene and only catapulted and encouraged what the Unity of Brethren had been saying the whole time. The majority of the Moravians had the Bible translated in their language (Czech) helping them understand the cause and to lay the foundation of independence from the Roman Church.

The brethren had a lot of noble support behind them and saw tremendous growth in the regions. The Roman Church was too weak to gain control through the battlefield at the time so they retaliated back in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s by way of cultural, political, and ecclesiastical power shifts.  To cut to the short another revolt broke out in 1620 by the Protestant Czechs to protect their liberties and a coalition of armies (Those in relationship and rule with the Roman Church) ended up wiping them out.  This resulted in the Counter Reformation by the Roman church and the 30-year war (Which was a mass war for religious and political power all through out the regions).  One third of the Czech population was lost do to plague and war during this time period; it went from 3 million to 800,000!  This was a time of much upheaval and blood spilling in the name of religion.  For the brethren that were not martyred, many of them were dispersed through out the regions or forced to remain highly underground and secretive. This turmoil became pretty much wide spread in Germany at the time.  The Jesuits who were a big part of the “Counter Reformation” regarded anything Czech as heresy! The entire countryside was literally ravaged and destroyed for these 30 years.

This is a prayer that was written by Reverend Martin Rinkert during that time.

Now thank we all our God

With hearts and hands and voices;

Who wondrous things hath done,

In whom this world rejoices.

Who, from our mother’s arms,

Hath led us on our way,

With countless gifts of love,

And still is ours today.

 

In the midst of much suffering, tormenting, death, and injustice the few and faithful weathered the dark times.  Surprisingly a contingent of brethren stayed strong and secretive in Moravia.  They remained hidden from 1620 to 1722 and were able to pass on their love for Jesus and His Word from generation to generation.  in 1722 the Unity of Brethren were referred to Count Zinzendorf of Saxony for protection.  Zinzendorf had a heart for the poor and persecuted and wanted to use his large estate to establish a Christian community.  It is here that the Moravian Revival broke out!  But I would like to stop for now and follow up next time with more on Count Zinzendorf.

* Next Count Zinzendorf

•••Let us be forever thankful that we have not had to witness this kind of religious chaos in the United States.  This encourages me that in the hard times it is still worth it all to hold on to what is true and to pass it on, even when everything else is shaking.  Are you willing to fight for the Truth?  I’m not saying attacking physically is the way to do it…but are you willing to fight spiritually for the Truth in America?  It seems like the enemy has not been able to straight on attack the Church in America but he has made some huge power shifts in our culture and spheres of influence which in turn has been brought into the Church by our own free will and compromise.  I believe that the LORD is calling us to a higher level of spiritual warfare and it starts with you and me!  Let’s get back to intimacy with Jesus and from there we can go out and take back spiritual ground.

 

 

Revolution and Reformation

March 24, 2011 in Movements, Past with 1 Comment

IF YOU MISSED THE FIRST PARTS OF THIS SERIES CLICK HERE

Upon the execution of John Hus in 1415, a revolution against the Roman Church and government broke out, which led to an all out war.  There was an uprising of those in favor of reform in the Church known as Hussite’s (aka Wycliffites) that defended the teachings of John Hus following his martyrdom.  Those in favor wrote Roman authorities accusing the Council for ill practices only to receive a letter back stating to attack all of Hus’ followers.

Things escalated rather quickly and attack did break out across the Bohemian and Moravian land. By 1420 the Roman authorities had actually organized an anti-hussite crusade, to fully wipe out all Wycliffites, Hussites, and “heretics” as previously promised.

By this time there was a conservative fraction of Hussites, known as the Utraquist that focused on the Eucharist and how it was administered.  And there was the “radicals” or Taborites that esteemed the divine law (the Bible) to be the rule and standard for society as well as in the religious and political spheres.

These main camps of hussites joined together resulting in great military feats.  The hussites (in the broader definition) had four main decrees that they demanded from the Roman Church:

 

1. The word of God shall be preached and made known in the kingdom of Bohemia freely and in an orderly manner by the priests of the Lord.

2. The sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist shall be freely administered in the two kinds, which are bread and wine, to all the faithful in Christ who are not precluded by mortal sin – according to the word and disposition of Our Saviour.

3. The secular power over riches and worldly goods which the clergy possesses in contradiction to Christ’s precept, to the prejudice of its office and to the detriment of the secular arm, shall be taken and withdrawn from it, and the clergy itself shall be brought back to the evangelical rule and an apostolic life such as that which Christ and his apostles led.

4. All mortal sins, and in particular all public and other disorders, which are contrary to God’s law shall in every rank of life be duly and judiciously prohibited and destroyed by those whose office it is

 

However, the “mess” of reformation continued as the Church declined these requests.  The hussites, mainly under class man, held their own against a total of 3 crusades that the Roman authority brought against them.  The stumbling block to their victories was the bickering, bashing, and wild fire that broke out between the sects mainly due to their theological differences.  This disjointing caused a civil war between the two camps, ending with the Taborites beating out the Utraquists resulting in a temporary truce.

The hussites continued in victory against all attacks up to the Council of Basel in 1433.  Peace treaties were negotiated but nothing landed until the Utraquists eventually made a deal or “compact” (which was later voided) with the Roman Church allowing them to attain some of their goals while remaining under the Roman rule.  By 1434 the Utraquists along with Roman authorities attacked the Taborites and   came close to annihilating them.  This time many of the “radicals” either joined the Utraquists or went underground being apart of the Unity of Brethren, which was independently formed in 1457.

 

* NEXT the Unity of Brethren

•••

In no way do I think this approach was done perfectly or that every person had good intentions.  But I wonder where we would be today with out this revolution.  What would cause so many believers to literally fight for the Word of God to be preached and made known to all?  Yes, it got messy, political, and selfish…but I believe that there were many men who believed that the Word of God was the only thing that was going to bring true freedom to the Church of their day.  These men had seen and heard the Truth for themselves and they could no longer live under a religious system that distorted it for profit and gain.

Now, today we can read the Bible when and where we want, but do we spiritually fight for these truths revealed in His Word that lead us into the experiential knowledge of God?  Is it worth fighting for everyday to read and mediate on with the guiding of Holy Spirit or is it better left alone on the shelf collecting dust?  It is sad to see that so many believers in our day have written off the Bible as an historic document or simply poetic imagery.  The Bible is the very word of God and is not something to be taken lightly!  I see too many people picking apart the Word and using its substance for a food fight instead of actually eating the Word and allowing it to cause growth, strength,  and maturity in ones spirit.  I am not putting the Bible above the Holy Trinity but I believe that the Body of Christ needs a renewed spiritual tenacity to fight for and seek out the unending worth found in the Bible.

1“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.
2“Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.
3“Incline your ear and come to Me
Listen, that you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.

Isaiah 55:1-3

John Hus– “Goose”

March 10, 2011 in Movements, Past with 3 Comments

John Hus, born in 1369 to a poor Bohemian family, grew up singing and serving in the church to make a living.  He was educated at Prague University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Theology and Master of Arts from 1393-96.  Then being ordained as a Catholic priest he started preaching in 1403 at Bethlehem chapel.  It was said that John sought after these religious practices in the Church for peace and security rather than out of the deep desire of his heart.

“I had thought to become a priest quickly in order to secure a good livelihood and dress and to be held in esteem by men.”

But a big shift took place around the 1400’s when the teachings of John Wycliffe made it into Bohemia.  Much of this is attributed to Queen Anne, the wife of Richard II.  She was the sister of Wenceslaus, the king of Bohemia.  It is said that she sent copies of Wycliffe’s work into Bohemia through her servants.  Jerome of Prague, who later became a great friend and follower of Hus, also brought in Wycliffe’s writings around the same time frame.

When John Hus took hold of Wycliffe’s teachings as well as the Scriptures translated in his own language, a drastic change took place in his heart.  The writings fueled John, causing his eyes to be opened to the errors of the Church. John started preaching and sharing this new passion and as he continued to  read in the Bible for himself his heart for the true Bride of Christ exploded.  His teachings and doctrine in opposition to the Roman Church were spreading like wild fire throughout the country and he became the sought after preacher in the land.  The university disapproved of these new beliefs that Hus was teaching, even though Hus had become the rector. The archbishop also was displeased with the racket, leading him to complain to the pope!

This of course caused the Roman Church to be more infuriated with the works of Wycliffe. In 1410 the pope banned all of Wycliffe’s material, doctrines, and the right to preach it!  John was not easily shut down and continued preaching, even under this ban.  Like Wycliffe, Hus was now seen as an outcast and heretic, even though his followers continued to grow.  Johns continued grounding in the Good News and calling out the contradictions of the Church was adored by the people and hated by the clergy.  I would like to call this a time of revival in the Bible.  Peoples eyes were being opened and their hearts were being radically changed by the reading and hearing of Truth for themselves!

The freedom from legalism that John experienced from the Scriptures was,

“When the Lord gave me knowledge of Scriptures, I discharged that kind of stupidity from my foolish mind.”

Referring to his past religious duties in the Church.  Hus, found Life in the Scriptures,

“Desiring to hold, believe, and assert whatever is contained in them as long as I have breath in me.”

John was well received by the commoners but could only go so far with his influence.  The political and religious leaders eventually shut him down causing him to remove himself from the area.  He spent time in the Word and in study, leading him to write several influential pieces.

It was at the end of 1415 when the Council of Constance invited John with “safe” pretenses only to prosecute and detain him.  John was held in the in prison for 73 days; chained, tortured, and fed poorly.  Things did not get any better after being put on trial in June 1415.  He was quickly found guilty with heresy and errors against the Church brought on by false witnesses of elite clergy members.  John Hus stood his ground, using the Bible as his defense but when he asked for chance to explain, there was no grace or mercy.  The trial ended rather quickly with it’s injustices and John was condemned to be burned at the stake.  On July 6, 1415, he was stripped, tied, chained to a stake and burned.  They used the writings of Wycliffe to fuel the wood beneath him.  It was said that he was singing psalms and that he spoke a prophecy before he went.

The prophecy was along the lines of,

“In 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed.”…or...”You are now going to burn a goose, but in a century you will have a swan whom you can neither roast nor boil.” (I’ve seen it both ways)

The term, “your goose is cooked” was coined during the martyrdom of John Hus.  Hus meant “goose” in the old German language.


...Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses of Contention on the church at Wittenberg almost exactly a 100 years later! Luther stumble upon some of John’s sermons and said,

“I was overwhelmed with astonishment. I could not understand for what cause they had hurt so great a man who explained the Scriptures with so much gravity and skill.”

It is hard for me to grasp such cruelty against believers, even though the disciples were all faced with it and continued to tell us to persevere and overcome!  Does the western church have the courage and boldness to stand like this when it is attacked?  Do we as individuals have the boldness to stand on the Word of God and proclaim the goodness of Jesus?  Within my lifetime I have already witnessed blatant attacks against Christianity and the Word of God and it has only intensified!  I am thankful to live in a time where I still have the freedom to read His Word, to worship Him with freedom, and to share the Gospel with others and I’m praying that I will continue to do so even if it is banned.

 

Next post, leading up to the Unity of Brethren

IF YOU MISSED THE FIRST PARTS OF THIS SERIES CLICK HERE

 

 

 

 

At What Cost?

February 23, 2010 in Future, Past, Present with 0 Comments

Would you still be a Christian if every Church got destroyed?

Would you still be a Christian if all copies of Scriptures were burned?

Would you still be a Christian if it meant you could no longer publicly assemble in fellowship to worship?

Would you still be a Christian if it meant you were deprived of honor and public office?

Would you still be a Christian if it meant you were enslaved or forced to go to jail?

Would you still be a Christian if execution through out the body started?

(Execution meaning: being tormented, strangled, scourged, decapitated, burned alive, yes, MARTYRED!)

Would you still be a Christian if this “great persecution” lasted for 10 years?

On this day, February 23, 303 started the “greatest persecution” of the Christian faith under Emperor Diocletian.

When Diocletian first started his rule, Christians, were encouraged because it was rumored that the emperor’s wife and daughter were believers.  Weather that was true or not, Christians, for the most part lived in a state of peace and prosperity for the first nineteen years of his reign.

After those nineteen years, the way of life for all Christians changed drastically.  Emperor Diocletian decided that religious unity would strengthen his empire.  It was said that Diocletian and Galerius (his son in law) sought advice from an “oracle” that said the “just on earth” hindered Apollo to give advice.  So after hearing this; Diocletian, Galerius, and the members of the court concluded that “the just” must be the Christians of his empire. With this new way of thinking and encouragement from his wicked council, he published three edicts in attempts to secure the Roman religion as the only religion.

On February 23, 303 the first edict stated: All copies of scriptures to be burned, all churches destroyed, property confiscated, and Christian worship to be forbidden.

The second and third edicts were pretty much the beginning of the enslavement, imprisonments, and executions of those that resisted sacrificing to the Roman gods. It was said that the jails were filled with Christians and that the real criminals were removed to create space.

It was declared that everyone in the Roman Empire must sacrifice to the Roman gods.  This lasted all the way up till 313 until Constantine declared an edict of toleration.  As church history goes, the martyrdom of many strengthened and encouraged their Christian brothers and sisters. The result ended in Christianity being the preferred religion under the rule of Constantine.

Well it states in Revelation 13:11, 14-15 that there will be a time when all Christians will be faced with this choice again.  To bow down to a statue and worship it, or die!

We are living in a time that has many choices, ways, distractions, and religions.  But there is ONLY ONE way that brings a life of ETERNITY and that is through the accepting of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It does not say it is the easiest way; will you still be a Christian when…YOU HAVE COUNTED THE COST?

Blessings,

Patrick Judah

(Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletian#Great_Persecution and “The One Year Book of Christian History” by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten)