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Slain Day 6 Esther John

April 21, 2025 by Brenda Earley Leave a Comment

Slain Day 6 Esther John

Brenda Earley

April 21, 2025

Alive,Christ,Heaven,Hope,persecution

Read His Words Before Ours!

Philippians 1:20-21
John 15:22-25
Luke 21:16-17
Galatians 2:19-20
Psalm 56

“For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
(Philippians 1:21)

On October 14, 1929, Qamar Zia, one of seven children, was born into a Muslim family. At 17, Qamar began attending a Christian school where she began to see a new, profound faith in the life and testimony of a teacher, which sparked an interest in Bible reading. Her favorite Scripture, Isaiah 53, further motivated her conversion to Christianity.

Qamar’s family moved to Pakistan, and she was given a New Testament. While holding a flashlight under her blankets in the darkness of night, she read her Bible. As she learned more about her greatest love, Jesus, Qamar’s tender faith grew strong.

Fearful of the prospect of marriage to a Muslim husband, she fled her parents’ home and began serving at a distant orphanage. At this time, she made her profession of faith and took the name “Esther John.” [Sister, let’s sit here for a minute. Doesn’t God give us a new name upon salvation? Redeemed. Chosen. We are His children and heirs to His Kingdom! (1 John 3:1)]

Still fearing Muslim marriage, Esther John headed north, settling in a mission hospital. She was interested in teaching and entered the United Bible Training Centre. Traveling by bicycle, Esther evangelized in the villages, taught women to read, and helped alongside them in the cotton fields.

Because of her willingness to speak her faith, Esther John was found murdered on February 2, 1960. (2 Timothy 3:12) Upon investigation, a policeman reading through her journals noted her “true love” . . . someone named Jesus. (Christian Pakistani Post)

Esther John’s sacrifice, surrender, and suffering were not in vain. (Matthew 24:9-14) Commissioned by Jesus to share the Gospel, as all believers are, she is remembered as a true martyr. While her mission work was brief, Esther John was devoted to her first love, Jesus, and to the work He set before her “for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14)

While my own calling to follow Jesus hasn’t resulted in loss of life, I was bullied for my faith as a junior high and high school student. Considering me a “Miss Goody Two Shoes,” other students ridiculed me. While attending a Christian school, I was hated for my Christian stand. (Students can be cruel. If your child is being bullied at school, please talk to someone.)

At times, I spoke to my mom about how the other students treated me and she reminded me of Jesus’ words in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you.”

It’s hard to turn the other cheek when we are persecuted, but we need to follow Jesus’ loving example. (1 Peter 3:8-9) It’s even harder to keep God first when we feel isolated as others hate and persecute us.

But, sweet sisters, do you know what? It is worth it! Those painful experiences have taught me how to love others. (Matthew 5:44) When God is first in my heart, His presence is my comfort and every hurt will be for His glory!

“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
(Galatians 2:20)

We all have sinned, but through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can all be redeemed! When we understand our need for Jesus, we can crucify our will and desires, and live for Christ, the Greatest Reward. Daily dying to self, we give God control of our hearts and lives!

If God is living inside us, our lives will reflect Him all the more as we surrender! As we become more like Him, His love increases in our lives. To love like Jesus, Esther John understood others first. Her mission was “for the least of these.” (Matthew 25:40) We may not be called as overseas missionaries, but every believer is called to live surrendered to Christ.
This is our obedient sacrifice to God!

Jesus’ sacrifice of dying on the cross for us should be what influences the surrender of our daily desires and plans. Christ’s surrender to the Father’s will should be our motivation to sacrifice and die to self. Our reward from sacrifice and surrender to Jesus is far greater than persecution or death!

Behold the Lamb.
Behold the Lamb!
Slain from the foundation of the world.
For sinners, crucified.

O Holy Sacrifice!
Behold the Lamb of God.
Behold the Lamb.
(“Behold the Lamb” Dottie Rambo)

Friends, let’s not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. (Romans 1:16) Regardless of your place in life, we are called to tell of Christ and set aside every weight that entangles us (Hebrews 12:1), to love others to Jesus.

As Esther John once said, “Leave all ties. Jesus is calling.”

~

“Unashamed” Matthew West
“More Like Jesus” Passion/Kristian Stanfill
“His Life for Mine” Talley Trio
“Crucified With Christ” Phillips, Craig, and Dean

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death,Easter,eternity,hope,martyr,rescue,salvation

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Slain Day 4 Blandina: Digging Deeper

April 17, 2025 by Rachel Jones Leave a Comment

Slain Day 4 Blandina: Digging Deeper

Rachel Jones

April 17, 2025

Captivating,Freedom,Heaven,Joy,Kingdom,persecution,Purpose

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Read His Words Before Ours!

Revelation 2:8-11

“Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life:

9 I know your affliction and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days. Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

11 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death."

Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) Why does the author say these poor and afflicted believers in Smyrna are rich? (verse 9)

In Revelation 2:9, Jesus tells the church in Smyrna, “I know your affliction and poverty, but you are rich.” The word used for poverty here is ptocheia, the Greek word for abject poverty or destitution. (preceptaustin.org) The church in Smyrna wasn’t just poor, they were impoverished.

William Barclay notes that “Smyrna was a great trade city. […] It had an especially rich trade in wines. [Smyrna] was a city of wealth and commercial greatness.” Despite the wealth of the city, Christ-followers in Smyrna were destitute, “because they were robbed and fired from jobs in persecution for the gospel.” (David Guzik) Because they followed Jesus, these Christians could not keep their jobs and were targeted for persecution.

In this letter, Jesus assured His followers that He knew about their suffering and still considered them rich because of the choices they made to honor and follow Him. (James 2:5). These choices would make them more like Jesus, providing them with spiritual blessings far greater than any material wealth. (Matthew 19:29)

Matthew Henry suggests the followers in Smyrna were “inwardly rich; rich in faith, in good works, rich in privileges, rich in gifts, rich in hope . . . when God’s people are made poor as to this life, for the sake of Christ and a good conscience, He makes all up to them in spiritual riches.”

When we suffer for the sake of Christ, it is nothing in comparison to the blessing in store for us as His followers! (Romans 8:18)

The Everyday Application

1) Why does the author say these poor and afflicted believers in Smyrna are rich? (verse 9)

In the story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, young Charlie is among 5 winners of a Golden Ticket to visit Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Charlie’s family is very poor, nearly starving, but, in spite of hardship, they are loyal, loving, and close-knit. The other winners are each from wealthy families, but they are all greedy in various ways and their parents don’t care much when their children encounter danger during their factory tour.

The wealthy families didn’t enjoy much happiness, whereas Charlie and his family found joy in being together despite their struggles. They were not monetarily rich, but they were rich in love. There is a similar message about being rich despite being poor in Revelation 2:9, where Jesus tells the church in Smyrna, “I know your affliction and poverty, but you are rich.”

According to David Guzik, Smyrna was a city “deeply committed to idolatry and the worship of the Roman Emperor.” Because of this, Christians in Smyrna were persecuted for practicing and sharing their faith in Christ. Even though they suffered poverty and oppression, Jesus regarded them as rich because of their faithfulness to Him. (2 Corinthians 6:10).

Charles Stanley asserts, “There was peculiar honor in being near and like Himself, who had nowhere to lay His head. I have learned this: Jesus is especially the partner of His poor servants.” Jesus, who came to earth as an infant, was born to a humble carpenter’s family (Luke 2:12), and slept under the stars during His years of ministry (Luke 21:37), assured His followers that they were choosing better by walking in His ways. (John 15:5)

Though they were not rich in material things, Jesus’ followers were rich in spiritual blessings. (Ephesians 1:3)

The Original Intent

2) What is the crown of life promised to those who suffer and are afflicted? (verse 10)

Jesus tells the church in Smyrna, “Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life”. (Revelation 2:10) The crown, or wreath, was a symbol of reward or victory in the ancient world, and the church of Smyrna would have recognized the language as denoting triumph.

David Guzik explains that the crown, or stephanos, “is given as a trophy to a winning athlete. Jesus looks at the Christians of Smyrna and says to them, ‘You are My winners. You deserve a trophy.’” Jesus acknowledged that following Him could bring persecution and even martyrdom, and He wanted His followers to know that the reward of eternal life awaited all who remained faithful to Him. (Matthew 5:11-12)

Jesus’ victory on the cross was a triumph for all His followers that granted them victory in Jesus and eternal life in Heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:56-57) Jesus wanted His followers to understand that, while there was a price to be paid for following Him, the reward far outweighed the cost. (Matthew 13:44-46) Matthew Henry asserts, “The life worn out in His service, or laid down in His cause, shall be rewarded with a much better life, which shall be eternal.”

There is no way to know exactly what the cost of serving Christ will be when we set out to follow, but God asks us to give Him everything. (Luke 14:33) One blessed assurance Christians have is knowing that this world, with all its troubles (John 16:33), is not their home, Heaven is! (Hebrews 13:14)

Alistair Begg describes the reward of the crown of life as “God welcoming us at the finish line and crowning us with honor, blessing, and life that is everlasting.” May we be able to claim with the Apostle Paul that nothing is worth as much to us as knowing Christ! (Philippians 3:8)

The Everyday Application

2) What is the crown of life promised to those who suffer and are afflicted? (verse 10)

In the Victorian British novel Jane Eyre, the novel’s young namesake is sent to a boarding school where she endures a harsh, embarrassing reprimand by the pompous and cruel minister who runs the establishment. When her punishment is over, the inconsolable Jane is comforted by her friend Helen Burns, who also receives constant criticism and punishment from her teachers but bears it with patience and tolerance.

Helen encourages Jane not to take her afflictions to heart, reminding her that “God waits only the separation of spirit from flesh to crown us with a full reward. Why, then, should we ever sink overwhelmed with distress, when life is so soon over, and death is so certain an entrance to happiness—to glory?”

Helen Burns understood what Jesus described to the church at Smyrna when he exhorted them to “Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life”. (Revelation 2:10) The crown of life represented the reward of life everlasting with Jesus, promised to those who love Jesus and endure the trials of this life. (James 1:12)

Andrew Murray suggests that this gift of eternal life “is the life that He has had in Himself from eternity and that has been visibly revealed in Christ. This life is now the inheritance of every child of God.”

Jesus is very clear that His followers will face hardships because of their faith. (2 Timothy 3:12). But He is also clear that the benefits of following Him are greater far than the trials. (Matthew 5:10-11)

The Original Intent

3) Why will the conqueror never be harmed by the second death? (verse 11)

Jesus’ words to the church at Smyrna end with His promise, “The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death.” (Revelation 2:11) The followers had experienced much persecution for the faith, including martyrdom, and His promise was to encourage them in the face of such hardships.

While the faithful might die for their beliefs, they would gain eternal life! (1 John 2:17)

William Barclay explains, “The second death was a Jewish rabbinic expression for the total extinction of the utterly wicked.” Jesus promised the faithful at Smyrna that they would not face the second death of eternity in Hell apart from God (Matthew 25:46) because they would spend eternity with Jesus.

The Pulpit Commentary suggests, “This second death, or death of the soul, is absolute exclusion from God, who is the Source of eternal life.” Richard Trench describes the second death as “The death in life of the lost, as contrasted with the life in death of the saved.” Those who experience the second death are doomed to live eternally without God, while those who escape the second death will live forever with God. (1 John 5:11)

This eternal, second death is reserved for those who do not know Christ, while the great reward of the Christian is never living apart from God and His good, gracious presence of love and joy!

The Everyday Application

3) Why will the conqueror never be harmed by the second death? (verse 11)

A study of African American Spirituals reveals lyrics usually reference the Bible but often have a covert meaning as well. Many of these songs point to the freedom of going “home” to Heaven, but they also tie to the Underground Railroad or escaping to a free land. (negrospirituals.com)

Yolanda Y. Smith suggests, “The Spirituals were a means of coping with the deepest despair and disappointment. Yet, the biblical message embodied in these songs inspired a sense of hope and assurance that the enslaved Africans would one day be free. […] They viewed Jesus not only as a suffering servant and friend who understood oppression but also as a conquering king who, through the power of his resurrection, could overcome even the most oppressive structures.”

The singers of these hymns understood Jesus’ message to His followers that “The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death”. (Revelation 2:11) No matter how dire the circumstances, Jesus promises that Christians will only die a physical death and not a spiritual one. “Although members of the church would experience martyrdom (the first death), they would be assured of avoiding the dreaded second death—the Lake of Fire.” (Preceptaustin.org)

We should all be warned, that those who don’t accept Jesus will pass away from earth and will live eternally apart from God (Revelation 21:8), while believers will live forever with God in Heaven. (1 John 2:25) What a blessing that no matter what we face on earth, True Believers have hope and assurance of life forever with Jesus!

Tags :

eternity,hope,life,purpose,rescue

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