And he said unto Him, Lord, I am ready go with thee, both into prison and to death. Luke 22:33
On September 3, 2015, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis was taken into custody by U.S. marshals, and incarcerated in the Carter County Detention Center in Grayson, Kentucky. Judge David L. Bunning of United States District Court ordered her jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The judge failed to take into consideration that when Davis took her oath of office on January 5, 2015, same-sex marriages were not legal in the state of Kentucky. Legality for sodomite marriages came about as a result of a ruling by the US Supreme Court on June 26, 2015. The judge’s ruling not only sent Davis to jail but also upheld the ‘right’ of homosexuals and lesbians to openly persecute Christians for refusing to agree with and promote their abominable lifestyle. When the courts ruled against her, Davis declared, ‘I never imagined a day like this would come, where I would be asked to violate a central teaching of Scripture and of Jesus Himself regarding marriage. To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God’s definition of marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience.’ As the United States, and Canada too, descend deeper into gross immorality, Davis is going to have some company behind bars.
The words of Peter in our text are bold, and we know that within a few hours, he would abandon them, along with the rest of the disciples. However, when we consider what happened after the cross, after the resurrection, after Pentecost, we realize that Peter’s words were true. He and most if not all of the disciples were imprisoned at one time or another. And all but John were martyred for their willingness to go into prison and death for their Lord. And they were not alone. As the centuries rolled along, history records but a few of the untold millions who were willing to die in compliance with our text. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs records some of their stories. Others are lost to all human records, and are known only to the Lord for Whom they died. We are aware – but not as aware as we should be – of those who are suffering and dying as Christians in Muslim, Communist, and Hindu lands during our own day. Before you finish reading this message, several dear brothers and sisters in Christ will have earned their Martyr’s crowns. Nobody is dying for their faith in our Western world, at least not yet, but some are going to jail.
Would you be willing to go to jail before you give up your Bible? Would you be willing to pay a hefty fine because of the Christians who you spend time with? These are not idle questions. As their power grows and their cruelty deepens, the gay movement has its sights set on the Bible and on all who believe it and practice its teachings. They are already working on drafting laws that will ban Bibles from public sale and from public view. They are already campaigning heavily to have those who believe and practice the Bible labelled as dangerous social misfits. The Lord will surely visit our lands in judgment; otherwise He owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology. And He will also shortly come and take His own people out of this world. That may not occur before you and I are called upon to pay a steep price for our faith. Are we ready to do so? -Jim MacIntosh