Michael Koelling: Martyrs Compromise

Martyr-from the Greek word for "witness."
1. One who chooses to suffer death rather than to deny Jesus Christ or His work.
2. One who bears testimony to the truth of what he has seen or heard or knows, as in a witness in a court of justice.
3. One who sacrifices something very important to further the Kingdom of God.
4. One who endures severe or constant suffering for their Christian witness.
The world is not worthy of those scorned, persecuted Christians, whom their persecutors deemed unworthy to live.

They are not worthy of their company, example, counsel, or other benefits.
For they know not what a Christian is, nor the worth of a Christian, they hate, and drive them away, as they do the offer of Christ and His grace.

Illustrate Here: End of the spear video clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9rXISqwEKM

Nate Saint's last words to the Waodani we're "I am your friend, your sincere friend."
These brave missionaries dared to make contact and this encounter cost them their lives.
In 1956, five American missionaries were killed by members of an Ecuadoran tribe called the Waodani. The Americans had been trying to penetrate the tribe's isolated culture, befriend its members, and bring them to Christ, but instead met their deaths at the hands of the Waodani's spears. That was only the beginning. In a decision that would have been unimaginable to most people, the wives and children of the murdered missionaries moved into the Waodani village and helped to care for them, successfully forging a friendship that transformed all of them.
Released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the murders, the film "End of the Spear" tells the story of Steve Saint--whose father was one of the murdered missionaries and whose mother and aunt lived with the Waodani--and Mincaye, the man who killed Saint's father. Mincaye is now a surrogate grandfather to Steve Saint's children the grandchildren of the man he killed.

Revelation 17:6 (NLT)
"I could see that she was drunk-drunk with the blood of God's holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement."
3. She was drunk with the blood of the martyrs.

Drunk meaning she had too much.
Intoxicated with 1 of 2 things.
Generally speaking when someone is drunk that is a negative connotation meaning they have had too much of a negative thing that affects their body in a negative manner.

2. Affected by alcohol to the extent of losing control of one's faculties or behavior.
1. We have given her way too much.
2. Way too much weakness.
3. She is intoxicated with our lack.
4. She is intoxicated with our problems.
5. She is intoxicated with our unawareness.
6. She is intoxicated with our impurity.
7. She is intoxicated with our inconsistency.
8. She is intoxicated with our passionless motives.
9. She is intoxicated with our laziness.
10. She is intoxicated with our prayer less lives.
11. She is intoxicated with our disabled discipleship.
12. She is intoxicated with our...silence.

5. If the same is true in the areas of negativity then the same can be true in the areas of positivity.

She is drunk with the purity of the believers before God and men.
She is intoxicated with our passion in worship for God and in our service to Him.
She is intoxicated with our refusal for less.
She is intoxicated with our prayer life and our communication to God.
She is intoxicated with our ability to disciple in the face of adversary.
She is intoxicated with our pursuit of God, His Word, our hunger to fast, and our generosity in giving.
She is intoxicated with our genuine love and acceptance for people.

1. People who don't look like us, smell like us, act like us or believe like us and how we so desire to reach them for God.
2. God's revolutionaries on the earth have always been marked by their refusal to kneel to injustice or silence the truth for the sake of convenience, being accepted by the crowd, or personal gain.

She is intoxicated with our communication to others about God. Our silence is over!

Matthew 10:32-33 (NLT) "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. [33] But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven."

Compromise-To compromise is to make a deal where one person gives up part of his or her demand. Synonyms: accommodation, concession, give-and-take, negotiation.

• A mutual acceptance of terms a "surrender" of objectives, principles, or material, in the process of negotiating an agreement.

• An agreement that no party is happy with, because the parties involved feel that they either gave away too much or that they received too little.

• Compromise is actually two words co & promise.

• You either stand on the promise, that you made or you compromise.

• When you compromise you make a deal with the devil himself.

• When you choose to co promise you think you are choosing the lesser of the two evils but compromise will never lead you closer to God.

• It will always push you, guide you, lure you, drive you toward more compromise.

• Co promise is the vernacular of Hell.

Stephen the uncompromising Martyr.

Acts 7:51-60 (NLT) "You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you! [52] Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One-the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. [53] You deliberately disobeyed God's law, even though you received it from the hands of angels." [54] The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen's accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. [55] But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hand. [56] And he told them, "Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand!" [57] Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him [58] and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. [59] As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." [60] He fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't charge them with this sin!" And with that, he died."

• Saul was so enraged with compromise that the scripture says:

Acts 9:1-2 (NLT) "Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord's followers. So he went to the high priest. [2] He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them-both men and women-back to Jerusalem in chains."

• Saul desired to kill, he had a hunger to do more of what he witnessed.
• Blood thirsty for vengeance, for compromise, for hate, for silence against "The Way."
• He represents a form of the Devil that we contend with daily, even momentarily.
• Daily trying to get us to quit, daily trying to get us compromise, daily trying to get us to be casual about our Christianity.
• Refuse casual. Refuse to co promise.
• Refuse everything but the Truth.
• Refuse silence.
• Jesus didn't take the discount He paid the full price.