"Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you."- Philippians 3:17
Paul, who was first a persecutor of early Christians then later called to become a messenger (apostle) of Jesus Christ (see Acts 8:1; 9:1-31), wrote the instructions above for believers in the ancient Roman city of Philippi while imprisoned for preaching about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
According to Paul's instruction, followers (disciples) of Jesus are to look at both his life and the lives of others who follow the pattern set by the apostles and disciples of Jesus as examples of how we are to live. Examples are found in the lives of men and women of faith in the Bible, in the lives of our Christian forefathers who came before us and impacted the world by their faith in Christ and in the lives of men and women who are committed to following Christ in our present day. Along with spending time with God by reading His Word (the Bible) and communing with Him through prayer, observing and following the examples of others who live in faithful obedience to God can help us to live the same way.
One example of faith from one of our Christian forefathers is Dirk Willems. Dirk Willems was an "Anabaptist" who lived in the Netherlands in the 1500's and was imprisoned for his beliefs. Anabaptist was the name given by the region's governing church to people who believed that the Bible teaches "believer's baptism" rather than infant baptism. The punishment for Anabaptists was death.
Dirk Willems had escaped from prison and the punishment of death that awaited him. He was now on the run from the pursuing prison authorities. Weighing barely 100 pounds due to the months of starvation he endured while in prison, he safely made it across a frozen lake. His pursuer was not so fortunate. Falling through the ice, the man began screaming for Dirk's help. Dirk Willems was immediately faced with a decision that could either grant him his freedom, or cost him his life. Being a follower of Christ and believing Jesus's teaching to love your enemies, he went back and saved the man from the frigid waters.
Grateful for saving his life, the prison guard was going to allow Dirk Willems to escape, but a town official who stood on the shore ordered his arrest, reminding him of the oath he had sworn as an officer of the peace.
Dirk Willems was brought back to prison and eventually burned at the stake for his faith on May 16, 1569.
Dirk Willems believed God's Word found in the Bible and lived according to his belief even though it was contrary to the culture in which he lived. The culture, though religious, did not operate according to God's ways. Dirk Willems' example of obedience to God and living counter-culture inspires and encourages us to do the same even as our culture becomes more and more Godless and hostile toward Christians and our beliefs today.
No comments:
Post a Comment