‘Be Strong’ Hall of Fame
We serve a mighty God who loves us. When we accept that love we become filled by Him and experience His strength in our lives. Therefore, brothers and sisters, BE STRONG in the Lord! Here are a handful of those who have been strong before us.
Polycarp
Polycarp’s greatest contribution to Christianity may be his martyred death. His martyrdom stands as one of the most well documented events of antiquity. The emperors of Rome had unleashed bitter attacks against the Christians during this period, and members of the early church recorded many of the persecutions and deaths. Polycarp was arrested on the charge of being a Christian — a member of a politically dangerous cult whose rapid growth needed to be stopped. Amidst an angry mob, the Roman proconsul took pity on such a gentle old man and urged Polycarp to proclaim, “Caesar is Lord”. If only Polycarp would make this declaration and offer a small pinch of incense to Caesar’s statue he would escape torture and death. To this Polycarp responded:
Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?
Steadfast in his stand for Christ, Polycarp refused to compromise his beliefs, and thus, was burned alive at the stake.
Jesus’ Disciples
During the first century after Jesus’ death nearly all of his disciples suffered martyrdom for His sake. James the son of Zebedee was beheaded in approximately 44 A.D. Philip was crucified in 54 A.D. Matthew was killed with a halberd, an ax-like weapon, in 60 A.D. James, who is thought to be the brother of Jesus, was beaten to death, Matthias was beheaded, Andrew was crucified, Mark was torn to pieces, and Peter was crucified upside down. Jude, Bartholomew, and Thomas were also martyred. Paul suffered martyrdom in Rome where he was beheaded. Other early apostles Luke, Barnabas, Timothy, and Simon were also killed for the sake of Christ.
William Tyndale
Tyndale first translated the New Testament into English. For his act, he was tied to the stake, strangled, and his dead body then burnt. Tyndale’s final words, spoken “at the stake with a fervent zeal, and a loud voice,” were reported as:
Lord! Open the King of England’s eyes.
Read more about William Tyndale.
Mildred Cable, Eva French and Francesca French
These three women worked together for many years. They were wonderful missionaries with an inspiring story of their dedication for Christ and His great commission. From an early age Mildred wanted to be a missionary in India. However in 1902 she went to China. Eva French was already there, she had joined the China Inland Mission before the Boxer rising of 1900 in which many Christians were killed. Her sister, Francesca joined them later on. The three women worked in China for nearly twenty years, setting up schools and a rehabilitation centre for opium abusers. But they began to feel the need to take the Gospel to new areas where the missionaries had not been to.
In 1923, the three women went to Kanchow, traveling on the Silk Road and evangelizing as they went. There they trained Christians and travelled throughout the region holding tent meetings. But they knew that their destination would be the Gobi desert, a most inhospitable place with few inhabitants who were scattered throughout the area.
In 1926, they returned to England and their story caught the public imagination. Less than two years later they returned to the Gobi desert and stayed until they were forced to leave in 1936 during a time of political uprising. They had survived in a hostile environment and successfully proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the region. The three women returned to England after 36 years in China and worked for the British and Foreign Bible society for the rest of their lives.
Read more about Mildred Cable
Read more about Eva French
Read more about Francesca French
Hugh Latimer & Thomas Ridley
Latimer was a bishop who was martyred with another bishop named Thomas Ridley in 1555, over 1400 years after Polycarp. They were also burned at the stake. Before being burned, Latimer is quoted as saying to Ridley:
Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.
Read more about Hugh Latimer and Thomas Ridley.
Thomas Cranmer
Now Mary was Queen, and commanding him to return to the Roman obedience. Cranmer five times wrote a letter of submission to the Pope and to Roman Catholic doctrines, and four times he tore it up. In the end, he submitted. However, Mary was unwilling to believe that the submission was sincere, and he was ordered to be burned at Oxford on 21 March 1556. At the very end, he repudiated his final letter of submission, and announced that he died a Protestant. He said,
I have sinned, in that I signed with my hand what I did not believe with my heart. When the flames are lit, this hand shall be the first to burn.
And when the fire was lit around his feet, he leaned forward and held his right hand in the fire until it was charred to a stump.
Read more about Thomas Cranmer.
Jim Elliot
Elliot was a missionary to Ecuador. He was killed by 10 Huaorani warriors. In his journal were found these words:
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.
Katie Davis
“At the age of nineteen, Katie Davis left the upper-middle-class life to move to Uganda, start a nonprofit organization, and begin the adoption process for thirteen daughters who needed a mother. She is an inspiration and a testament to what God will do when one is willing to be used.”
