Tom Claibourne Let Me Illustrate

505 Bethlehem Road March, 2017

Winchester, Ohio 45697
Blandina

Hers has never been a recognizable name among historys martyrs, but she has emboldened
believers for centuries when they have heard her courageous story, just as she inspired the
Christians who suffered alongside her. Blandina (referred to as Saint Blandine in France) was
a young slave in the Roman Empire, but more importantly, was a willing slave of the Lord Jesus
Christ.

The Gospel of Christ was first brought to her area in the mid-second century, just a few years
before she was born, when Polycarp of Smyrna (who himself became a famous martyr) sent
Pothinus as a missionary to Gaul (now France). Pothinus established a church in Lugdunum
(now Lyon) and it began to grow.

Since the Christians did not submit to the official imperial worship, they were considered
rebellious, and thus, a threat to the emperors authority. Economic persecution soon grew into
physical violence, as mobs formed to beat, rob, or stone the believers. Christians were falsely
accused of crimes like cannibalism and incest. Some suffocated in prison. Others were chained
in a hot iron seat over burning coals.

The persecution continued to escalate, and reached its peak in A.D. 177. Entertainment was
needed at the large, local ampitheater for a holiday celebration, so since it was expensive to hire
gladiators, boxers, or wrestlers, the governor decided it would be cheaper to torture the
Christians publicly as part of the holiday entertainment. Blandina was among that group, but
only after horrible private tortures.

The other believers feared that because of her physical frailty she might not be able to remain
steadfast under duress, but both they and their abusers soon learned the depth of her faith and
courage.
 Throughout the day various tormentors took turns creating brutal inflictions of pain, hoping to
prompt a denial of her faith. However, as the day wore on, Blandina continued to proclaim I
am a Christian; no wickedness is carried on by us!

Claibourne, p2

Finally, this brave young woman was scourged & hung from a stake in the ampitheater. Wild
beasts were turned loose on her. Legend claims they would not touch her, so she was then
roasted on a red-hot grate, but continued to confess, I am a Christian; no wickedness is carried
on by us! Then she was wrapped in a net and thrown before a wild bull that rolled and gored
her. When even that did not kill her she was finally stabbed to death with a sword.

The bodies of Blandina and her fellow martyrs were left exposed for six days, then burned,
with their ashes being thrown into the Rhone River. Other Christians who had witnessed the
horrors later described the inspiration she was to them, and said her calm suffering as she hung
suspended from the stake reminded them of Jesus dying on the cross for their salvation.

The ampitheater where so many Christians were slaughtered for their faithful testimony in
A.D. 177 can still be visited today in Lyon, France. A pole has been erected in the arena as a
memorial to Blandina and the other martyrs.

Blandinas story has touched me in a personal way since my daughter and son-in-law now
live, work, and share the Gospel in Lyon, France. The Ampitheatre des Trois - Gaules sits just 3
or 4 blocks north of their apartment building.

The persecution of the followers of Jesus Christ has never been limited to a particular area of
the world, nor to a single time period of history. The New Testament warned that such would be
the case.

So as we each pray for persecuted Christians around the world, and as we prepare ourselves
and our children for the possibility of persecution in our own lives, lets be encouraged by the
faithful witness of Blandina, and by the words of Jesus Christ and the Apostle Peter:
 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of
evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for
in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:10-12

Claibourne, p3

But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed
when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed,
for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. I Peter 4:14-15

It is a privilege to proclaim, I am a Christian, especially amidst persecution and opposition.

Be strong and faithful to the end.

Priority and Perspective

Even though I can be arrested at any time, it does not bother me anymore. I have seen that
everything worthwhile for God has a price. The price of my life is insignificant compared to
what Christ did for all mankind. I used to think that God saved me to give me life and to bless
me. Everything was revolving around me, but I discovered how everything revolves around God.
I am saved for God, live for God, work for God and am willing to die for God. With this
perspective nothing else matters except God. One does not care what the price is for serving
God!
Courageous statement of faith I first heard in the 1970s while working in
Communist Eastern Europe.