Martyrs of Christ are
never buried.. they are sown....
(John 12:24)
This true story dates back to the time when North Korea and
South Korea were engaged in a big conflict. As a result Christian preachers were targeted
by the Communists. In such a tense situation a group of 40 activists kidnapped a
preacher,his wife and two children. They took them to the outskirts of the city.
They forced the preacher to deny Christ and that he will no
longer preach that Christ is Lord. But the preacher refused. They threatened him saying
that they will bury him, his wife and children alive. But the preacher did not budge. As
if to prove that they were serious, they started digging a hole right in front of them.
But they could not get a word out of him. This aroused their anger and they placed the
four of them in the hole.
Now they began playing on his emotions. " Because of
your stubbornness your innocent children are going to die in right in front of your own
eyes. Deny Christ and we shall leave you ". But the preacher did not relent. Finally
they started filling up the hole. Still the preacher remained unmoved. The hole was filled
up gradually and now the children were about to be covered. Slowly the preacher started
getting shaky. He was torn between emotions. The cries of his little children moved him.
But realizing this the preacher's wife told him, "Within a little while we shall all
be with our Lord forever.. Be bold and do not give up." These words encouraged him
and he did not relent. As a result all of them were buried alive. The news of this tragedy
shocked many. The Christians of South Korea were shaken. " Why did God allow this to
happen ?. The preacher preached about Christ . He was killed. What wrong did his wife and
children do ?" These were the questions that rent the air. The preachers were
confused and found it difficult to answer these questions. Years rolled by. This was the
time of the great revival in South Korea. This was the time when the renowned preacher
Paul Yongi Cho was the pastor of the biggest congregation in the world.
One day during the service a man rose up and told the
surprised audience that he was one among the 40 persons who buried the preacher and his
family and he proceeded to explain the details of the gory incident. He said that he was
moved by the courage and conviction of the preacher who did not deny Christ even at the
point of death. He had wanted to know who that Jesus was and in the process he had been
convicted and had accepted Christ as his Savior. Moreover all the 40 involved in that
incident had at some point in their lives been saved and were members of Paul Yongi Cho's
church. It took many years to understand why God had permitted that incident. God had used
the death of those 4 people save 40 more.
--- Martyrs of Christ are never buried.. they are sown....
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