Jesus was in Galilee, where he performed many miracles, including the multiplication of the loaves and fish, feeding a crowd of four thousand men, besides women and children.
He went out, and went to the territory of Magdala and then to Caesarea Philippi, always accompanied by a crowd.
Once there, though as God already knew what they thought of it, however, as a man, he asked his disciples what it thought men. The disciples said: Some think the Lord is John the Baptist, others Elijah the prophet and there are still others who believe that the Lord Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
Jesus shifts the focus of the question, and addressing the disciples said to them, and what you say that I am ?.
Simon Peter, as always the most intrepid of the disciples, he said to the others and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Jesus knew that the crowd, most of them, followed by the bread they ate by him multiplied. But what most interested Jesus was to make sure that those who had chosen to be part of the twelve, not followed him interest, but because it was revealed to them that Jesus is the Son of God.
Possibly Peter to speak on behalf of his fellow confessing that Jesus is the Son of God, I had no idea how much this would cost confession. None of the disciples could imagine they would pay with their lives the fact so think about Jesus.
After the crucifixion of Jesus and his ascent to the heavens unleashed was a great persecution against the disciples and other followers of Jesus. The order of Rome was to end all those who confess Jesus the Son of God.
Of the twelve disciples, except for Judas Iscariot, who committed suicide unable to bear the guilt of having betrayed the Son of God, all the others had a painful and difficult road ahead.
The historian of the Church in the first century Irenaeus said that "the blood of martyrs (Jesus' disciples) was the seed of the Church". Does it worth it ?.
Look at the price they paid for having confessed, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God !:
Peter, the brave student, ended his days crucified by order of the Roman Emperor. To be extended on the cross asked his executioners to be crucified upside down because it was not worthy to die as his Lord, head up. And so it was done.
Andrew was crucified on a cross-shaped X in Greece. The flag of Scotland is the figure of this cross, which is the cross of "St. Andrew", considered the patron of that nation.
James the brother of John, as Luke tells us in the book of Acts, was martyred in Jerusalem because of the persecution of Herod Agrippa, around the year 40 after Christ. Jerusalem has played an important role in the new community. Spain is known as "Santiago" and a tradition has him after the resurrection of Jesus was to preach the gospel there. In addition, it is said that after the martyrdom by stoning, the remains were taken to Spain, where his tomb.
Philip was in charge of evangelizing Samaria and Caesarea. As to his death, historians know very little, however, some say died in Hierapolis, crucified and stoned, but other traditions say he was arrested and tortured to death in Phrygia, modern Turkey.
Bartholomew the Apostle's friend John, who asks: Did someone come that provides Nazareth ?. His death, it is said that he was martyred, and his skin was taken, probably in Syria.
Thomas is the apostle who does not believe in the resurrection of Jesus, you want to touch the Risen Christ. But it is also the one who says,. We die with Him became one of the most active preachers in eastern Syria. He died in India by spears of local soldiers.
Matthew, the former tax collector, tax collector, was reportedly stabbed in Ethiopia, according to tradition.
Simon, they say, was killed with an ax by the crowd instigated by pagan priests and authorities after denying sacrifice to the sun god in Persia. This would also have been the fate of Judas Tadeu.
Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot, according to tradition, preaching followed by Syria with Andrew. It would have been executed at the stake.
Luke, whose gospel bearing his name, would also have been the author of the book of Acts. It would have been hanged on a tree in Greece.
Paul, formerly Saul of Tarsus, persecutor of Christians converted to one of the greatest evangelists in history, it would have been beheaded in Rome.
John the brother of James, was possibly the only disciple to have natural death. Also, he was arrested and exiled to Patmos Island by order of the Emperor Domitian in the year 89 AD. According to legend the Roman emperor put him in a boiling oil bucket, and miraculously he survived and died over a hundred years. He was given writing the Apocalypse, the Book of Revelation.
But do not stop there. The persecution against the followers of Jesus continued through the centuries ahead, relentlessly. In the streets of Rome the bloodthirsty Emperor Nero sent his soldiers to bind Christians on poles, anointing them with oil, ignited fire them, serving them in a luminary in the dark and macabre night of the empire.
Thousands of Christians have had their heads rolling down dusty roads of Rome, by not denying the Lord Jesus.
The answer that Peter gave Jesus on that special day took all followers of the Master to a deadly pursuit, through the centuries, until today, this because Hell structures collapsed at that time.
More than two thousand years, redo the question of the historian: Is it worth it?
In a very recent past, in 1945, when communism came in Romania, a missionary, was arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison of which was 14 years in prison. In prison he suffered all kinds of torture to deny the name of Jesus. One day, he took his son, still a teenager, to the prison, brought the missionary and proposed him to let his son stay alive as long as, at the time, denied Jesus. The missionary's son in a loud voice: Father, do not do it; do not deny the name of Jesus Christ; if they kill me, I will be with him very soon, but do not make me feel ashamed to have had a cowardly father.
Account the pastor, who only heard the child's cries repeated saying not deny Jesus. The soldiers took him and killed him. The underground Church continued sustained by the blood of martyrs.
It is not without reason that the missionary was and is one of the most respected names evangelicals in the country and the world.
Again I ask: Is it worth it?
And I, how would you respond to Jesus' question, knowing now everything that happened those brave brothers who resisted and did not deny your faith?
You are the Christ the Son of the living God?
I would have such courage?
I have said several times that the gospel preached today is very easy to be accepted, therefore, preachers, mostly deliver him a package solution for bringing all kinds of problems you might have.
I do not doubt even a little of God's power and the possibility that he has to help us in difficult times. But the proposal of Jesus is preaching a gospel to cross your acceptance designs you to eternal life. You can even enjoy the security and peace that makes sense, but do not count that will have no problems at all. The salvation of his soul was and is the biggest target has been achieved by Jesus upon the cross cried out, you are finished! Transliterating to our understanding, overcome the devil and I have the authority to ensure the salvation of your soul, if you will receive my sacrifice. It was for you that I died and so I can save you.
And now, after learning all that is written above, what is your decision?
Jesus made a single promise can reassure you about the decision to be made: "And whosoever leave home, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or property, to follow Me, shall receive an hundredfold times, and have eternal life. " Mark, in his gospel teaches that even in this life there are advantages to renounce pleasures, social relationships and rewards the world for Christ and His kingdom - peace of mind and new and better friends, for example. But the greatest reward will live with Jesus forever.
In closing this chapter, I answer the question of Irenaeus historian: Yes, it was worth the sacrifice of thousands of brothers, because otherwise today we would not have the opportunity to meet Jesus.! Yes, it was worth and still paying off following Jesus, even if they are the difficulties, problems, malicious attacks and that over worst happens. Jesus' promise of one day to be with Him in eternity is much better and bigger than any other offer that may make us.
The Church of today could well fail to deliver cars, houses, money in the bank accounts deleted on the computer, and other advantages more and to adhere to only preach this gospel that's so simple, is being made-up with accompanying earthly promises as attractive. Jesus did not ask us to preach that way. We did not ask us to act that way. No, absolutely not. The gospel that He commanded us to preach the gospel of the Cross.
Worth following Jesus even if they do not offer anything but a cross!
Think about it!
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