The blood of the martyrs

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church,” said church father Tertullian. He wrote this in the second century when Christians were often experiencing serious persecution for their faith. However, instead of stamping out the faith, persecution often multiplied it. This is the unfathomable, paradoxical plan of God at work. I’ve been reading a book about the history of Paris, and while I’ve never really thought about it in light of Tertullian’s quote, if his quote is true France is in for churches sprouting up all over the place. 

Let me explain. Systematic persecution of Protestant Christians began in the late 1500’s with estimates of up to 30,000 being killed for their faith in the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572. But it wasn’t just Protestants that suffered. During the French Revolution all things Christian were targeted for extermination. Church lands were confiscated and Catholic priests were forced to leave the priesthood, flee the country or be put to death. It’s hard to know how many lost their lives for faith in Christ between these few centuries.  

So, if Tertullian’s statement is to hold true, we should one day see a flourishing of churches in France. But it hasn’t happened just yet. Maybe the seed was buried deep by the Revolution. Or maybe the stony ground produced by the Enlightenment hasn’t completely broken up yet. But whatever the reason the church has been slow in sprouting, God isn’t done with France. 

Please join with us in praying that God would honor the sacrifice of those French martyrs who would rather die than deny Christ, and that from their faithful witness churches would sprout.