King Herod wished to make good with the religious leaders, so he began arresting and persecuting Christians. He seized Peter and handed him to the jailers, planning to keep him in prison until he proved useful. At the same time he beheaded James, the brother of John.

James was the first martyr of the original disciples of Jesus.

But not the last.

The other James, the brother of Jesus, was stoned to death. Thomas was killed by spears while carrying the gospel to India. Peter himself was crucified in Rome, upside down, because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.

And so it went for the original members of Jesus’s posse. Only John survived into old age. Each of these disciples went willingly to their deaths proclaiming their faith in the resurrection and the need for everyone, everywhere, to follow Jesus. Strong evidence for the truth of the Bible’s claims.

Today, people still die for the faith. Nothing has changed in that arena. Then again, nothing has changed with Jesus, either. Join me in praying for the brave men and women around the world who, this very morning, follow Jesus in the face of severe persecution.

Acts 12 in week seventeen of reading the Bible cover to cover