I have spent a lot of time lately reading stories of the martyrs of our faith, especially those from the times when the pages of the Bible were still being written. Some of these stories come from the pages of scripture themselves. Some are fictional retellings of those stories, or ones similar. However, regardless of the source of the story, one thing rings true for all of them; the people involved had an incredible amount of zeal.

Merriam-Webster defines zeal as an eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something. Where has the zeal gone in so many Christians today? Martyrs of our faith, both then and now, give everything, including their lives, because of the faith they hold so dearly. So many of us don’t even want to give up a lazy Sunday morning for the sake of our so-called faith, let alone a week night or entire weekend for a special event. We, and I include myself in this, fill our hours with Netflix binge watching, flipping through social media, going to kids’ sporting events, and playing video games, while at the same time  our Bibles collect dust and our churches either lose membership or have to become like those forms of entertainment in order to simply keep people coming. This should not be.

In the days of the Apostle Paul, people were literally burned alive to light the streets of Rome simply for believing in Christ. Yet, they chose to believe anyway. To them, it was worth losing everything for. Their faith was so strong that even after being forced into slavery or having the prospect of being fed to lions as entertainment in an arena, they never turned back on their faith. It is absolutely incredible to me when I think about it. If I was to get honest, it convicts me tremendously. I know there have been times in my own life that I haven’t even stood up for my faith in the company of other Christians for fear of being looked at as a “Jesus Freak” or an extremist. What a shame.

I want a real revival. Not some guy with a tent that talks funny and yells a lot. No, I want my town to be revived. I want this nation to be revived. I want to read scripture the way the ancient believers read the actual letters from the Apostle Paul. I want to hang on to every word and lock them in my mind and heart like they did. I want to be more willing to let those words impact every facet of my life. Sharper than a two edged sword. I want to know that if it cost me my very life, that I would gladly give it up. I want to be zealous like the Christians of old. My prayer is for that kind of revival to visit this nation. Let’s put more value in what we ourselves get out of our time in the Bible than what we are spoon fed by a pastor on a Sunday morning. Let’s develop a faith that mirrors that of a martyr, even in the comfort of our suburban homes.