| “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29). |
| Down through the ages since the Lord Jesus died, many Christians have suffered for the name of Christ. Sometimes it is good for us to know how some of them suffered. Back in the year 1546, a young man named George Wishart lived in Scotland, and preached the gospel. He was only 33 years old, yet he was well-known, and was much used in bringing souls to Christ. However, the Roman Catholic Church was strong at that time, and he was arrested and condemned to death for preaching doctrines contrary to the Roman church. |
| For approximately a month before he was executed he was kept in a prison (shaped like a large bottle) in St. Andrews, Scotland. The prison had a narrow neck about six feet wide (about two meters), which then opened up into a larger underground prison. He would have been let down into it by a rope. It was likely quite dark in there much of the time, and was not a nice place to be. |
| On the day when he was to be tied to a stake and burnt to death, the captain of the soldiers, who was a Christian (but who had to obey orders), asked George Wishart if he had any last wish. Wishart thought for a moment, and then said, “I would like to break bread one last time with the other Christians I know here.” The captain was able to arrange it, and one of the Christians who was there said it was a most wonderful time. George Wishart himself gave thanks for the loaf and the cup, and they all partook of it. Then a short time later Wishart laid down his life for the Lord. |
| Maybe you will never have the chance to go there, but if you go to St. Andrews, Scotland, you can see a circle drawn on the street where George Wishart was burnt to death for his faith, and you can still visit the bottle-shaped prison where he was kept. It is a solemn reminder of how difficult it was to be a true Christian back then! But the Bible says that “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). If we live for the Lord in this world, we will suffer persecution of some kind or other. We should be prepared for it. |
