Running?

[ByTheSpirit]

So much is made of standing for the faith and not be scared of persecution and yet there are examples of Paul and others hiding in order that they may not get caught. The early church used the sign of the fish to help believers identify each other. So my question is rather simple.

How do we balance the need to hide so we can continue to serve the Lord and when to stand and be bold?

 

[Aleksandros]

God's desire seems to have been that we do all that we righteously can to keep our lives - that may involve running away, hiding, etc,

Martyrdom ought never to be about seeking it actively or throwing our lives away; it must always be that the persecutors got us, which means the Lord appointed us the honor.

There is a tale from the early church of a young man who, with other men, confessed his faith on purpose to seek martyrdom.. It ended with him denying the faith.

 

[ByTheSpirit]

I did always seem to think that the idea was to evade capture whenever possible and if captured do not deny him.

 

[Aleksandros]

I think to seek martyrdom actively is essentially pride, and also less useful to God, because a man is more useful to his brethren alive and bearing fruit.

I think martyrdom at an old age, such as that Paul, Peter, Polycarp, and others suffered, after a life full of service, is the best gift of God and the ultimate fulness of Christian life.