The 12 apostles of Jesus were ordinary men who were like us in many ways. After the death of Christ, these men were like sheep without a shepherd. They were persecuted and thrown into prisons for identifying with Christ and almost all of them died tragically.

Simon Peter, who was a fisherman when Christ called him and upgraded him to a fisher of men, was the leader of the apostles after the death of Christ. He devoted his life to preaching the Gospel and settled in Rome. Peter did a lot for Christ’s Kingdom until Emperor Nero rose to power and put him, and many other Christians, to death. Others like James the brother of John, were executed by King Herod (Acts 12:1-5). The same fate was suffered by others like Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, and others.

Why did God allow these men with outstanding testimonies and devotion to the ministry of Christ to suffer the way they did? Some preachers and theologians believe Christians who serve God faithfully should not lack anything good and should be free from suffering and tragedy altogether. But the stories of the persecution and tragic deaths of the 12 apostles demonstrate the complete opposite.

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Christians should embrace the reality of the Christian faith and learn the lessons in God's plan and purpose for us. In my opinion, martyrdom is the greatest privilege and honor that God offers to those who have gone the extra mile in their service to Him. The crown of life has been prepared by Him for those who lose their lives for His sake and His Gospel.

Every Christian should soberly reflect on why God Almighty would allow His devoted followers to be crucified or beheaded. God has the power to defend them and save them from the hands of their killers but allowed them to die tragically because it was His will for them to die that way. There must be eternal benefits that God alone understands, and we really need to accept them and learn what God is teaching us through such terrible experiences.

Many of today's Christians question God when they encounter difficulties and hardship, but these heroes of faith counted it all joy to die for the sake of Christ and His Gospel. If biblical Christianity is the same as the one we profess today, then we should be ready to have our lives be a testimony to Christ’s grace and power. No one should pray to be persecuted or crucified but we should not shy away or avoid it when it becomes necessary.

Fear of being killed or persecuted has hindered the spread of the Gospel greatly as many Christians are now finding it difficult to openly talk about Christ. If the apostles were afraid to preach Christ, the way that we are today, it is obvious that many of us would not have heard about Christ. The reason why we are Christians is to witness Christ to the dying world.

We should always remember that some people died to bring Christ to us, and it is not a big deal if we sacrifice everything so that others can be saved.