DC Talk - Jesus Freaks: Martyrs: Stories of Those Who Stood for Jesus: The Ultimate Jesus Freaks

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS MARKED AMP ARE TAKEN FROM THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE. OLD TESTAMENT COPYRIGHT 1965, 1987 BY ZONDERVAN CORPORATION, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN. NEW TESTAMENT COPYRIGHT 1958, 1987 BY THE LOCKMAN FOUNDATION, LA HABRA, CALIFORNIA. USED BY PERMISSION.

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS MARKED CEV ARE FROM THE CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION, OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT, COPYRIGHT THE AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY 1995. USED BY PERMISSION.

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS MARKED NAS ARE TAKEN FROM THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. COPYRIGHT THE LOCKMAN FOUNDATION 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. USED BY PERMISSION.

WWW.LOCKMAN.ORG

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS MARKED NCV ARE TAKEN FROM THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW CENTURY VERSION, COPYRIGHT 1987, 1988, 1991 BY WORD PUBLISHING, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 37214. USED BY PERMISSION.

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS MARKED NIV ARE TAKEN FROM THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. COPYRIGHT 1973, 1978, 1984, BY BIBLICA, INC. USED BY PERMISSION OF ZONDERVAN PUBLISHING HOUSE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE.
WWW.ZONDERVAN.COM

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS MARKED NKJV ARE TAKEN FROM THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION OF THE BIBLE. COPYRIGHT 1979, 1980, 1982 BY THOMAS NELSON, INC. USED BY PERMISSION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS MARKED NLT ARE FROM THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIVING TRANSLATION, COPYRIGHT 1996. USED BY PERMISSION OF TYNDALE HOUSE PUBLISHING, INC., WHEATON, ILLINOIS, 60189. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS MARKED THE MESSAGE ARE FROM THE MESSAGE, COPYRIGHT BY EUGENE H. PERTERSON, 1993, 1994, 1995. USED BY PERMISSION OF NAVPRESS PUBLISHING GROUP.

The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.

Jesus Freaks: Martyrs

Stories of Those Who Stood for Jesus: The Ultimate Jesus Freaks
ISBN: 978-1-4412-6004-8
COPYRIGHT 1999 BY BETHANY HOUSE PUBLISHERS
11400 HAMPSHIRE AVE. S. / BLOOMINGTON, MN 55438
WWW.BETHANYHOUSE.COM

Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS, INC. AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART IN ANY FORM WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS, INC. USED BY PERMISSION.

EBOOK EDITION CREATED 2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW. CONTENTS AND/OR COVER MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR PART IN ANY FORM WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHER. THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS BRIEF QUOTATIONS IN PRINTED REVIEWS.

DESIGN BY THURBER CREATIVE SERVICES, TULSA, OKLAHOMA

OVER 1.4 MILLION IN PRINT

Contents

A Message from Toby McKeehan

Galileo. DaVinci. William Shakespeare. Martin Luther. John the Baptist. These are the strange ones who challenged society with a different way of thinking. They were the rebels and heretics of their day. But if history is told correctly, no man has caused the worldwide stir that Jesus Christ did 2000 years ago. So many people today portray Jesus as weak, the out-of-date artifact hanging on a church wall or in a stained-glass window hoping for a brighter day. But Jesus was the non-conformist of all time. He took the conventions of religion, tradition, and love and turned them upside down. He faced the political and religious leaders of His day and spoke truths they had never heard before. He walked in our world as the human voice of God .

When I think of the boldest leaders and thinkers of our world, I believe Jesus stood above them all. He changed everything, and, by sacrificing His life, He changed the way I look at my fellowman. He is the one true reason I have a relationship with God. The more I learn about Him, the more I am drawn to Him and His ways. In a world that consists of fake lives and false promises, Jesus is authentic, and He died on the cross to prove it.

Real faith in Jesus seems to make people uncomfortable. Even in the open minded artistic world, lyrics about faith in Jesus can be considered offensive. I guess thats what the world calls a Freak someone who commits to something wholeheartedly, without apology or compromise.

When our days on this planet are done, what will we be remembered for? That we had a nice car? That we made lots of money or became famous? Sometimes I have to struggle to keep my eyes set on the things of God rather than the things of man. But no matter how much I stumble, Gods love is constant and its His love that gives me the strength to stand up for Him.

For some, standing up for Jesus actually means dying for Him. In John 15:13 NIV Jesus says, Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Thats why we decided to title this book about martyrs Jesus Freaks . In its pages you will read story after story about those who would not compromise or apologize for their faith in Jesus Christ, even if it meant going to prison, being tortured, or facing death. These are the people who are changing our world by refusing to lay aside their relationship with Jesus for the mere sake of being accepted by the crowd. Such Freaks are the visionaries of our day.

My hope is that through their stories you will desire to know more about the man Jesus who has inspired such strength and courage for thousands of years.

A Message from Michael Tait

What will people think? Thats the phrase that crept up on all of us when the album Jesus Freak was coming together. That phrase crystallizes our fear of being different. Everyone has this need to be a part of something, to be included. The very nature of Jesus Freaks is to thrust away from the mob mentality, away from the things that society tells us to care about. And that can be scary. What will people think if Im different? What will they think if my opinion is weird? Who will like me if I stand out? But every time I stand back and look at the bigger picture, I see a little of what God sees. I see the potential to make a difference. And I get the courage to break away from the crowd .

When you open up this book you will learn about some of the biggest Jesus Freaks of all time: those who stood out from the crowd enough to be called martyrs. If Jesus was willing to give His life for me, and if these people, these martyrs, were willing to give up their lives for Him, how much does it take for me to truly dedicate my days on earth to Him?