Prayer Below Ground, Persecution Above Ground
Thank you for visiting the blog today. I hope you had a very nice weekend, and would like to invite you to join us in prayer today for the persecuted church. The following is from the book Extreme Devotion, which you may purchase at our VOM bookstore.
Early Christians were known for two things: prayer below ground and persecution above ground. The whole known world was against the Christians in the Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius Antonius signed a decree in A.D. 162 naming, “Any who profess to be a Christian is worthy of the most painful death!” A period of almost four centuries of extreme secrecy began for the church. The church literally went underground, creating the Roman catacombs.
A vast network of rooms and corridors was constructed beneath Rome for the burial of the dead. Yet these became the covert cathedrals of the early church. Believers could find a place of unhindered and unguarded worship and prayer.
The catacombs show the dedication of early believers to find a place to worship Christ. The broken and burnt bones of their tombs show the intensity of the persecutions they suffered. Perhaps most significant are the secret notes of victory and peace inscribed on the walls. Despite the cruelty shown them above ground, below they decorated the walls with symbols of their faith and peace through the cross.
It is not unusual to see cryptic inscriptions such as the following on tombs: “Victorious in peace and Christ” or “Being called away, he went in peace” or “Here lies Maria, put to rest in a dream of peace.” The key to their triumph is no secret: perfect peace in Christ Jesus.
Many people keep their faith a secret their whole lives. They claim religion is a private matter—something between God and them alone. However, this was not so in the early church. Believers were so open in their faith that they were easily identified and persecuted. The Roman catacombs served as a ¬ private place for worship; however, above ground their allegiance was no secret. This is why so many of them were martyred for their faith. The consistent and open prayer below ground gave them the peace they experienced in persecution above ground. Has your faith been “underground” for the duration of your Christian life? It’s time for the secret to come out. No matter the consequences, don’t keep Christianity concealed.
