在公元304年，羅馬皇帝馬克西米安（Maximian）以凱旋之姿進入尼科米底亞城。為了感謝異教神祇賜予勝利，全城的居民都遵照命令參加遊行慶祝活動，但有一群人卻特立獨行。他們都聚集在一所教堂裡，堅持敬拜獨一真神。後來，馬克西米安走進教堂，下達最後通牒：凡宣布放棄基督信仰的人，就可免受刑罰。但這些基督徒不肯妥協。馬克西米安就下令焚燒教堂，當時在教堂裡的信徒無一倖免。

使徒保羅明白跟隨基督的代價。在哥林多前書4章，保羅以自己的見證，向住在希臘哥林多城的信徒清楚指出，眾使徒為耶穌和眾信徒的緣故而受苦。他們因服事基督而「成了一臺戲，給世人和天使觀看」（9節）。

同樣地，使徒彼得提醒我們，耶穌如何替我們受苦。彼得寫道：「[耶穌]被罵不還口，受害不說威嚇的話，只將自己交託那按公義審判人的主。」（彼得前書2章23節）

時至今日，基督徒仍因信仰而受苦。尼科米底亞城的基督徒甘心為福音受苦，願我們在面對任何反對勢力時，也能像他們一樣，表明自己堅定信靠基督。我們可以把自己的生命交託給「那按公義審判人的主」。

In ad 304, the Roman emperor Maximian victoriously entered the city of Nicomedia. Parades were ordered as the city gathered to thank pagan gods for the victory—everyone except for a church full of people who worshiped only the one true God. Maximian entered the church with an ultimatum: Escape punishment by renouncing faith in Christ. They refused. All were killed when Maximian ordered the church set on fire with the believers inside.

The apostle Paul understood the cost of following Christ. In 1 Corinthians 4, he confronted the believers living in the Greek city of Corinth with his testimony. Paul stated that the apostles had suffered for Jesus and for their sake. They had been “made a spectacle to the whole universe” (v. 9) as they served Christ.

Similarly, the apostle Peter reminded us how Jesus suffered on our behalf. “When they hurled their insults at [Jesus], he did not retaliate,” wrote Peter. “When he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

Still today, believers in Jesus suffer for their faith. Like the Nicomedian believers who willingly chose to suffer for the gospel, may any opposition we face serve to reveal the strength of our faith in Christ. We can entrust our lives to the one “who judges justly.”