Deny or Die

Imagine this:

It's a Monday afternoon.
You just stepped into the bank to settle some issues regarding your atm card.
The line is long.
You begin to feel rather annoyed.
You stand in the line, took out your handphone and fiddle with it while waiting to take another step to the front.
All of a sudden, you heard a loud bang and the next thing you knew, everyone was screaming. Your greatest nightmare had just begun.
It's a robbery, or so you think.
One of the culprit walks up to you with a gun in his hand.
He shouts some curse words at you when he saw the cross you're wearing around your neck.
He pushes you to the ground.
By now, you're all shaken up.
Shocked beyond the point of not reacting in tears nor in fear.
You feel the metallic object of the gun pressed against your forehead.
He's pushing it hard against your temple.
Then he shouted in rage, almost to the point of insanity -

"Deny Him! Deny Him! Deny or Die!!!"

Renounce Christ or die.
What would you do or say?

"Deny or die".

*****************

Now, let's step back into reality.
If you've been a Christian for most part of your life, I'm pretty sure you've thought about the scenario above at some point of your life.
I have.
Thing is, I never could bring myself to answer the question.
I'm scared to answer.

Recently, I've been mulling over this issue again.
I've heard and read the lives of many great men of God - missionaries, evangelists, leaders, etc - who served Him in every way possible, and yet die in the process.
In fact, my Connect Group has been discussing issues pertaining to such events.
We read the lives of people like Hugh Latimer & Nicholas Ridley, people who died standing up for their beliefs, for their faith.
It discomforts me even more to read how Ridley died.
He didn't have a very peaceful death.
Imaginatively disturbing I must say.
And every single time I come across such biographies, at the end of it, I can't help but to asks how did they do it.
Pondering about it either burns me in passion or burns me into ashes of depression.

Flipping through the pages of the bible, characters like Daniel and his band of brothers and Esther are just a handful who displayed tremendous courage in the face of a certain death. Similar to the situation above, only much more intense, Daniel's three friends were put to the ultimate test when the King of Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar, demanded them to bow down to the image of gold, an idol, which he had set up for everyone to worship.
Instead of going down on their knees to worship this "god", they replied to the most powerful king of that period,

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Daniel 3: 16-18

"But even if he does not... we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" - This proves that they themselves weren't sure if God was going to deliver them out of the clutches of that evil king yet, they held firmly to what they believed in.
Probably fearful but unshaken.

You think only men display such zealousness in spirit?

Women stood out as well.
Esther, the orphaned Jew who became queen to the powerful King Ahasuerus, similarly faced her own test of faith.
At the crossroad of loosing her life for the sake of saving her people, she sent word to her uncle saying,

"“Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me;
neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day.
My maids and I will fast likewise.
And so I will go to the king, which is against the law;
and if I perish, I perish!”
Esther 4:16

You see, back then it was a royal law that anyone who approached the king without being called would be put to death, unless the king lifted his golden scepter.
Notwithstanding this fact, she took the risk because she knew her people's lives were at stake. Like I said, it either burns one in passion or burns one into ashes of depression.
"If I perish, I perish" - I find this to be a very bold statement because it shows that Esther did not know what the outcome would be for her or for her people.

How would you react if ever such scenario should happen?
Deny or die?
I'm fearful to say I'll "die" because I always believe it's easier said than done.
Simon Peter, one of Jesus's most loyal disciples, said he wouldn't deny Him.
Claiming even that he was "ready to go with you to prison and to death" (Luke 22: 33).
But he end up denying Christ 3 times in a single night.
If a person who had a first hand relationship with Christ and yet denied him 3 times in one night, dare I say "Yes, I'll die for Christ"?
Having said that, I know my place in Him.
He has proven to be real so many times in my life and part of me knows I'm willing to die.

Now, back to the scenario;

What would you say to the robber as he press his gun hard against your forehead?
You can hear people screaming around you.
You can smell fear lurking and preying on everyone like a hungry ghost.
In all its chaos, you can hear him slowly pulling the trigger.
He stops half-way with the trigger and asks you for possibly the last time,

"Deny or die?"