--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a reward for their efforts, however…" description: "\"As a reward for their efforts, however, those early Christians were beaten, stoned to death, thrown to the lions, tortured and crucified. Every conceiv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/josh-mcdowell-4194_beaten_as-a-reward-for-their-efforts-however-th_981993.png" --- # As a reward for their efforts, however, those early… ![“As a reward for their efforts, however, those early Christians were beaten, stoned to death, thrown to the lions, tortured and crucified. Every conceivable method was used to stop them from talking.” quote by Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/josh-mcdowell-4194_beaten_as-a-reward-for-their-efforts-however-th_981993.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/josh-mcdowell-4194_beaten_as-a-reward-for-their-efforts-however-th_981993.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/josh-mcdowell-4194_beaten_as-a-reward-for-their-efforts-however-th_981993.png) > “As a reward for their efforts, however, those early Christians were beaten, stoned to death, thrown to the lions, tortured and crucified. Every conceivable method was used to stop them from talking.” [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early Christians faced extreme persecution, yet their commitment persisted, illustrating the power of conviction. **In simple terms:** Christians were brutally persecuted but stayed faithful. Key Takeaway Recognize resilience in the face of oppression. Themes persecution conviction historical martyrdom faithfulness Mood somber inspirational Type historical educational When to use this quote - church history studies - personal faith challenges - teaching perseverance Key Concepts history ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - What motivates people to endure extreme suffering for belief? - How does this history influence modern faith practice? A Different Perspective Persecution methods varied, but not all accounts are fully verified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Christians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christians/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Lions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lions/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) ## Related quotes > [“Christians have been beaten, whipped, starved, humiliated, mutilated, tortured, hung, burned at the stake, crucified, and fed to lions; yet two thousand years after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/christians-have-been-beaten-whipped-starved-humiliated-mutilated/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [You are all lions – so go your own way. Do not walk the beaten path like sheep, one after another. Do not follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-l-poonja/you-are-all-lions-so-go-your-own-way-do-not-walk-the-beaten-path-like/) [H. W. L. Poonja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-l-poonja/) > [“This means that the church, the followers of Jesus Christ, live in the bright interval between Easter and the final great consummation. Let's make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/this-means-that-the-church-the-followers-of-jesus-christ-live-in-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [The early Christians' opponents all accepted that Jesus existed, taught, had disciples, worked miracles, and was put to death on a Roman cross. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-stanton/the-early-christians-opponents-all-accepted-that-jesus-existed-taught/) Graham Stanton > [“At the time that the early Gospels were written, the Pharisees and the early Christians were competing for the hearts and minds of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-goldstein/at-the-time-that-the-early-gospels-were-written-the-pharisees-and-the/) [Phyllis Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-goldstein/) > [“In the minds of the early Christians, the people—not the architecture—constituted a sacred space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-viola/in-the-minds-of-the-early-christians-the-people-not-the-architecture/) [Frank Viola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-viola/) > [Whenever the early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being "disturbers of the peace"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/whenever-the-early-christians-entered-a-town-the-power-structure-got/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [With the early Christians you couldn't have God as your father unless you have the church as your mother. This isn't accepting the church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/with-the-early-christians-you-couldn-t-have-god-as-your-father-unless/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [The early Christian rules of life were not made to last, because the early Christians did not believe that the world itself was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-early-christian-rules-of-life-were-not-made-to-last-because-the/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The square is to us what the cross was to the early Christians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-van-doesburg/the-square-is-to-us-what-the-cross-was-to-the-early-christians/) [Theo van Doesburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-van-doesburg/) > [Beyond the earliest days of the religion, early Christians were believers because they'd been converted, not because they were witnesses to supernatural events, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-seidensticker/beyond-the-earliest-days-of-the-religion-early-christians-were/) Robert B. Seidensticker > [We need to pledge ourselves anew to the cause of Christ. We must capture the spirit of the early church. Wherever the early Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/we-need-to-pledge-ourselves-anew-to-the-cause-of-christ-we-must/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“Love was the early Christians' marketing plan and their business card was joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-ingram/love-was-the-early-christians-marketing-plan-and-their-business-card/) [Chip Ingram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-ingram/) > [The early Christians made it a part of their religion to look for his return. They looked backward to the cross and the atonement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-early-christians-made-it-a-part-of-their-religion-to-look-for-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Though they never put it in these specific terms, the early Christians’ actions and reactions indicate that they fully understood and truly believed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-presson/though-they-never-put-it-in-these-specific-terms-the-early-christians/) [Ramon Presson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-presson/) ## More by Josh McDowell > [“People naturally have questions. They always have and always will. One of the key functions of apologetics, then, is to respond to questions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/people-naturally-have-questions-they-always-have-and-always-will-one/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [Why don't the names of Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius offend people? The reason is that these others didn't claim to be God, but Jesus did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/why-don-t-the-names-of-buddha-mohammed-confucius-offend-people-the/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [I've never had anyone define purity. You probably can't define purity. Purity is to live according to original design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/i-ve-never-had-anyone-define-purity-you-probably-can-t-define-purity/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [If Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be, and He did die on a cross at a point of time in history, then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/if-jesus-christ-was-who-he-claimed-to-be-and-he-did-die-on-a-cross-at/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [The New Testament witnesses were fully aware of the background against which the resurrection took place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/the-new-testament-witnesses-were-fully-aware-of-the-background/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [One who claimed what Jesus claimed about himself couldn't be a good moral man or a prophet. 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To”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/god-placed-humans-on-a-plateau-above-the-rest-of-creation-when-he/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, and thoroughly investigating its foundation, I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/after-more-than-700-hours-of-studying-this-subject-and-thoroughly/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [Where I once constantly lost my temper, I found myself arriving at a crisis and experiencing peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/where-i-once-constantly-lost-my-temper-i-found-myself-arriving-at-a/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [We no longer live in a post-Christian society, we live in an anti-Christian society, one in which the Christian faith is dismissed or ridiculed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/we-no-longer-live-in-a-post-christian-society-we-live-in-an-anti/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [True love is spelled G-I-V-E. It is not based on what you can get, but rooted in what you can give to the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/true-love-is-spelled-g-i-v-e-it-is-not-based-on-what-you-can-get-but/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [Stephen L. Carter coined the phrase 'the culture of disbelief' to describe the prevailing hostility in Western culture toward public expressions of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/stephen-l-carter-coined-the-phrase-the-culture-of-disbelief-to/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [On that Sunday morning the first thing that impressed the people who approached the tomb was the unusual position of the one and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/on-that-sunday-morning-the-first-thing-that-impressed-the-people-who/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [What you are as a single person, you will be as a married person, only to a greater degree. Any negative character trait will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/what-you-are-as-a-single-person-you-will-be-as-a-married-person-only/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [Whenever you do judge, the only basis of judgment is not your own perspective or anything else, it's the very character and nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/whenever-you-do-judge-the-only-basis-of-judgment-is-not-your-own/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) [Explore all 113 Josh McDowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) ## More Beaten quotes > [I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-think-children-have-talent-and-insight-but-it-gets-beaten-out-of/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [It's kind of the yin and yang that fascinate me. That for all the evil men do, there are also people who work obnoxiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/it-s-kind-of-the-yin-and-yang-that-fascinate-me-that-for-all-the-evil/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [It's always a wake-up call to get beaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usain-bolt/it-s-always-a-wake-up-call-to-get-beaten/) [Usain Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usain-bolt/) > [“I felt my heart skip a beat, just one, but it was enough that I took notice. It was nice to know that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/i-felt-my-heart-skip-a-beat-just-one-but-it-was-enough-that-i-took/) [C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/) > [Class clowns are never allowed to date anybody decent, but you don't get beaten up, you're invited to parties, and everybody likes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/class-clowns-are-never-allowed-to-date-anybody-decent-but-you-don-t/) [Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/) > [I know from my own clinical work that when people are beaten and hurt, they numb out so that they cant feel anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bradshaw/i-know-from-my-own-clinical-work-that-when-people-are-beaten-and-hurt/) [John Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bradshaw/) > [You could be beaten down by anybody and by everybody and it doesn't matter what everybody else thinks it's how you see yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/you-could-be-beaten-down-by-anybody-and-by-everybody-and-it-doesn-t/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [Could beauty be beaten out, O youth the cities have sent to strike at each other's strength, it is you who have kept her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/could-beauty-be-beaten-out-o-youth-the-cities-have-sent-to-strike-at/) [Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/) > [The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfeld deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-midget-bush-and-that-rumsfeld-deserve-only-to-be-beaten-with/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [Like with every form of cancer, early detection is what it is all about. 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