Nicholas asked, “What will you do now that there is no assembly?”
His uncle said, “No assembly? What makes you think that? They destroy the building where we meet, but the assembly remains. And we will continue to meet, because our Lord has called us to it.”
Over the next days, the edict cast a shadow over everything. The captains of his fishing fleet were tense. They had heard that freedmen would lose their freedom if it was found they worshiped Christus. The captains pulled him aside and one of them said, “The crewmen who do not believe in Christus, they assure us they will not turn us in, but all it takes is one.”
Nicholas said, “If they make you slaves, you would belong to me, and I will protect you.”
The captain replied, “But the men know you. If they turn us in, they will turn you in too.” Nicholas shuddered at the thought. He said, “Then we pray they do not.”
In court, he found a lawyer arguing that his client should win his lawsuit because the other man was a follower of Christus. The other man growled back, “You lie! You saw me in the temple of Artemis just yesterday. You only slander me because you cannot win your case on its merits.” Even so, it took a great deal of arguing to persuade the magistrates that the man was loyal to the gods.
None of the magistrates knew Nicholas was a believer in Christus, but he could see how he stood to lose everything if they did: his ability to represent people’s cases, his right to even be heard by the court. As an enemy of the gods, someone could sue him for all he owned and he would not be able to defend himself.
Nicholas continued to join with the assembly, though now he took care to dress in shabby, common clothes to avoid being recognized. They met in homes, changing the location from week to week. And they took great care to sing quietly. If the neighbors suspected their gathering was something more than a banquet, it would not end well. Nicholas had already heard talk in court of some caught violating the edict in another city, and they had been executed by burning. Perhaps the magistrates in Myra would be more lenient, but he doubted it.
His uncle never asked where he had hid the books of the apostles. He continued to teach on their writings, now from memory. He avoided wearing his red-fringed robe when coming and going from the assembly, though he insisted on wearing it in public at all other times. The younger Nicholas chided his uncle, “You make yourself a target for the authorities.”
His uncle replied, “There is no law against wearing a red fringe. And if someone just happens to think of Christus by looking at it, I cannot help it.”
His uncle said, “No assembly? What makes you think that? They destroy the building where we meet, but the assembly remains. And we will continue to meet, because our Lord has called us to it.”
Over the next days, the edict cast a shadow over everything. The captains of his fishing fleet were tense. They had heard that freedmen would lose their freedom if it was found they worshiped Christus. The captains pulled him aside and one of them said, “The crewmen who do not believe in Christus, they assure us they will not turn us in, but all it takes is one.”
Nicholas said, “If they make you slaves, you would belong to me, and I will protect you.”
The captain replied, “But the men know you. If they turn us in, they will turn you in too.” Nicholas shuddered at the thought. He said, “Then we pray they do not.”
In court, he found a lawyer arguing that his client should win his lawsuit because the other man was a follower of Christus. The other man growled back, “You lie! You saw me in the temple of Artemis just yesterday. You only slander me because you cannot win your case on its merits.” Even so, it took a great deal of arguing to persuade the magistrates that the man was loyal to the gods.
None of the magistrates knew Nicholas was a believer in Christus, but he could see how he stood to lose everything if they did: his ability to represent people’s cases, his right to even be heard by the court. As an enemy of the gods, someone could sue him for all he owned and he would not be able to defend himself.
Nicholas continued to join with the assembly, though now he took care to dress in shabby, common clothes to avoid being recognized. They met in homes, changing the location from week to week. And they took great care to sing quietly. If the neighbors suspected their gathering was something more than a banquet, it would not end well. Nicholas had already heard talk in court of some caught violating the edict in another city, and they had been executed by burning. Perhaps the magistrates in Myra would be more lenient, but he doubted it.
His uncle never asked where he had hid the books of the apostles. He continued to teach on their writings, now from memory. He avoided wearing his red-fringed robe when coming and going from the assembly, though he insisted on wearing it in public at all other times. The younger Nicholas chided his uncle, “You make yourself a target for the authorities.”
His uncle replied, “There is no law against wearing a red fringe. And if someone just happens to think of Christus by looking at it, I cannot help it.”
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