How did early church believers respond to horrible persecution?
Early church believers endured horrible persecutions without flinching, for the most part refusing to renounce their faith even when tortured. They did not accept deliverance that could have come by renouncing their faith. Instead, they went to their deaths singing hymns, just as Paul and Silas did in Philippi.
Les explains that early church believers went through horrible persecutions but never flinched, though once in a while one would. They were tested and could have escaped by simply renouncing their faith, but they did not. The context connects this to Hebrews 11:34–35, where some quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, waxed valiant in fight, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens, while others were tortured and did not accept deliverance. Les also references Fox's Book of Martyrs and notes that these believers went to their death singing hymns, just like Paul and Silas back in Philippi.