By destroying the first Death Star, the Rebellion dealt a severe blow to the Empire in ANH. Four years later, in ROTJ, the Rebellion faces a more massive Second Death Star.
As the fleet has amassed near Sullust to plan their attack, Mon Mothma solemnly tells those gathered, "Many Bothans died to bring us this information[about the Second Death Star]."
The Bothans were not the only ones that gave their lives to pass along vital information. Church history is filled with millions of people, martyrs, that have died sharing the Gospel.
The New Testament writers used the word martyr. In the original Greek, the word simply meant a witness. The killing of Christian martyrs over the centuries helped add the meaning of being killed for one's beliefs.
As Mon Mothma solemnly said, we could say, "Many Christians died as martyrs to bring us this information, the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
The first martyr (one killed for their faith) was the deacon Stephen in Acts 7. When we read Stephen's speech in verses 2-53, we see how he provided ample evidence of why he believed what he believed, that Jesus is the Christ.
What Stephen presented to the council would be written down and passed on to generations so that, as Romans 10:13 says, "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
People like Stephen and Paul help answer Paul's questions in Romans 10:14-15b, where he asks, "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?"
How will we be a witness today?
