My first and chosen name is Christian. In the world I am called Carpus. You know the emperors decrees, the proconsul stated, You must worship the all-powerful gods of Rome. Therefore, I advise you to come forward and sacrifice to them. I am a Christian. I honor Christ, the Son of God, who came not long ago to save us and has delivered us from the madness of the devil. I will not sacrifice to such idols. They represent ghosts at best, demons in truth. It is impossible for me to offer sacrifices to them. You must sacrifice; Caesar has commanded it. The living do not sacrifice to the dead. Do you believe that the gods are dead? They were never men, nor did they ever live that they could die. Those who worship them are caught in a grave delusion. I have let you talk too much nonsense and now have let you blaspheme the gods and his majesty the emperor. You must stop this now, or it will be too late. You will sacrifice or you will die! I cannot sacrifice. I have never sacrificed to idols and will not start now. The proconsul ordered him to be hung up and have his skin flayed with tools of torture, as he cried out, I am a Christian! I am a Christian! I am a Christian![i]Like the proconsul in this story, the message of the Cross seems foolish to those who do not understand it. And that which they do not understand they feel they must oppose. Perhaps they fear what they cant understand. Perhaps their pride keeps them from humbly accepting Gods gospel by faith. For whatever reason, they would rather perish than trust in the message of the Cross. We must realize those who argue against Christianity often do so because they are unable to accept the truth by faith. Are you praying for those who come against the gospel? As you pray for those who persecute others, ask the Holy Spirit to help them understand the message of the Cross.[/i]
