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  DO NOT SAVE ME FROM MARTYRDOM
  by Ignatius of Antioch
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Summary: Ignatius urges the church to allow him to be martyred, seeing
it as an opportunity to please God and attain to Him.

Topics: "Martyrdom For Christ", "Faithful Devotion"
Scripture References: Romans 12:1

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DESCRIPTION
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Ignatius of Antioch emphasizes the importance of pleasing God rather
than seeking approval from men, urging the congregation to prioritize
their devotion to God above all else. He highlights the significance of
being willing to be sacrificed for God's work and the honor that comes
with serving Him faithfully. Ignatius expresses his desire to be a
martyr for Christ, embracing the opportunity to glorify God through his
suffering and ultimate transition from the world to God.

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CONTENT
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For it is not my desire that ye should please men, but God, even as also
ye do please Him. For neither shall I ever hereafter have such an
opportunity of attaining to God; nor will ye, if ye shall now be silent,
ever be entitled to the honour of a better work.

For if ye are silent concerning me, I shall become God's; but if ye show
your love to my flesh, I shall again have to run my race.

Pray, then, do not seek to confer any greater favour upon me than that I
be sacrificed to God, while the altar is still prepared; that, being
gathered together in love, ye may sing praise to the Father, through
Christ Jesus, that God has deemed me, the bishop of Syria, worthy to be
sent for from the east unto the west, and to become a martyr in behalf
of His own precious sufferings, so as to pass from the world to God,
that I may rise again unto Him.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/ignatius-of-antioch/do-not-save-me-from-martyrdom/
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