Recalling my visit to El Djem’s Amphitheather of Thysdrus (Tunisia) in the light of the recent murder of the “Mother Emmanuel Nine” in America’s oldest southern African-American congregation (Charleston, SC) last week, 
I realize that those nine dear saints were martyred for their faith, just like those who were martyred at the Amphitheater of Thysdrus almost 2,000 years ago. 
We visited El Djem on a quiet Monday morning under peaceful blue skies 
hemmed by brilliant bougainvillea. 
That morning I felt a sense of sacred awe, like I was standing on holy ground, 
and indeed…I was. 
To me, the Amphitheater of Thysdrus is a monument to faith, 
although it is also a morgue. 
El Djem’s Thysdrus Amphitheater is a UNESCO World Heritage Site 
and the third largest amphitheater in the Roman Empire. 
It’s colossal structure that was capable of seating 35,000 
and was home to chariot races and gladiator shows. 
But, the most remarkable thing to me as a believer is knowing that hundreds— 
perhaps thousands—of Christians met their death in this arena for refusing 
to deny their faith in Christ as the Savior that God the Father sent into this world to die in our place so that we can be forgiven for our sins and reconciled to God. 
Two of the most famous martyrs were young women in their early twenties
—Perpetua and Felicity— who died in 203 A.D. 
Strangely enough, even though the executions were intended as entertainment, 
some of the spectators were so inspired by the martyrs’ steadfast faith that they became converts, and a century later,
Constantine decriminalized Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. 
I’ve done a lot of soul-searching in the last few weeks, 
and I’d like to encourage you to do the same. 
What do you believe? 
Would you be willing to die for your faith so that others might live?
I think the Mother Emmanuel Nine would say, “Yes.”
Would we?
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
Summer Setting 