@FirstChurchofJerusalem
Today's Early Church Wisdom
“I shall not hesitate also to put into ordered form for you, along with the interpretations, everything I learned carefully in the past from the elders and noted down carefully, for the truth of which I vouch. For unlike most people, I took no pleasure in those who told many different stories, but only in those who taught the truth. Nor did I take pleasure in those who reported their memory of someone else’s commandments, but only in those who reported their memory of the commandments given by the Lord to the faith and proceeding from the Truth itself. And if by chance anyone who had been in attendance on the elders arrived, I made enquiries about the words of the elders—what Andrew or Peter had said, or Philip or Thomas or James or John or Matthew or any other of the Lord’s disciples, and whatever Aristion and John the Elder, the Lord’s disciples, were saying. For I did not think that information from the books would profit me as much as information from a living and surviving voice.
~ Papias of Hierapolis (c. 60–130 AD) From the Preface to his lost ‘Expositions of the Sayings of the Lord’
This week's Psalm is Psalm 31 'My Rock, My Shield, My Song'

A Journey of Rediscovery

Recovering what has been lost

Many today are not aware that the full spiritual, psychological, and social riches buried in the life of the first church are available for the contemporary church. Some have glimpsed it, and have even tried to rediscover it, but with some notable exceptions, existing cultural and organisational structures have frustrated the renaissance. New wine will always require new wineskins, and wherever disciples choose new skins, this community of Agape love will once again arise from the ashes. By rediscovering and applying the principles of the earliest Christian community, believers today can reconnect with the foundational aspects of their faith, and we may confidently expect to see a revival of the life of the church. As contemporary Christians seek to return to their roots, the unique life and benefits of home-based churches can become a reality once more. The driving force of love that characterised the Jerusalem church waits to be released again. It will always remain relevant and inspiring, guiding believers towards a life of oneness in Jesus’ love, selfless acts of compassion, and the peace of profound friendship and fellowship.