@FirstChurchofJerusalem
Today's Early Church Wisdom
“But now inquiry is being made concerning these issues. First, can any believer enlist in the military? Second, can any soldier, even those of the rank and file or lesser grades who neither engage in pagan sacrifices nor capital punishment, be admitted into the church? No on both counts—for there is no agreement between the divine sacrament and the human sacrament, the standard of Christ and the standard of the devil, the camp of light and the camp of darkness. One soul cannot serve two masters—God and Caesar…But how will a Christian engage in war (indeed, how will a Christian even engage in military service during peacetime) without the sword, which the Lord has taken away?”
~ Tertullian (160AD – 220AD)
This week's Psalm is Psalm 31 'My Rock, My Shield, My Song'

First Things First

Vitally important as the local church is in strengthening believers and promoting the gospel, our first home must always be Christ’s mystical body, for this alone is the church to which all true believers belong by virtue of being born again into it. You and I may represent a specific local church, and that’s fine, but let us always remember that we first represent the kingdom of God, and as ambassadors of that kingdom we are faithful to share its healing life (Proverbs 13:7). The local church is not the kingdom of Light. If you don’t believe me, join one and you’ll quickly discover this! The kingdom of Heaven is. In the local church, however lovely it is, we’ll find problems. In the invisible church we’ll always find peace. Therefore, let us remain grounded there, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the Head of our mission, and the only reliable Guide to our evangelistic outreach.