@FirstChurchofJerusalem
Today's Early Church Wisdom
“The professions and trades of those who are going to be accepted into the community must be examined. The nature and type of each must be established… brothel, sculptors of idols, charioteer, athlete, gladiator…give it up or be rejected. A military constable must be forbidden to kill, neither may he swear; if he is not willing to follow these instructions, he must be rejected. A proconsul or magistrate who wears the purple and governs by the sword shall give it up or be rejected. Anyone taking or already baptized who wants to become a soldier shall be sent away, for he has despised God.”
~ Hippolytus (170AD – 236AD)
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.