@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'

Recognise & Resist the Tempter

Yesterday we were reminded of Jesus’ words to Satan, as He faced him down in the Judean wilderness: “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Matthew 4:10). The Greek text intensifies this truth of God’s absolute and exclusive claim upon the human heart. For the verb προσκυνήσεις (proskynēseis) means “to bow down in reverence and adoration,” while λατρεύσεις (latreuseis) refers to sacred service or worshipful devotion reserved for God alone. This clearly shows that Jesus rejected not only outward allegiance to Satan but every divided loyalty of soul and life. By quoting Deuteronomy 6:13, Christ answered deception with Scripture, demonstrating that victory over temptation flows from communion with God and submission to His Word rather than from human strength. There is only one foundation upon which we may eternally stand: the truth.