@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'

Repentance & Prosperity

Partners in blessing

Did you know that there is a link between repentance and godly prosperity? The Bible teaches that you are spiritually prosperous WHEN YOU ARE SORRY FOR YOUR SIN. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). The Greek word for mourn here is penthountes (πενθοῦντες). It signifies deep sorrow, not over circumstances, but over sin. When you see your sin the way God sees it, it breaks your heart. But here’s the good news: those who mourn in repentance find the comfort of forgiveness. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, draws near to broken hearts. True comfort doesn’t come from denying our sin; it comes from confessing it and receiving God’s mercy. It is a sobering fact that even the most holy souls are not conscious of every sin they commit. Only God sees the full horror of our sin. But if we do our best to recognise our sin and repent of it, He is faithful and just to forgive us all our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. What a Saviour!