@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'

Six Helpful Outreach Insights

In our current series of reflections, we are looking at spiritual and psychological insights that may help us become more effective in sharing the good news of the Gospel in the Last Days. We start today by summarising six helpful components of an effective outreach strategy. These are not in any particular order, but are simply characteristics that many have found helpful, and for which there is support from both psychological research and theological reflection. Knowing them will give you an edge, not merely in reaching out to others with the Gospel, but also in all your social interactions and in building relationships with people in your life.  They are: (1) Make friends; (2) Be trustworthy; (3) Empathise; (4) Respond helpfully to personal conflicts, crises, and pain: (5) Present a simple but meaningful argument; (6) Be credible. Take a moment now to think about these six components of effective outreach. How would you rate yourself on each?