@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'

The Call to Share the Gospel

How would you rate yourself on sharing the Gospel with others? Jesus commanded us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), but even though we commit to doing this, we may face challenges in practice, as we look for the best ways to do this in our culture. This is where we can benefit from practical advice that is informed by cultural awareness, Biblical principles, and psychological insights. Many believers long to become more effective in sharing the Gospel and are keen to learn from both scripture and other relevant sources. Some of us believe that there are valuable insights we may learn from several fields, and in particular the scientific study of psychology, principles and ideas that may make our personal outreach more effective. Over the coming weeks our meditations will focus on such insights, but we begin here with a renewed commitment to share our faith with others, starting today.