@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'

The Lord Is Ever With Us

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by this dynamic of experiential relationship, when we consider that Jesus' leadership in the first church was characterised by His direct involvement and guidance, not merely after His resurrection, but also following His ascension, as He directed His church through The Holy Spirit from the Day of Pentecost. His disciples didn’t just talk with Him when He was alive and with them bodily. They continued to be led by Jesus following His triumphant resurrection from the grave and ascension into Heaven. We know that the grave could not hold Him, for Jesus was not merely a man, but the Eternal Word and Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. Jesus rose triumphant over the grave! And after His victorious resurrection, He lost no time in meeting with His disciples, instructing them in the ways of the church and commissioning them to spread the gospel (Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 1:3). Jesus still walks with us today, guiding, comforting, and strengthening all those who come to Him.