@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'

Who's in Charge?

A Church led by Jesus

The first church was Jesus led. His leadership of the church began with His physical presence over 40 days following His resurrection and continued after His ascension in mystical communion. Can you imagine what it might have been like to see and hear Jesus in His resurrection body over those 40 days? We know that He taught them many things, no doubt laying the foundations of the church and the movement that was to take the message of the Cross to the world. Jesus’ salvation was not only the Rock on which the church would ever stand, but He Himself was and is the first Pastor of that church. Those who view Pentecost as the birthday of the church may see these things in a different light, but according to the Ancient Orthodox Church, the church's inception is dated to the day of Christ's resurrection rather than Pentecost. This marks the beginning of the Christian fellowship, founded upon the redemptive act of Jesus' sacrifice and His victory over death (John 20:19-23, Luke 24:36-49). Jesus is still leading His church today, but are we following? 