so the early church suffered much persecution under the early roman empire before Constantine,
we should appreciate that their test of faith was so intense for it spread fourth the Gospel to much further lands and proved its reality of Christ to help us in times of desperation
1) "Educated men had become followers of Christ and were willing to confess his name openly. They stregthed the faith of the simpler Christians and helped them to answer their critics and persecutores. Not least, the enabled us in our day to understand what the church of another time endured, to appreciate freedom of religion where we have it, and to learn that sufering for Christ's sake is not a new thing in this world" - pg 52 on Persecution in the Empire
Thank God we dont face that hard a persecution now to believe in something
the world is moving to a more 'liberal i dont care'.. thus the grave danger ahead is not 'what religion you hold?' but 'do you hold any believe in God at all?' ... and also false teaching within a church is more likely to be destructive than outside influences.. thats why interpreting the Bible cannot be done simply
the advancement of technology and a flood of ridiculous information has brought this upon us... there is wayy to much things to read, so be selective... find out what you want to focus on in life and read the articles and journals that matter
2) an unhealthy desire for martyrdom, Hermas' Shepard teaching on baptism and how it removes sins, an improper emphasis on good works, wrong allegories "In making these criticisms of the Apostolic Fathers, it is necessary to remember something that is easily forgotten. They stood at the beginning of the histor of the church and therefore at the beginning of theological thought. they did not stand where we stand today, with the help of nineteen centuries of reflection on God's Word" -pg 35
the early church developed sound doctrine and theological truths that weren't existing in the starting years after Christ ascension... stuff about who Jesus was, what the Trinity is, defenses against false doctrine
appreciate what was laid out in the foundations and beginnings... though we might not know everything that our ansestors had to put up with, they did most of the hard work in making sure we got the right stuff in this age... no longer do we need to be ambiguous, or work hard to set the foundations again (for it has already been done by them)... instead, we can focus our efforts and energies onto greater task ahead, building on the existing structures set up... on the most solid foundation ever available, Christ the solid Rock
3) "the multiplication of holy days, the veneration of the saints, martyrs, and relics, and the value attached to the pilgrimages and the holy places often pushed truly spiritual concerns into the background" -pg 142
is going to church what i seek for? is the amount of time that i spend in the 'house of God' a measure of my holiness... what does it mean to seek first His Kingdom... is it to do more ministries, go for more mission trips... make or obtain more 'Holy Relics' like flags, banners, wood chips of the Cross, pieces, and body parts of saints? ... sigh..
when will we stop chasing the signs and instead chase God
its the relationship with Him that matters
4) "the grace of God is irresistible in those who are predestined to eternal life; it is not given to those who are predestined to eternal life" - pg162
mhmm.. i still think predestination is in parallel with our choice.. we ain't robots
others to note "Man has been created that he lives his life in certain regular patterns that are constantly repeated. These patterns may be called cycles."
ascetic monastic life? .. i wonder when people will start doing that again
"Origen saw the same God at work in nature and in redemption and tried to relate both to the revelation of God in Christ" - pg 94
can you see it?
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