Tune and Prepare!

Apostolic Instructions on Prayer, and the technical meaning of "Christ". First of all, then, I urge 1 that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone 2 , for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life 3 in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For 5 there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, Himself human, who gave Himself — a ransom for all 6 , a testimony at the proper time. ... I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument... 7 1Tim 2:1-6,8 (Holman C.S.B.) Notes 1 "I emphatically tell you.." It's not a command but a strong suggestion with apostolic authority. 2 "for everyone" means everyone. The next verses explain the social layers and ...

by Lex Loizides A number of factors helped the somewhat surprising spread of the Christian Faith across the Roman world which began in the first century. 1. The political unity of the Roman Empire did produce a certain economic and political stability, notwithstanding its many faults. This encouraged trade between large cities and regions. 2. The military and trade routes meant relatively easy access to large numbers of people (both by land and sea). Joel Kotkin writes, ‘Rome allowed considerable self-government to individual cities; the empire itself, notes the historian Robert Lopez, functioned as a ‘confederation of urban cells.’ Europe would not again see such a proliferation of secure, and well-peopled cities until well into the nineteenth century. People, products, and ideas traveled quickly through the vast archipelago of ‘urban cells’ over secure sea-lanes and fifty-one thousand miles of paved roads stretching from Jerusalem to Boulogne… Christianity’s rapid...

­ Foreword   The church that changes the world. . . will not look impressive. It will not possess great buildings, nor its leaders hold high social standing. It will shun wealth and political acceptance, and run shy from the world of brands, image and sound bite.   The world-changing church, will be powerful in the things that matter, a simple dependence on the power of the gospel, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the authority of God’s Word; a people who love their God, love each other, and live salty lives as Christ’s disciples thus provoking both conversion and persecution. What was the New Testament experience? The Book of Acts records three striking examples of regional impact issuing from centers of numerical and spiritual strength. Jerusalem, Antioch and Ephesus. Jerusalem—The “Scatter Gun” example God allowed a wave of fierce persecution to scatter the believers, numbering probably between five and ten thousand, across the Roman Empire. It seems the me...