Church Matters: Retrieving the Great Tradition

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Chur ch Mat ter s : Ret r i ev i ng the Great Trad i t i on

c. Ephesians 2 and the apostles and prophets as the foundation of the church’s faith, Eph. 2.19-22 (ESV) – So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, [21] in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. [22] In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

d. 1 Timothy 3 and the Church as the pillar and bulwark of the truth

II. The Ancient Church

This was a formative period that set the tone for the entire history of the church, for even today we live under the influence of some of the decisions made at that time. Christianity was born in a world that already had its own religions, cultures, and social and political structures. ~ Justo L. Gonzalez. Church History: An Essential Guide . Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996, p. 23. About 45 million, or two-thirds of all Christian martyrs in the history of the church, actually died in the twentieth century, according to a new book, The New Persecuted: Inquiries into Anti-Christian Intoler ance in the New Century of Martyrs by Italian journalist, Antonio Socci. While thousands of martyrs died in places like the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, millions more have died for their faith in nations like Turkey, where 1.5 million Armenian Christians were murdered. The author estimates that an average of 160,000 Christians have been killed every year since 1990 in a variety of nations such as Pakistan, Sudan, Algeria, and Nigeria. While the story seems to be ignored by mass media and the wider culture, shouldn’t those of us who are members of Christ’s body make sure this story is told? And we should be in daily prayer for these Christian brothers and sisters who are paying the ultimate sacrifice for their faith.

~ PreachingNow Newsletter. June 25, 2002