“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24
“The beneficent father, compassionate in every way, has pity on those who stand in awe of Him; gently and kindly does He bestow His gracious gifts on those who approach Him with a pure resolve. And so, we should not be of two minds, nor should we entertain wild notions about His superior and glorious gifts. May this Scripture be far removed from us that says, “How miserable are those who are of two minds, who doubt in their soul, who say, “We have heard these things from the time of our parents, and look! We have grown old and none of these things have happened to us.”
Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his first Letter to the Corinthians 23:1-2.
Thanks for your prayers for me in Dallas. The meetings with seminary administrators went great, and I am safely back in Denver. I will turn my attention to the Apostolic Fathers now.
The “Apostolic Fathers” represents a collection of early church letters. Why study them? This line of research comes in response to requests from of persecuted Christians around the world.
Many ask me. “Gary, what do we do if we are not allowed to meet as a church?” And I say to them that I think they need to “be the church” and move toward the brokenness in society and meet up where the pain is!
I get this from watching the example of the early church in the first two centuries. But I want more facts to share.
So, I pitched proposals to deliver two papers in Amsterdam in July 2024 at the Society of Biblical Literature International meeting. They accepted both of my research proposals.
The first is on the topic of “Advice from the Apostolic Fathers on Christian Social Engagement in a Hostile World.” Or to put it another way. How did the early church live out the teachings of Jesus despite persecution?
Today’s post starts to answer that question. Notice at least three things.
Firstly, God is our beneficent Father who cares for those who depend on Him with pure resolve. Secondly, we as His people sometimes wrestle with unbelief. We struggle to trust Him, but we must remember that He stands ready to help us in our unbelief. Thirdly, the early church struggled with the same fears, the same “what if” doubts. What if this or that happens? When “what ifs” dominate our thinking we have two minds. We worry about what might happen and let fear immobilize us.
Let’s pause and remember the Father’s faithfulness to us. Let us move toward brokenness and trust the Father to help us turn it to blessing. And let’s not hold back anything because of fear.
Don’t miss the profound statement of Clement, the first bishop of the church Rome: “We have grown old.” The Father has cared for us for a long. long time.
We can count on Him to care for us today and to sort our tomorrows, so let’s demonstrate that we believe this by living, giving, serving, and loving generously, regardless of the opposition.