I will be sharing a new series that will include church history and Wesleyan Tradition. Many of these upcoming post stem from work and research I completed during my journey toward ordination. I believe that understanding Church History is beneficial to the spiritual well-being of believers and to our theological orthodoxy. According to the Blue Letter Bible from Genesis to Revelation “remember” is used 148 times. One of the most significant times presents itself when Christ says “do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)
“Christians have a special interest in history because the very foundations of the faith that they profess are rooted in history.” (Cairns,2010) We are told in Psalm 44:1 that “We have heard with our ears, O God,‡ Our fathers have told us. The work You did in their days, In the days of old.” Their fathers remembered God and His works in their Children. This is spelled out in Psalm 145:4 “One generation shall praise Your works to another,‡And shall declare Your mighty and remarkable acts.”
Church History provides us with a clear map of how to live as a Christian in both the context of the church but also in the world. And putting this understanding to practice allows us to engage in a complete understanding of the Word while keeping us accountable to the Truth.
Holding true to the Truth is key for we live in a culture that likes to live by “their truth”. Cairns reminds us that “The student who is conscious of the values to be achieved in the study of the history of the Christian church has a powerful motivation to study this particular area of human history.” Remembering church history is vital to living as a child of God. Our focus is to share His-story with future generations. While having an understanding of what the church went through opens our eyes to God’s grace, mercy, and sovereignty.
References
Cairns, Earle E.. Christianity Through the Centuries . Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.
Zondervan,. The Amplified Study Bible (p. 4035). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.