The Jerusalem Quadrilateral

Abp. Venables has made it quite clear that the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be compromised and that its life-transforming message is just as valid in the Twenty-First Century as it was in the First Century. This validity is regardless of time, place, culture, gender, age, or education. 

 

Greetings from the Anglican Church of Saints Timothy and Titus, more familiarly known as Sts. TnT. We currently worship in the Carmel Mountain area at the Highland Ranch Elementary School multipurpose room. Many of our congregation attended the service at St. Anne’s in Oceanside, CA, where Abp. Venables preached a clear and ringing sermon calling on us to rouse ourselves and to be about the business of the Kingdom  

 

Just before the service, the clergy of the San Diego Anglicans were blessed by a special session with the Archbishop in which he shared his vision for the four fundamentals of Christian life and witness that is found in Acts 2:42. “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers.”

Fr. Russell Martin shared this vision with us in his article in the May issue of our newsletter. 

 

Now I had never heard this term before but it references the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1886-1888, which affirmed that Christian unity could be restored only by “the return of all Christian communions to the principles of the undivided Church during the first ages of its existence…committed by Christ and his Apostles to the Church unto the end of the world…”

 

The early Christians were a brand new body of believers who certainly knew they would never be the same and devoted themselves to grasping what the apostles were teaching them. The message of Jesus flew in the face of the culture of that time, just as it does today. The more we learn of the truth of God’s Word, the better equipped we will be to avoid being led astray by false teachings. Fellowship among believers is the tie that binds our hearts. Developing and maintaining these relationships takes time and effort but the mutual support and encouragement is needed as we go out and proclaim the Gospel in our world. In the breaking of the bread we are filled with supernatural food and nourished by the power of the Holy Spirit. The focus of the early Christians was heavenward, they knew the necessity of seeking God and His will in prayer. The early church was devoted to prayer as a way of life and God moved in their midst.   

Please visit our website at www.st-tnt.org and read the rest of Fr. Russell’s article on the Jerusalem Quadrilateral. Just click on the newsletter link under Latest News.

 

Be sure to check out the Prayer Closet article on snow in Scripture, The “short Romans Road” in the “Acts 1:8 bits and pieces, ” and some words on Christian Joy.

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,

Elaine Fox