An open letter...

The following was a public email I sent out to everyone on my contacts list way back on July 8, 2006. I didn't realize that I had kept it until I found it today! I read it and thought that it would be useful to post on here. It is a general plea for everyone professing the Christian faith to acquaint themselves with the writings of the early Christians.

When I had originally written this back in '06 I didn't know about the Orthodox Catholic Church. Since then, I have arrived at the conclusion that the Orthodox Catholic Church has been the faithful preserver of the Apostolic and early Christian teaching. I present this "letter" for everyone's benefit:


Greetings my beloved brethren and friends,

Grace and peace be unto you from the most true God the Father, Lord and
Maker of all things, above whom there is no other God, and from His only
begotten Son, Lord of heaven and earth, God of everything begotten, second
only to the Almighty Father, Christ Jesus the Lord.

I hope and pray that all is well with everyone. I have been studying in the
early Church writings as many of you are already aware. The revelations
concerning the original Christian faith are fascinating to say the least! I
am thoroughly convinced now that if we had spent our time studying the early
Church writings along with Scripture, we would have left the Seventh-day
Adventist church long before now. Some of us would never have gotten caught
up in the Ebionite heresy of Messianicism either. The early Christian
writings are abundantly clear and concise as to what constitutes the true
faith of Jesus Christ. This is due to the fact that the majority of their
writings were written:

1. to pagans who were actively persecuting and
killing them,

2. to Jews who were still clinging to the Law, and,

3. against heretical groups that were attacking the faith of the Church.

I have already shared some of these things with some of you. I hope that it has
been a blessing.

This may sound somewhat strange, but the more I read their writings the more
I am strengthened in the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament. It is
hard to convey just how strongly these faithful men clung to Scripture. We
have been taught that in the early centuries of the Church the Christians
that were being converted from Greek philosophy and paganism brought with
them many of their pagan beliefs and practices into the Church. Well I'm
here to tell you that this flat out isn't true at all! Anyone taking the
time to actually read what these men had to say will see clearly that they
left paganism behind them and held firmly to the Bible. In fact, many, many
times they condemn the very practices and beliefs that they once held in
light of the knowledge and understanding that they had received thru the
Scriptures. They literally drew all of their beliefs from the Scriptures
alone. Whatever the Bible taught, interpreted thru Jesus' and the Apostles'
teaching, that is what they believed.

The charge has been made that perhaps the early Church changed the faith
that was once delivered unto them by the Apostles. This also, as anyone
can clearly see if they are willing to give these early Christians a chance
by actually reading what they have to say, will be shown to be false. They
clearly taught the very same things that the Apostles taught and handed on.
In fact, I have observed that throughout their writings these men are very
zealous for the teaching and tradition that they had received from the
blessed Apostles and those disciples who knew them personally. They were so
zealous for the unchangeableness of the faith that they were willing to die,
and did die, rather than have it changed. Truly Jesus' words to His
disciples in Matthew 16:18, "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades
will not overcome it" certainly was the truth.

What follows is a quote from an early Christian by the name of Ireneaus. He
was bishop of a congregation in France. He wrought a five volume work
entitled "Against Heresies" in approximately 170-180 AD. In that work,
which was directed at combating the various heretical groups of his time,
he said this in response to the charge that the faith had been altered:

"The Church, though dispersed through out the whole world, even to the ends
of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith:
[She, the Church, believes] in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of
heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one
Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation; and in
the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of
God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the
resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of
the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and His [future] manifestation from
heaven in the glory of the Father "to gather all things in one," and to
raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ
Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King, according to the will of
the invisible Father, "every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should
confess" to Him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all; that
He may send "spiritual wickednesses," and the angels who transgressed and
became apostates, together with the ungodly, and unrighteous, and wicked,
and profane among men, into everlasting fire; but may, in the exercise of
His grace, confer immortality on the righteous, and holy, and those who have
kept His commandments, and have persevered in His love, some from the
beginning [of their Christian course], and others from [the date of] their
repentance, and may surround them with everlasting glory.

"As I have already observed, the Church, having received this preaching and
this faith, although scattered throughout the whole world, yet, as if
occupying but one house, carefully preserves it. She also believes these
points [of doctrine] just as if she had but one soul, and one and the same
heart, and she proclaims them, and teaches them, and hands them down, with
perfect harmony, as if she possessed only one mouth. For, although the
languages of the world are dissimilar, yet the import of the tradition is
one and the same. For the Churches which have been planted in Germany do not
believe or hand down anything different, nor do those in Spain, nor those in
Gaul(France), nor those in the East, nor those in Egypt, nor those in Libya,
nor those which have been established in the central regions of the world.
But as the sun, that creature(creation) of God, is one and the same
throughout the whole world, so also the preaching of the truth shineth
everywhere, and enlightens all men that are willing to come to a knowledge
of the truth. Nor will any one of the rulers in the Churches, however highly
gifted he may be in point of eloquence, teach doctrines different from these
(for no one is greater than the Master); nor, on the other hand, will he who
is deficient in power of expression inflict injury on the tradition. For the
faith being ever one and the same, neither does one who is able at great
length to discourse regarding it, make any addition to it, nor does one, who
can say but little diminish it." Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. 1 page 330-331

God has always had His faithful to preserve the true faith in the world. It
is the "johnny come lately's" that have ventured to tell us not to "waste"
our time reading "garbage" like this. They would much rather have us read
their own writings rather than the writings of the early Christians written
primarily for the edification of Christians. They were written to leave us
examples of what it really means to be a Christian. What they believed,
practiced, and died for is all recorded in detail for us. How they
understood the Christian message in light of the Old Testament will at times
surprise you, and at other times impress you that you are indeed on the
right course. They knew and understood the Gospel teaching. They
incorporated the principles of godly living into their lives and showed
themselves to be worthy of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus their
Lord. Read their writings and find out what it means to have Jesus as both
Lord and God of your life. Believe me, you will be blessed with the
experience.

The following is part of an Apology(Defense) of Christianity written by
Aristides to Emperor Hadrian in the year 125 AD. Notice how He describes the
conduct of the Christians and their various beliefs and decide for yourself
whether or not they left the true faith of Christ:

"But the Christians, O King, while they went about and made search, have
found the truth; and as we learned from their writings, they have come
nearer to truth and genuine knowledge than the rest of the nations. For they
know and trust in God, the Creator of heaven and of earth, in whom and from
whom are all things, to whom there is no other god as companion, from whom
they received commandments which they engraved upon their minds and observe
in hope and expectation of the world which is to come. Wherefore they do not
commit adultery nor fornication, nor bear false witness, nor embezzle what
is held in pledge, nor covet what is not theirs. They honour father and
mother, and show kindness to those near to them; and whenever they are
judges, they judge uprightly. They do not worship idols (made) in the image
of man; and whatsoever they would not that others should do unto them, they
do not (do) to others; and of the food which is consecrated to idols they do
not eat, for they are pure. And their oppressors they appease (lit: comfort)
and make them their friends; they do good to their enemies; and their women,
O King, are pure as virgins, and their daughters are modest; and their men
keep themselves from every unlawful union and from all uncleanness, in the
hope of a recompense to come in the other world.

"Further, if one or other of them have bondmen and bondwomen or children,
through love towards them they persuade them to become Christians, and when
they have done so, they call them brethren without distinction. They do not
worship strange gods, and they go their way in all modesty and cheerfulness.
Falsehood is not found among them; and they love one another, and from
widows they do not turn away their esteem; and they deliver the orphan from
him who treats him harshly. And he, who has, gives to him who has not,
without boasting. And when they see a stranger, they take him in to their
homes and rejoice over him as a very brother; for they do not call them
brethren after the flesh, but brethren after the spirit and in God. And
whenever one of their poor passes from the world, each one of them according
to his ability gives heed to him and carefully sees to his burial. And if
they hear that one of their number is imprisoned or afflicted on account of
the name of their Messiah, all of them anxiously minister to his necessity,
and if it is possible to redeem him they set him free. And if there is among
them any that is poor and needy, and if they have no spare food, they fast
two or three days in order to supply to the needy their lack of food.

"They observe the precepts of their Messiah with much care, living justly
and soberly as the Lord their God commanded them. Every morning and every
hour they give thanks and praise to God for His loving-kindnesses toward
them; and for their food and their drink they offer thanksgiving to Him. And
if any righteous man among them passes from the world, they rejoice and
offer thanks to God; and they escort his body as if he were setting out from
one place to another near. And when a child has been born to one of them,
they give thanks to God; and if moreover it(the child) happen to die in
childhood, they give thanks to God the more, as for one who has passed
through the world without sins. And further if they see that any one of them
dies in his ungodliness or in his sins, for him they grieve bitterly, and
sorrow as for one who goes to meet his doom.

"Such, O King, is the commandment of the law of the Christians, and such is
their manner of life. As men who know God, they ask from Him petitions which
are fitting for Him to grant and for them to receive. And thus they employ
their whole lifetime. And since they know the loving-kindnesses of God
toward them, behold! for their sake the glorious things which are in the
world flow forth to view. And verily, they are those who found the truth
when they went about and made search for it; and from what we considered, we
learned that they alone come near to a knowledge of the truth. And they do
not proclaim in the ears of the multitude the kind deeds they do, but are
careful that no one should notice them; and they conceal their giving just
as he who finds a treasure and conceals it. And they strive to be righteous
as those who expect to behold their Messiah, and to receive from Him with
great glory the promises made concerning them. And as for their words and
their precepts, O King, and their glorying in their worship, and the hope of
earning according to the work of each one of them their recompense which
they look for in another world, you may learn about these from their
writings. It is enough for us to have shortly informed your Majesty
concerning the conduct and the truth of the Christians. For great indeed,
and wonderful is their doctrine to him who will search into it and reflect
upon it. And verily, this is a new people, and there is something divine
(lit: "a divine admixture") in the midst of them.

"Take, then, their writings, and read therein, and lo! you will find that I
have not put forth these things on my own authority, nor spoken thus as
their advocate; but since I read in their writings I was fully assured of
these things as also of things which are to come. And for this reason I was
constrained to declare the truth to such as care for it and seek the world
to come. And to me there is no doubt but that the earth abides through the
supplication of the Christians. But the rest of the nations err and cause
error in wallowing before the elements of the world, since beyond these
their mental vision will not pass. And they search about as if in darkness
because they will not recognize the truth; and like drunken men they reel
and jostle one another and fall.

"Thus far, O King, I have spoken; for concerning that which remains, as is
said above, there are found in their other writings things which are hard to
utter and difficult for one to narrate,--which are not only spoken in words
but also wrought out in deeds.

"Now the Greeks, O King, as they follow base practises in intercourse with
males, and a mother and a sister and a daughter, impute their monstrous
impurity in turn to the Christians. But the Christians are just and good,
and the truth is set before their eyes, and their spirit is long-suffering;
and, therefore, though they know the error of these (the Greeks), and are
persecuted by them, they bear and endure it; and for the most part they have
compassion on them, as men who are destitute of knowledge. And on their
side, they offer prayer that these may repent of their error; and when it
happens that one of them has repented, he is ashamed before the Christians
of the works which were done by him; and he makes confession to God, saying,
I did these things in ignorance. And he purifies his heart, and his sins are
forgiven him, because he committed them in ignorance in the former time,
when he used to blaspheme and speak evil of the true knowledge of the
Christians. And assuredly the race of the Christians is more blessed than
all the men who are upon the face of the earth.

"Henceforth let the tongues of those who utter vanity and harass the
Christians be silent; and hereafter let them speak the truth. For it is of
serious consequence to them that they should worship the true God rather
than worship a senseless sound. And verily whatever is spoken in the mouth
of the Christians is of God; and their doctrine is the gateway of light.
Wherefore let all who are without the knowledge of God draw near thereto;
and they will receive incorruptible words, which are from all time and from
eternity. So shall they appear before the awful judgment which through Jesus
the Messiah is destined to come upon the whole human race.

The Apology of Aristides the Philosopher is finished."

If any of you have been impressed with the level of integrity and honesty
and holy regard that these men of ancient times had concerning the faith of
Jesus Christ and His Apostles, then I would recommend two books to you that
would be an introduction and gateway, so to speak, to their writings. The
first is the "introduction" book entitled ,"Will the Real Heretics Please
Stand Up: A new look at today's evangelical church in the light of early
Christianity" written by David W. Bercot. It's very easy reading and not
very long. The ISBN number is 0924722002. The second book which acts as a
sort of gateway into the early Church writings is entitled, "A Dictionary of
Early Christian Beliefs" also by David W. Bercot. A great reference book
for looking up various topics. It's ISBN number is 1565633571. I was able
to get both of these books for approximately $20.00 thru Amazon.com. I
highly recommend these two books to anyone that is wanting to understand the
early Christian faith better.

For those of you who want some serious reading, I can only recommend to you
what I myself have been studying so in depth lately, the actual early
Christian writings as contained in the 10 volume set the Ante-Nicene
Fathers(which simply means pre-council of Nicaea writings). This is where
the buck stops for anyone wishing to better understand what the early
Christians taught and lived. I got mine online for $116.00 after shipping.
The ISBN number is 1565630823. I hope that anyone wanting these can find
them at least as cheap as I did, cheaper would be preferable though:P.

I know that this has been an extremely long letter, but I've been wanting to
write you all concerning this topic for awhile now. I truly have the desire
to see God's Church rebuilt in these days according to the early Church
model. I know that it can be done if we give ourselves to the task. The
early Christian writings give us valuable insight as to what the Church is
supposed to be like in the face of persecution and heretical dissention.
They also give us a practical model as to what it means to be a Christian.
It certainly means a lot more than what the churches of today think it
means!

May the God and Father, the most high and supreme God Himself, and His
beloved Son, Christ Jesus our Lord and God, second only to the Father, and
the grace of the Holy Spirit, the third of divinity, be with you all!
Amen.

Your faithful brother in Christ,
David