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The Early Church Wasn’t About “Vibes”—It Was About Christ, Crucified and Risen Picture this: You’re huddled in a candlelit room with fellow believers, anxiously listening for footsteps outside. At any moment, Roman soldiers could burst in, drag you away, and throw you to the lions. Under these conditions, “fog machines and feels” wouldn’t cut it. The early Christians weren’t searching for a spiritual high; they were clinging to a truth so profound, they were willing to die for it. They believed in a risen Lord—One who defeated death on the Cross (1 Corinthians 1:23). This wasn’t a passing feeling; it was a reality they experienced in the Sacraments, in fellowship, and in the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. They risked everything because they knew Jesus was alive and at work in them. St. Ignatius of Antioch, journeying toward martyrdom, called the Eucharist “the medicine of immortality.” Tertullian famously said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” These were not empty slogans. When your life is on the line, clichés crumble fast. Their faith had to be real, and it was built on something much bigger than catchy tunes or emotional hype. Consider the grit of those first believers: hiding in catacombs to celebrate the Sacred Mysteries, braving public ridicule and torture, and refusing to worship the emperor as a god. They found courage in the knowledge that Christ’s resurrection shattered the power of sin and death (Romans 6:9). In a culture that craves instant gratification, it’s tempting to reduce worship to a performance or a feeling. But the early Church reminds us that faith rooted in spectacle won’t survive when persecution knocks on the door. What kept them going wasn’t a fleeting mood—it was a higher calling, a divine purpose, and a Lord who promised, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Yes, music, lights, and community can enhance our gatherings—but if they’re all we’ve got, it won’t last. The early Christians show us there’s only one foundation that endures the hardest trials: Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. And that’s no mere vibe—that’s the power of God unto salvation.