Why is it important for today's Christians to know about the Church Fathers? What's important about the Sacraments, like Baptism and Communion? And why should today's Christians truly care about them? Grammy-nominated Christian rapper FLAME asked himself these questions before coming to Lutheranism and seeing, firsthand, how important it is to know the history of the church. Study the early Church Fathers, Scripture, and Christian history alongside FLAME's conversational voice to see for yourself why their teachings from Scripture are important to study, and live out, today. From FLAME: "Shouldn't we know who God is? The nature of God's existence? The true nature of Jesus, the Messiah? The difference between God's Law and His Gospel? The nature of these rites He established that have been called the Sacraments? How those Sacraments ought to be enjoyed and applied? If the Sacraments are important enough for Jesus to implement, then we would do right to wrestle with how they have been historically understood and practiced to see where they fit into the Christian life. " -page 11 " The Christian life is about Jesus. It is about serving others as unto Jesus in the many ways God has designed you to serve. Loving others as we have been freely loved by Jesus. Growing more in our identity as the baptized into Christ Jesus. But we are not isolated, thinking only about ourselves. Baptism, as understood by the apostolic and church fathers, is all about identity in Christ Jesus and the community of the saints, that is to say, the church. The Lord's Supper is a communal meal whereby we are all united in our Lord and to one another. This is why we should not catch our cues from pop culture or pop-Christian culture, serving self over anything else or remaining isolated from others." -page 37 " This sounds like a book about ancient Christianity, but even more than that, it is about contemporary Christianity-with its perfectionism and endless self-scrutiny-and our desperate need for the Sacraments. FLAME's joy in discovering the efficacy of Baptism and the real presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper, as found in the church father's works and carried over into Lutheranism, is exhilarating and contagious. This seminary-trained rap star makes an engaging case for a faith that is both evangelical and sacramental." - Dr. Gene Edward Veith Jr., PhD; author of Spirituality of the Cross and Embracing Your Lutheran Identity " In his most recent book, Because Jesus Taught It, FLAME tells inspiring stories of faith and faithfulness through the ages in ways that speak to our contemporary times. With insights from the earliest Christians as well as his own walk of faith, FLAME challenges readers to explore a deeper understanding of the teachings of Jesus that make a difference in our lives today." - Rev. Dr. Gerhard Bode, chairman of the department of historical theology and director of the Center for Reformation Research, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri "In a seamless melding of memoir and theology, FLAME brings the reader along on his personal journey of patristic discovery. This study highlights the strengths of the Lutheran theological tradition, equipping those new to Lutheranism and lifelong Lutherans alike to identify the comfort, assurance, and beauty of our confession of faith when contrasted with errors common in American evangelicalism. Deeply relatable and moving, yet informative and researched, FLAME's book on the early church fathers and the historic Christian view of the Sacraments is fresh, well-written, and difficult to put down." - Christa Petzold, author of Journey Through Church History and Gathered by Christ: The Overlooked Gift of Church "FLAME gets the church fathers-and they got him too. Despite what you may have been taught growing up, Christianity did not go off the rails after the