Men with names like Matthew, John, and Paul (still popular names today) had their lives changed by association with a God-man named Jesus! They FOLLOWED Him! They learned from Him! They realized that He was the Son of God!
On a Sunday morning (probably not unlike this Sunday morning) they experienced a personal 'shock and awe' when Jesus came back to life after being crucified! He taught them for several more weeks before ascending to Heaven before their very eyes!
Then they prayed, for ten days in an upper room! And the Holy Spirit fell on them with POWER! They were given the gift of languages to preach to the crowds gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks! Peter emerged as the main speaker. Over three thousand people made decisions to follow Christ that day! These people - from many lands [Acts 2:9-11] - took the gospel back to their homelands where it continued to spread!
The apostles were overwhelmed trying to disciple so many new believers. In Acts 7, they recruited seven stewards to help with this work who quickly became significant leaders in the church. Stephen (another name still used today) became the first martyr of the church!
Then came Saul (later, Paul - another common name) who had a special call to take the Good News to the Gentile world! Thanks to Paul (and his associates), by the end of the first century A.D., the Christian church was well established through Asia Minor and into Europe!
The next several centuries produced a new wave of sacrificial leaders who are lesser known since they're not mentioned in scripture:
- Ignatius of Antioch
- Polycarp of Smyrna
- Justin Martyr
- John Chrysostom
- Tertullian
- Augustine of Hippo [and many more]
Throughout these first three hundred years, the Church of Jesus Christ endured tremendous persecution. During the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (AD 306–337), Christianity began to transition to the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. This would be the first time that Christianity would have buildings to worship in.
With the fall of Rome in 476 A.D., the period of the Dark Ages began and lasted through 1000 A.D. The Church retreated to monasteries where the scriptures were consolidated, hand-copied and preserved. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church dominated for the next six hundred years. Corruption, wealth-building, and political aspirations were common during this time-line.
Then came the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation with leaders such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, Meister Eckhart, John Wycliffe, Henry VIII, John Huss, Menno Simons and many more...
VERY IMPORTANT: In the mid-fifteenth century, Johannes Gutenberg invented the first movable type printing press. This led very quickly to putting the Bible into the hands of the common people for the very first time!
As a result of the Protestant Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church also experienced a Counter-Reformation.
Protestantism grew and found new ground in the New World through the Puritan movement. Once established there the Wesleyan Revival in England dominated the growth in the expansion of America with traveling preachers.
Pennsylvania became dotted with Methodist and Presbyterian churches - still evidenced by a drive through almost any Pennsylvanian town. Christianity took deep roots in the New World which became a missionary-sending entity that propagated the gospel in MANY foreign lands!
And today, we still meet in the awe of a risen Lord who has changed (and is changing) our lives! The church I attend was informed yesterday that the place where we were going to meet is not yet available to us. No problem: we're meeting outside today. The Church of Jesus Christ has endured severe persecution throughout the years. Nothing will stop Her! We will meet to worship and praise Jesus until the day He comes again! PTL!
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