Jesus told his disciples that he planned to "build" a "Church" (Matt 16:18). The word "Church" (Greek ekklesia) refers to an assembly of people "called out" for a particular purpose.

The Lord revealed a major part of that purpose in the "Great Commission" he delivered just before his ascension in A.D. 30:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matt 28:18-20, NIV)

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Acts of the Apostles, a sequel to Luke's Gospel written about A.D. 60, relates the early history of the Church. Luke shows how God's Spirit shaped events and directed Jesus' followers through several key turning points.

First, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in a powerful way during the Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem. The Spirit made His presence known through the sound of a rushing wind, a visible flame over the disciples' heads, and their sudden ability to proclaim the good news about Jesus in many foreign languages. In response, about 5000 people dedicated themselves to Christ over the next few days, including Jewish pilgrims from Egypt, Babylon, Rome, and elsewhere (Acts 2:1-47; 4:4). As these new believers returned to their homelands, the gospel began its spread "to the ends of the earth."

Alarmed, the Jewish leaders who had eliminated Jesus tried to eliminate his followers too. Saul of Tarsus (also known as Paul), a prominent rabbi, led the opposition. In A.D. 31-32 he conducted a systematic persecution that killed some leaders and, ironically, pushed Christians and their message beyond Jerusalem into "all Judea and Samaria" (Acts 3-8, esp. 8:1).

Then the risen Jesus did a gracious and marvelous thing: He revealed himself to Paul near Damascus, turning his worst opponent into one of his foremost advocates (Acts 9:1-19). Christ gave Paul a special task -- to carry the gospel not only to Jews, but to Gentiles as well (9:15).

Paul pursued this task with characteristic zeal and ability. From A.D. 32 to 35 he preached in Damascus and Arabia (most likely modern Jordan). From A.D. 35 to 48 he worked in Tarsus and then Syrian Antioch, where the church made significant inroads into the Gentile community (Acts 9:19-31; 11:19-30; Gal 1-2).

Meanwhile, the Jewish church in Judea struggled with the notion that God would accept Gentiles, who did not practice circumcision and other requirements of the Mosaic Law and Covenant. In response, Christ poured out His Spirit on Cornelius and his household to show that, under the New Covenant, God accepts Gentiles as Gentiles apart from the Law (Acts 10:1-11:18; 15:1-35). Nevertheless, debate over the proper relationship between Jews and Gentiles remained the dominant issue of the 1st century Church.

Prompted by the Spirit, the church at Antioch sent Paul on a series of missionary journeys aimed at reaching Gentiles. Between A.D. 48 and 56, the Apostle systematically planted a string of churches "from Jerusalem all the way around [the eastern Mediterranean Sea] to Illyricum" -- that is, throughout the regions that are now Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, and Albania (Rom 15:19; Acts 13-20).

During this period, Paul used letters to keep in touch with new churches in Galatia, Thessalonica, and Corinth. Other Christian leaders likewise adopted this practice, including the Apostles Peter and John, Jesus' half-brothers James and Jude (see Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3; Jas 1:1; Jude 1:1), and the anonymous author of Hebrews. Some of their correspondence has survived to form part of the "New Testament." This collection of 27 first-century documents is invaluable because it places us as close as we can get through the written word to Jesus and the early Church.

In A.D. 56 Paul wrote to the church at Rome from Corinth. He announced plans to deliver aid to Christians in Jerusalem, visit Rome, and then continue his church planting operations in Spain (Rom 15:23-25). However, when he arrived in Jerusalem, rioting among non-Christian Jews caused Roman troops to arrest Paul for his own safety. Paul remained in prison for 2 years. Finally, he invoked his privileges as a Roman citizenship and appealed his case to Caesar. Soldiers escorted him to Rome, where he awaited trial before Emperor Nero (Acts 21-28). Paul's letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, Titus, and Timothy date to this period of imprisonment. Later writers indicate Paul was executed under Nero in A.D. 64 or 65.

Paul's experience reflected a larger trend: At first, Rome tended to protect Christians' rights, so Peter and Paul encouraged believers to "submit to the governing authorities" as instruments of God (Rom 13:1; 1 Pet 2:13-17). Over time, however, circumstances changed. Jews expelled Christians from the synagogues. Christians distanced themselves from Jews during the rebellion of A.D. 66, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D. 70. Due to the successful evangelistic efforts of Paul and others, the Church gradually became predominantly Gentile. Rome no longer viewed the Church as a Jewish sect, and so Christians lost their exemption from worshipping the Roman gods (discussed in Bare Roots 20.5). Rome also felt the need to suppress a growing movement that proclaimed a "King" other than Caesar. Christians found it impossible to obey the law without renouncing Christ. As persecution intensified, the Church came to view the government less as a defender and more as a vicious "beast" (Rev 13:1).

In A.D. 95 or 96, the risen Christ appeared to John, who had been exiled to the island of Patmos. The Lord gave John a Revelation concerning his Second Coming and ultimate victory. He urged his people, "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev 2:10).

In spite of suffering and persecution, the Spirit used those 1st century believers to transform their world. To illustrate: In A.D. 111 or 112 Pliny Secundus, the Governor of Bithynia (northern Turkey), wrote a letter to Emperor Trajan. In it, he complained that, due to the Church's evangelistic efforts, "the temples [of the Roman gods]...had been almost entirely deserted for a long time" (Pliny, Book X, Letter XCVI).

The Story of Scripture continues, and we each have a part in it. May the Lord find us faithful in our time and our place.

Reflect...

1. In this two-volume series on the Story of Scripture, we have mentioned each of the 66 biblical books. Where does each book fit into the Story? If we arranged the books chronologically, then in what order would they appear?
   
   
2. Who would you say are the 5 most important people in the Story of Scripture? What are the 5 most important events ? Why?
   
   
3. What is the central plot or theme of the Story of Scripture? Why tell this Story?
   

Publisher's Note...

This concludes our series on the Story of Scripture. After a brief holiday break, we will launch a new series on The Last Times. Thank you for receiving Bare Roots. -- CD

Christopher A. Davis, Ph.D.
Professor of New Testament
Hope International University
Fullerton, California

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