|
During these first four centuries, the message of Jesus Christ spread like mercury under pressure. When it was oppressed,
it simply spread out into new territories. When its flames were stamped out, it automatically re-kindled. When it was ran
out of town, it always returned with a greater enthusiasm. When it was killed in the flesh, it lived on in the Spirit. When
it was defeated by the worlds standards, it found victory over death hell and the grave
The irony of Paul's letters (referred to as epistles) to these churches, was that Paul never sat down to write "the Bible"
or even some theological dissertation that would someday make him notorious as one of the early apostles of the faith. He
simply sat down to write "a note" to his friends in the particular city he was addressing.
During the next two centuries many men and women would preach, teach and write foundational messages which
dressed the world stage of the future for a vibrant evangelical church to spread the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ.
Through such internal tribulation, the true believers in Jesus remained constant and the undefiled positions of the faith
survived the most severe physical and spiritual trials and instability that could confront them. Christianity not only offered
people a believable theology of life and hope, but it also offered them community, and that was different than all the other
practicing religions of that era.
|
