A Church Begins lll

   623. Roman subjects incorporated emperor worship into the local religion throughout the empire. In the provinces, leading citizens became priests in the imperial cult to cement their ties with Rome. (Augustus, however, exempted the Jews from the imperial cult.) Emperor worship continued as the official pagan religion of the empire until Christianity was recognized under Emperor Constantine (A.D. 305-337).

   624. Paul stayed longer in some cities than others. Some larger cities, such as Ephesus, became teaching centers through which he could reach outlying areas of the surrounding regions. Paul's goal was to teach his followers well enough so they could teach others. Those who were able to accept this role were called elders, overseers, and pastors. The focus, however, was not on building an organization, but on preaching the Word.

   625. The excellent highway system constructed throughout the Mediterranean world by the Romans was traveled frequently by Paul. Built so Roman armies could move swiftly and their traders could deliver goods efficiently, the Roman roads also contributed to the spread of the Christian message.

   626. Since many Jews traveled to Jerusalem for annual feasts, and since many apostles were on the road with Christ's message, Paul sometimes found the Gospel message had reached a town before he did. This was the case with Rome, the center of the world in it's day. There were many disciples in this metropolis long before Paul reached it.

   627. The Gospel of Christ spread by word of mouth. Sometimes the apostles would move on to another city only to receive a request for more teaching from the city they had recently left. So they would write letters to be read aloud to groups of individuals who met for teaching and encouragement. They also wrote letters while confined in prison.

   628. The agrapha is a phrase meaning "things not written." It was used in the early church to refer to sayings of Jesus that His followers remembered, but which were not written down in any of the Gospels. For example, in Acts 20:35, Paul quotes the Lord Jesus as saying, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Those words can't be found in any of the Gospels, so apparently that is one of the things the Lord's followers remembered Him saying, and would cite Him as the source, even though it was never written down as such.

   629. How do you tell the world the "Good News" if you don't speak their language? The disciples were gathered in an upper room when all of a sudden "tongues of fire" touched the followers. They began to speak in other languages. Some people who saw them thought they were drunk. This was the arrival of the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised. The disciples could now go and spread the Word of God everywhere.