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The early spread of Christianity
Earliest christian religion
Christianity during the middle age
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Over the past years of my life I have seen many changes, some for the good and others not as good. Change can be demanding and also crucial. The early believers would encounter this. One can see that significant change happened, when reading through the gospels and the book of acts it is obvious to the reader that the believers who followed Jesus would never be the same again.
They had enjoyed a time of fellowship with Jesus and teaching from Him. But He was now preparing them to understand that he was going to leave them. This was one of the factors that were going to turn these believers world upside down and bring and opportunity to turn the world upside down. Because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” (Mark 9:31 )
The disciples where to face new challenges in their lives, Jesus was to be crucified and they would all leave Him. Then all the disciples deserted him and fled (Matt 26:59} they were now discouraged, they left their master, they seemed defeated and finished. But they were going through a transient period from believers to believers of power who would overcome and turn the world upside down. Jesus had rose from the dead and now he opens their mind to what the scriptures say (Luke 24:45) he now encourages them to stay in the city. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”(Luke 24:48)
What was this power Jesus mentions? And would this power make a difference to the believer’s life? As we pursue the answers to these questions it is important to study the book of acts which is also commonly known a...
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..., The apostle Paul would now help this growing group to spread the gospel with the to the gentile world
It is also crucial to see that God was using situations an circumstances and bring them together Michael green said “The quality and extent of roads in the Roman Empire is legendary. Thousands of miles of roads connected major cities as well as outlying areas of the Roman Empire, facilitating and encouraging travel throughout the Mediterranean world and beyond” this would and help the early believers travel from place to place so that his small group baptised in the holy spirit would make a difference and change the world for ever without this baptism they could not and would not make the impact on this world it would not matter how many roads where built through the roman empire it was ultimately the power of the Holy spirit that made the difference.
After all of the waiting for Jesus' hour, it finally arrives in John 13. This chapter, which proffers such a commonly shared story, certainly one of the most popular in modern teaching, is very powerful. In it, Jesus gives an example of direction for the students he is about to leave behind: that of service. We witness one of closest students confirm his decision to betray Jesus. Another one of Jesus' disciples will give voice to a misunderstanding of Jesus' lessons, not once, but twice (13:8-10, 36-38). As Jesus' hour draws nigh, he becomes increasingly more troubled in his spirit; as a result, he speaks to his disciples in a much more urgent way that he has up until this point.
The saw the man clothed and in his right mind in Mark and Luke in Matthew they had just came and saw Jesus. In all three stories the people asked Jesus to leave. In Luke it states that the people were seized with fear most in likely because they saw his power and realized he destroyed many swine and could do much more damage. Jesus without question get into the boat and prepares to make the journey back to his town as stated in Matthew which would of been Capernaum a city on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee.
These five men responded immediately to Jesus and this is very surprising as he is a man who they have never met before. It is quite clear that this idea of discipleship for the first disciples is very important and that Jesus is planning on building his faith in them and he wants them to spread the word around to the people. (Mark 3:14)
The Book of Acts is a continuation of the story of Jesus. Jesus continues the work He started in the flesh by working through His new body, that of the Christian Church. The term Christian was first given at Antioch and it translates “Christ like.” The apostles were given the Holy Spirit and the power to perform miracles. The word apostle means someone who has seen Jesus.
In the Medieval times, the Roman Catholic Church played a great role in the development of England and had much more power than the Church of today does. In Medieval England, the Roman Catholic Church dominated everyday life and controlled everyone whether it is knights, peasants or kings. The Church was one of the most influential institutions in all of Medieval England and played a large role in education and religion. The Church's power was so great that they could order and control knights and sends them to battle whenever they wished to. The Church also had the power to influence the decision of Kings and could stop or pass laws which benefited them in the long run, adding to this, the Church had most of the wealth in Europe as the Church demanded a Tithe from all the common life which meant that they had to pay 10 percent of their income to the Church. The Church controlled all the of the beliefs and religion of the Church as they were the only ones who could read or write Latin and as such could decipher the Bible and scriptures which gave them all the power to be the mouth of God. The Legacy of the power and the influence of the Church can still be found, even today in modern times.
The disciples moved to different cities to share the word that Jesus had given them. They were willing to die for Jesus but they knew they had a mission to fulfill.
Look back with me at Mark 13 if you will. In verse 1 the disciples try to impress Jesus with the beauty and splendor of the temple that was before them. In verse 2 Jesus rains on their parade by not being all that impressed. In fact, look what He tells them. He says that this temple, which they were in awe over, would be completely and utterly destroyed. The disciples were speechless. Only after arriving at the Mount of Olives did Peter, James, and Andrew muster up the courage to ask Jesus about this dire prediction. The disciples ask two questions in verse 4.
The book of Acts continues the story of God’s redemption of all-He-Wills. The church are ruled by the Holy Spirit leading God’s people as we live and are witnesses of His continued redemption. The book of Acts follows Jesus’ Great Commission, as stated in Acts1:8 “But 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.” - Jerusalem (Acts chapters 1–5), Judea and Samaria (Acts chapters 6–9), through Syria, Asia Minor, and Europe towards Rome (Acts chapters 9–28) – the uttermost parts of the earth for them. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ opened up the story of the Old Testament to be fulfilled and a blessing to the entire world – not just the chosen Jews.
Luke and Acts are two books that are known in the New Testament to be companions as they were both written by Luke, a Gentile believer. He only authored these two books, however, they make up over twenty-five percent of the New Testament. Without Luke’s two-volume work, we would have no record of the creation and development of the early church. Acts provides us the historical background of our faith and how God’s word moved from Jerusalem to Rome. It also provides more details about the letters of the apostles so that we can better understand when they said what they said and why they said it. Luke shows us how God’s plan as foretold in the Old Testament was fulfilled in Jesus and continued to unfold throughout the history of the early church. He goes on to show us in Acts how the gospel continues to move during the shift from predominantly Jewish to primarily Gentiles and the changes that occur as a result.
The Book of Acts was written to provide a history of the early church. Acts emphasis the importance of the day of Pentecost and being empowered to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ. Acts sheds light on the ministry gift of the Holy Spirit, which empowers, guides, teaches, and serves as our Counselor. When reading the Book of Acts many of the readers will be enlightened and encouraged by the many miracles that were being performed during this time by the disciples Peter, John, and Paul. The Book of Acts emphasizes the importance of obedience to God’s Word and the transformation that occurs as a result of knowing Christ. There are also many references to those that rejected the truth that the disciples preached about in Jesus Christ. Power, greed, and many other vices of the devil or evidenced in the book of Acts. Acts 1:8 serves as a good summary of the Book of Acts. Acts records the apostles being Christ's witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the rest of the surrounding world.
In this paper, I will emphasize on the Ministry of the Holy Spirit. I aim to demonstrate the Power of the Holy Spirit and how the Believer can be transformed by the working ministry of the Holy Spirit. Many believers do not understand the Ministry of the Holy Spirit, therefore, tend to believe that they are motivated, and operate within their own power. The Trinity plays a dynamic role in understanding this unique ministry. Therefore, I will communicate the importance of understanding and having the knowledge of the Trinity roles. In the Book of Acts of the New Testament, it is written how the Power of the Holy Spirit comes upon the people of God and lives were changed. This paper will challenge that the Power of the Holy Spirit will regenerate
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samar′ia and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 RSV)
The disciples are blind in their understanding of Jesus’ Messiahship, their interpretation of a messiah is typical in all the other Jews minds. That God promised a messiah in the line of David, and would lead the Jew’s to victory in every battle, and fight it for them. In this sense the disciples expect that Jesus is going to throw out the foreign aliens (Romans). However it is through suffering, dying and the resurrection that the real truth or message of Jesus is revealed.
Throughout the narrative, Mark makes every effort to portray Jesus as the “one more powerful” who is possessed by the spirit of God. There are various stories told within the text that suggest Jesus’ immense “power”. For one, his power is exemplified by his word’s capacity to cast out the demons
Jesus started telling his disciples what would actually happen to him. He said, “The chief priests, the teachers of the Law of Moses and the nation’s