“Believe me that I am
in the Father and the Father is in me. Or else believe me on account of
the works themselves"- Jesus (John
14:11).
Facing obstacles far greater than those we meet today, the early Church at its start in Jerusalem grew explosively and continued-so, so quickly that people in Macedonia years later expressed fear that Christians were “turning the world upside-down” (Acts 17:6). This occurred while Rabbis and Priests for-bade Jews from following Jesus, and Roman authorities charged with sedition all who worshipped Jesus instead of Caesar (17:7). In both cases they faced severe persecution by various means depending on the circumstances. They certainly never got permission; let alone approval, to advance their faith. Further still, no printed flyers existed to broaden their reach to the masses for another 1400 years. Yet still the movement grew rapidly. How? Were the mounting numbers caused by naivete on the part of hearers, or manipulation as a ploy of the heralds? The answer to both accusations is “No!” This wave was insti-gated by the Holy Spirit (H.S.) who united two crucial facets of the Gospel together. At the Apostle Peter's inaugural sermon, the H.S. inspired him both to convincingly frame Jesus' deity and saving work in the light of Scripture, and to underscore the battery of facts that proved Jesus' saving power.
To read the entire two page article including my endnote, go to my website at
www.christianityontheoffense.com/articles
