Partakers Christian Podcasts

Church History Part 4 Church Persecution and Growth ~ Today in Part 4, we look briefly at the scattering of the church and the church’s relationship with the governing force which was the Roman Empire! The church at the time seems to be in a bit of a rut. They still haven’t spread far and wide from the centre, Jerusalem. They still did not understand that the Gospel message of Jesus Christ was for all of humanity, ultimately including the Gentiles! So God brings out his plan. Enter Saul the Persecutor (Acts 8:1-4)! God used the persecution upon the church by Saul to scatter the Church! As they went out eluding persecution, they preached the Gospel effectively! ~ We read in the book of Acts how the Gospel had spread to: Samaria - Peter, Philip and John evangelised. Gentiles - Peter and Cornelius evangelised. The Gospel message also spread out to Antioch, Phoenicia & Cyprus - part of the uttermost (Acts 11:19-30) Within 10 years of its birth, the Church was thriving in Antioch. Missionaries from Cyprus