Church Growth By God's Word

Although the believers might have been content to settle in Jerusalem, God prompted their hands into action by allowing persecution to intensify. The attempts of the enemies of Christ to destroy the church played a key role in fulfilling Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." For instance, the persucution surrounding the martyrdom of Stephen was used by God to scatter believers throughout Judea and Samaria proclaiming Christ. Thus, persecution only led to a wider and fuller proclamation of the Gospel.

God also used Peter’s vision to remove prejudice and open up the Gospel to the Gentiles beginning with the household of Cornelius. Likewise, the calling of the Apostle Paul was an instrument by which God heralded the Good News. Fulfilling the Lord’s instruction, Paul helped spread the gospel to the uttermost part of the earth-the final area of the commission.

Clearly, through many ways and many persons did God establish a multi-national church in the book of Acts. Because Christ had instructed and equipped His followers, they were able to leave behind their own ambitions and realize His extraordinary command--to evangelize the world.