Church Beginnings
The Biblical Scriptures describe an event that created the first Christian church. As told in the Book of Acts, the first Pentecost took place fifty days after Jesus' Resurrection. The Apostles of Jesus and various followers were meeting in Jerusalem when something supernatural occurred. With a rush of the wind and supernatural flaming tongues suddenly appearing to them, the followers were imbued with the Holy Spirit and became capable of speaking in all the native languages of the many visitors present there. At that time, Peter, the Apostle, delivered the first Christian sermon. Jesus, Himself, had said, according to the Gospel of Matthew, “Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” At this meeting Peter became the first “bishop” of the church appointed by Jesus Himself.
For the faith to survive into the future, followers had to be successful in growing the church. Since writing manuscripts was expensive at the time of Jesus, available only to upper class citizens and government leaders, communicating ideas was primarily by word of mouth. The original Apostles of Jesus and devoted followers (or disciples) were active in spreading the faith by organizing clandestine meetings for worship. During the early decades, the Christian faith was considered just a fledgling branch of Judiasm. The disciples attempted to convince local Jews that the words of Jesus were those of their God. But the disciples also tried to spread the faith in faraway lands where there were no Jews. A famous disciple was Paul, whose letters (or epistles) to various church leaders in foreign countres became a major part of the New Testament. His epistles interpreted what Jesus said and meant. He and others established churches in the major towns of the nations that are now Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Eqypt, northern Africa, and Italy up to Rome, attempting to convert Gentiles (or non-Jews). Since these Gentiles were principally panthestic, that is, having many and varied worship idols, the Christian faith offered a radically different view of one God who had visited the earth as Jesus only a few years before.
