Miracles, Morality and the Power of the Local Church

We’ve been enjoying Edward Gibbon’s references to the Christian church in the latter years of the Roman Empire. We’ve seen that he emphasised three factors which assisted the growth of the Church and the influence of Christianity through the Roman world.

Firstly, he mentioned their zeal, their passion. They were on a mission to reach the world. Secondly, he emphasised that their confidence in their eternal security made them courageous even in the face of danger. Thirdly, he noted that these Christians were not only zealous and bold, but that they also prayed for the sick successfully, moved in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and were able to evangelise not with persuasive words of wisdom but in a demonstration of the Spirit’s power that clearly showed to a pagan world that Jesus Christ was indeed ‘Lord’. (see 1 Cor 2:4)

Before we leave Gibbon I want to draw on his further two observations as these will serve as a safeguard to us. Having shown us the impressive nature of their gifts and works, he also mentions the morality of the believers. He notes that there was a harmony of charismatic passion and personal integrity. Indeed, in beautifully quaint Victorian language he points to ‘the reformation of manners which was introduced into the world by the preaching of the Gospel.’ (ibid. p.283)

This process began, obviously, in evangelism: ‘The friends of Christianity may acknowledge without a blush that many of the most eminent saints had been before their baptism the most abandoned sinners.’ (ibid. p.284)

But the conversion of a person to the Christian faith produced not only an immediate moral impact in their lives but an ongoing one, so that they turned from their past sins, sought to support the social and economic structures of the society of which they were a part, became reliable workers, fair in business, honest in labour, modest in behaviour and faithful to both spouse and family. This notably different Christian lifestyle commended itself to those who were living close to them.

Lastly, Gibbon mentions the unity and discipline of the local churches as a factor in the sustained growth and spread of the Christian faith. The believers were locally organised under spiritually qualified elders, who cared for them, teaching them and supporting them in their new found faith. There were miracles but there were relationships and pastoral oversight.

Interestingly, Gibbon notes, ‘Independence and equality formed the basis of their internal constitution.’ (ibid. p.293) Somewhat different from the view that a single ecclesiastical power-structure oversaw all the churches, it seems that the churches were led by their own elders who drew on the wisdom of those who were apostolically or prophetically gifted.

Indeed, as we will later see, the local church has always been a key in the spread of the Christian faith in a nation or time period, and a sustainer of those powerful impulses in revival that have so impacted the world.

But, before we get there, we must look at some questions around the relationship between church and state. Just imagine if you were a Christian living in those days, wouldn’t you have prayed for the conversion of those in authority – and even the conversion of the Emperor himself? Well, early in the fourth century, after so many years of persecution, it happened!

The conversion to the Christian faith of Emperor Constantine brought a sudden and much longed-for release from persecution and an elevation and respect for the Christian faith. This was indeed an answer to prayer – but was it all good? And, what was the nature of his ‘conversion’?

We’ll see next time.

© 2008 Lex Loizides

The Missional Impact of Knowing your Sins are Forgiven

We’ve been looking at the first three reasons that 19th century historian Edward Gibbon gives for the impressive and somewhat surprising spread of the Christian faith through the Roman Empire in the first 3 centuries.

His first suggestion is quite simply the passion of the early generations of followers of Christ. They were unashamedly on a mission to bring the message of the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

His second suggestion lies in the fact that these Christians believed that their salvation was absolutely secure. They did not fear that they would lose their forgiveness, or that they could somehow be ‘unsaved’ after coming to Christ. They believed they were eternally saved by the work that Jesus did for them on the cross. This belief in their eternal security in Christ enabled them to persevere in the face of difficulties, displacement, hostility and even the threat of death.

Their eternal security made them courageous. Just as the persecution in connection with Stephen (Acts 7) had the opposite effect of silencing the church, so later persecutions caused the church to multiply and grow! This seemingly unshakable faith enabled them not only to endure but even to triumph in the face of severe persecution.

Historian A.M. Renwick writes:

‘The Christians refused to conform to many accepted customs.  They would have nothing to do with idolatry, and condemned the public games where gladiators fought in mortal combat to make sport for the spectators…

They refused public office and certain public duties such as the burning of incense to the gods, or the pouring of libations…The result was that they were regarded as a morose and intolerable people.  Matters came to a crisis when, in 64 A.D., the emperor Nero accused the Christians of setting fire to the city of Rome.

The public feeling against them was such that they were universally reviled.  Even a writer of the eminence of Tacitus, who disliked Nero intensely, writes of Christianity as a ‘most mischievous superstition’.  He accuses them of ‘abominations’, and declares that ‘they were put to death as enemies of mankind’.

The cruelties perpetrated at Rome in the Neronic persecution were unspeakable, and a vast number of Christians perished.  Some were wrapped in the skins of wild beasts so that they would be more savagely attacked by dogs.  Some were crucified; others were placed in barrels of pitch, or smeared with pitch and set on fire, and these living torches were used by Nero to illuminate his gardens as he drove about, enjoying the dreadful spectacle.’  (Renwick, The Story of the Church p.17 IVP)

Nevertheless the good news continued to spread. What was intended to silence the followers of Jesus, seemed to have the opposite effect, and multitudes were won by their gracious and godly example, by the miracles that accompanied them and by the message itself.

Next time we’ll look at the example of one of the great Christian leaders of the 2nd century, Polycarp.  After that, we’ll look at some of the miracles.

© 2008 Lex Loizides

Radical 2nd Generation zeal – the gospel spreads

Historian Edward Gibbon in his famous work ‘The decline and fall of the Roman Empire’, gives several reasons for the amazing triumph of Christianity in the first centuries. In this post we’ll look briefly at the first of these: The zeal of the early generations of Christians.

The early church were definitely zealous – all were committed to preaching the gospel far and wide. Christ’s command to ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’ (Mark 16:15) was never considered to be an optional task for particularly keen church members, but was the commission over the whole church. The Book of Acts is a testimony to the zeal of the first generation of believers. And the next generation of believers were the same!

Eusebius writes:
‘These earnest disciples of great men built on the foundations of the churches everywhere laid by the apostles, spreading the message still further…far and wide through the entire world.
Very many of the disciples…first fulfilled the Saviour’s command by distributing their possessions among the needy; then, leaving their homes behind, they carried out the work of evangelists, ambitious to preach to those who had never yet heard the message of the faith and to give them the inspired gospels in writing.

Staying only to lay the foundations of the faith in one foreign place or another, appoint others as pastors, and entrust to them the tending of those newly brought in, they set off again for other lands and peoples…[and] many miraculous powers of the divine Spirit worked through them, so that at the first hearing whole crowds in a body embraced with whole hearted eagerness the worship of the universal Creator.’  (Eusebius p.148)

E. Glenn Hinson, writing in Christian History Magazine, says,
‘Churches were founded in almost every way possible. Sometimes a bishop, presbyters, or deacons were sent to evangelize and organize a new church. For example, in the mid-third century, Cornelius of Rome was reputed to have sent seven bishops to Gaul (modern France) to plant churches. Other times, churches that had spontaneously formed through lay evangelism asked for a bishop to instruct them. Most churches had the same goal: evangelism…

Some converts learned about the faith through friendship with church members. Others saw or heard about exorcisms or healings. Some witnessed the arrest of a Christian or even a martyrdom. Others lived in Christian households as slaves or indentured servants. By the end of the third century, Christians had built formal churches near pagan temples across the empire.’
(From Christian History Magazine)

Next time we’ll see how the early believers’ assurance of their eternal security made them unstoppable in service and in risk taking in a dangerously hostile environment.

© 2008 Lex Loizides

Factors that assisted the spread of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire

The Gospel in the Roman Empire

Galatians 4:4   ‘But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.’

A number of significant factors helped the incredible spread of the gospel across the Roman world in the first century:

1.    The political unity of the Roman Empire did produce a certain economic and political stability, notwithstanding its many faults. This encouraged trade between large cities and regions
2.    The military and trade routes meant relatively easy access to large numbers of people (both by land and sea)
3.    The universal use of Greek as a result of former conquests aided communication
4.    The cosmopolitan atmosphere of the Empire – mixed cultures – enabled easier cross-cultural evangelism e.g., Jews who were culturally Greek (Barnabus from Cyprus, Paul the Roman citizen) were able to bridge cultures
5.    The very real and lasting impact of the ministry of Christ and the earliest apostles

To cite one illustration of the impact of the many miracles that Jesus and the early Christians performed,  Quadratus, writing very early in the second century, says:

“Our Saviour’s works were always there to see, for they were true – the people who had been cured and those raised from the dead, who had not merely been seen at the moment when they were cured or raised, but were always there to see, not only when the Saviour was among us, but for a long time after His departure; in fact, some of them survived right up to my own time.”  (Eusebius p.155 – Penguin edition)

That’s a tremendous insight. Those healed in the gospel accounts, as well as many others, continued to be witnesses of Christ’s power for many years.  The spread of the gospel through the Empire was assisted by these various factors, but the central message was consistent, and centred on Jesus Christ, His compassion, His power and His Lordship.

Next time we’ll look at the early Christians’ zeal for spreading the message…

Highlights from Church History

INTRODUCTION

The study of the history of the progress of the Christian Church is one of the most rewarding, challenging and life changing adventures.  We see God’s sovereign ability to honour His Son among the nations and reconcile multitudes to Himself by His grace. We will enjoy just some of the many examples of God’s triumphs through the centuries. We also see the continual battle between genuine faith and spiritual opposition, traditionalism, worldliness and sin. These studies are intentionally biographical in order to connect history more immediately to our own hearts and lives. As we catch some brief glimpses of heroes and heroines of previous generations let’s allow God to challenge us afresh and stir us with passion for the glory of His Name and for the blessing of many in our own day.

I do hope you will enjoy these posts as they go up. It’ll be great fun and hopefully we’ll be learning together. We’ll begin at about where the Book of Acts ends and ride the great and powerful wave of grace through the centuries to our present time. I hope you’ll bookmark this page and join me for an uplifting look at Christ’s Glorious Achievements!

Lex