Why Study So Much?

We’ve seen how God’s Word has the power to transform lives. It encourages and comforts us in time of need. The Word of God is the foundation of the faith upon which we stand. The advice we’re going to give you on memorizing God’s Word can also be applied to anything else you’re studying. If you’re in need of retaining information for your studies or work, we think you’ll find this class to be of help. Before we go into the practical steps, let’s look at a few reasons why we should make an effort to memorize.

Why memorize?
For your own spiritual strength and encouragement in the present – renewing your mind in Jesus
God speaks to you through His Word that you have learned
To help you share God’s Word with others
A Bible may not be available during the dark days ahead
A weapon in your walk of faith

For your own spiritual strength and encouragement in the present – renewing your mind in Jesus
The mind can be compared to a computer database: It has to be filled with something, good or bad. Our reflexes are mentally conditioned to react in a certain way according to what we have been taught or experienced. Jesus, by His Word, spiritually cleanses us and gives us something positive with which to fill it.
Ephesians 5:26b – … with the washing of water by the Word.
Romans 12:2a – Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Psalm 37:31 – The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
Look at the previous verse. If the Word isn’t in his heart, his steps will slide, and he’ll get off the right track.
Fill your mind and heart with positive, encouraging, strengthening, and faith-building thoughts from God’s Word, remembering, memorizing, and quoting to yourself.

God speaks to you through His Word that you have learned
The Lord speaks to us by bringing to mind the passages we have memorized.
John 14:26 – But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
God knows His own Book better than anybody, and He can bring verses to your remembrance by His Spirit when you need it. If you’ve faithfully read, studied, and memorized, He’ll pop the verses up in your little computer (mind) whenever you make the right connection in your programming. He’s the best computer programmer I know, and He’s given you the best computer ever constructed!
One reason that memorizing is important is because it isn’t always possible to read. Maybe you wake up in the night and you can’t turn on the light without disturbing someone. Or maybe you find yourself in a place or difficult situation without your Bible handy. Or maybe you are too sick to read. The only Scriptures you’ll have at those times (which could well be the time when you need them most) are the Scriptures you have committed to memory.
It is also easier to claim in prayer the promises that the Lord has made in His Word when we know these promises by heart.
2 Peter 1:4 – By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.

To help you share God’s Word with others
Knowing specific passages and Scriptures also helps us in sharing our faith with others, as Peter advised:
1 Peter 3:15b – Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.
The Lord’s Word says that you should be prepared to give answers to those who ask and that you should know the Word:
2 Timothy 2:15 – Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing [dissecting] the Word of truth.
There are times that you need to know the Bible and be able to quote it and find Scriptures in order to show them to the person you are speaking with.

A Bible may not be available during the dark days ahead
The Bible warns us that in the Last Days there will be a great famine for the Word of God.
Amos 8:11-12 – “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Words of the Lord. (12) They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the Word of the Lord, but shall not find it.
Some day the only Word of God we have may be what we’ve implanted in our hearts. Having memorized Scriptures, we will be able to quote them in times of trouble. Nobody will ever be able to take away the Word of God you have hidden in your heart!

A weapon in your walk of faith
Hebrews 4:12 – For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
As we’re going to talk more about later in the course, a follower of Jesus’ teachings will find that his life is not always easy. Jesus Himself suffered opposition – spiritually from the Devil (Matthew 4:1-10) and physically from His enemies. God has given us His Word to use as our spiritual weapon to fight the battles that beset us. It’s up to us to memorize and use it.

These points can be applied to anything you are memorizing and studying, not just Scripture memorization.

Your memory can be developed like a muscle
The more you use it, the stronger it gets, but lack of use causes it to weaken.
The more you concentrate, the easier it is to memorize
Finding a quiet place, free from distractions, will help a lot.
An unfocused camera gives an unclear picture, and a wandering mind, easily distracted, doesn’t get a clear picture of the things it observes, finding them hard to remember. If you give your full attention, then you’ll get a good, clear picture of that verse printed on your mind.

Find the best time for you
In the morning when you’re fresh after waking up, or right before you start your work, is usually best. All you need is 5-10 minutes when you can concentrate without distraction, if possible. Or, try the evenings. The important thing is to find the best time for you. Some people like to start the night before by reading over the verses they want to memorize the next day, so that when they wake up, they’re already familiar with them.

Sight, sound, and action
Most people remember best what they see, while others remember best what they hear, and another portion best what they do in actual motions. By using all three of these faculties, you can increase your ability to remember. For example, by reading, you use your sight. If you quote your memory work out loud, you hear it too, as well as use your mouth to speak it. Then by writing the same verse to be memorized, it is often better remembered.
Simply, the more involved you become with your memorization, the better you remember it.

Memory work is work
It does take a certain amount of determination and self-discipline on your part. Make hiding the Word in your heart a life-long habit! When it becomes a habit, it will get easier.
It’s plain hard work to memorize! You have to work at it – like digging a hole or scrubbing the floor or washing the windows or dishes, it’s just hard work! You’ve got to keep repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating! Normally you’ll memorize a verse phrase by phrase, that’s about the best way to do it.
Don’t worry if it seems to take quite awhile, especially at first, to memorize a verse. It’s not a contest to see how quickly you can learn. The goal is to get it down, and keep it in your heart.

The law of memory is repeat, repeat, repeat!
Set a goal or memory project for each week
So you don’t have to decide each day what you’re going to learn that day. There are three suggested verses in each class in the Study Notes book. We’ll talk more about this in a minute.

Our decision to memorize shouldn’t be based on our feelings

A poor memory can be caused by constantly saying your memory’s poor. But “know that you can!” and claim this verse:
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Another reason we may not get around to memorizing may be simply that we don’t always feel like it, but we should memorize no matter how we feel.
Feeling enthusiastic about memorizing verses is great, but it’s not a good enough motivation because those feelings may not last or be consistent. Feeling enthusiastic about doing something is a motivation that comes and goes – mostly goes! The motivation that we need to hang on to comes from the facts, not the feelings.
What are some of the facts about memorizing upon which we should base our decision?
God’s Word tells us to hide the Word in our heart.
It helps us in our spiritual walk with the Lord.
It helps us to help others.
Some day we’re not going to have the Word on paper, and what we hide in our hearts is what’s going to keep us.
All those facts are the consistent motivation that we need to be reminded of over and over!
Psalm 1:1-2 – Blessed is the man … (2) [whose] delight is in the law [Word] of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

Selecting verses to memorize
Two important keys to memorizing are:
1. To understand why you are memorizing a certain verse; in other words, what is the purpose for memorizing it? To what practical use can you put it?
2. To make sure that you understand the meaning of all the words in the verse you are memorizing.
Often there is a story or supporting passage behind each individual verse you want to memorize, and if you know the context of the verse, you will understand the verse better and be more likely to remember it.
If a verse answers a question you’ve had, comforts you or helps you through some time of testing, this is the best kind of verse to memorize, as it has special meaning and interest to you and will therefore stick with you the longest.

How precisely do you need to remember the wording of a verse?
Some verses have difficult wording. If you have difficulty remembering the exact wording, ponder these points:
When you’re quoting a verse to somebody, if you don’t remember the verses exactly, you probably will just paraphrase them, and as long as you’ve caught the spirit of the verse and it means the same, that’s fine.
Sometimes when you’re praying you really want to get the exact words of the promise to bring before the Lord. But if you can’t, you can still pray and claim the promise even if you don’t have the exact words. It’s just as good to the Lord, because He knows what you’re trying to say and the point you’re trying to remember.
In conclusion, if you can get the exact wording, that’s best, but it’s much better to learn something than not learn anything. You don’t have to worry too much about having the exact words all the time, as long as you get the general point of the verse.
Don’t get stuck with details. If you’re going to have the attitude that you haven’t learned the verse until you can quote every word exactly right without one mistake, then you’re going to spend lots more time memorizing than you need to. You might progress faster if you’re a little less precise but learning a greater variety of verses. And eventually, as you review the verses, you’ll probably get the wording correct too.

Learning the references?
Try if possible to learn the references (the book, and the chapter and verse numbers) along with the verse itself. This will help you in finding the verse later on, which is especially useful when sharing your faith with others.
It’s good to quote the Scripture, but if you don’t know where it’s found in the Bible, you run the risk of the person you’re speaking with saying, “Is that really in the Bible? Where is it?” If you don’t know and can’t show it to them, then how does he know whether you even know the Scripture?
Whereas, if you know the references to key verses, you can show them the verse right out of the Bible. That is actually one of the best ways of teaching others, letting them read the verse themselves.
You will have more confidence to teach others if you know where the important verses are.
If you can learn the references, that is a good thing. However, if having to learn the references is going to discourage you from learning the verses, then it’s better not to worry too much about the references.
One thing you can do to learn references is to repeat the reference at the beginning and at the end of a verse each time you quote it.
Another possibility is to at least remember the book that it’s in. Then it’s fairly easy to find the verse if you need to.

Do you know the way to the post office?
The point is that if you are going to use the Bible as a tool, and you are going to use passages and verses out of the Bible to prove your point or to give the truth to people, if you don’t know where those verses are, how are you even going to find them? How are you going to show them to somebody else if you don’t even know where to find them yourself?
It would be like the little newsboy on the corner, when the famous evangelist Billy Sunday asked him the way to the post office. After the boy told him, he said, “Okay, now you come out to my meeting tonight, and I’ll tell you how to get to Heaven!” – And the tough little newsboy said, “Huh! You don’t even know the way to the post office!”
So if you don’t even know how to find the verses in the Bible, how can you purport to be wise enough to tell others how to find Heaven!

What to memorize

Individual verses or short passages:
The Key Bible Verses booklet contains a comprehensive list of verses on a variety of topics, ideal for your personal devotional use and for witnessing. Rather than memorizing all the verses on salvation and then moving on to the next topic, it would most likely be best to begin with learning one or two key verses from each category so that you will have a wider variety of Scriptures memorized. Then you can go back and memorize more verses in that section at a later date.
You will also find three key verses in the Study Notes book for each class. If you memorize every verse in the Study Notes book, by the end of this course you will know approximately 75 Scriptures!

Longer passages and chapters:
The Psalms and certain portions of the Gospels like the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 are wonderful memory projects. Psalms like number 23 (comfort) are all-time favorites.
(As we proceed through the course, you’ll be finding out ideas of key chapters to memorize.)

Reviewing
If you plan on memorizing a number of verses, you will need an organized system of review. If you don’t have a plan and method for regularly reviewing what you have memorized, you will eventually forget the verses.
You can write out your memory verses in a small, sturdy notebook.
If you carry it with you wherever you go, you can pull it out to review in spare moments while waiting, traveling, etc.
If you are memorizing verses from a compiled booklet like the Key Bible Verses or from the Study Notes book, you could highlight or somehow mark each verse as you memorize it and this will make it easier for you to find the verses for review.
In a notebook, you can write down the references and first few words of each verse you memorize and then use this for reviewing.
For example:
John 1:12 As many as
John 3:3 Except a man
John 3:16 For God so
John 3:36 He that believes
A seven-day calendar review system can help you retain what you learn.
After you have learned a verse, you should review it twice a day for the next seven days.
One convenient way to keep track of the verses you memorize is by writing them (or at least the reference) in a small diary or calendar. Then each day, take this diary and review the verses, working back seven days.
In addition to this, you should work out a method of reviewing all of the verses you memorize. As your “memory diary” fills up, you could work through the diary’s contents week by week. This means, every day you could review whatever you memorized during the previous 7 days, plus another seven days, and gradually work through the year like this.

Putting your verses into use
Use the verses you memorize by sharing them with others, through your prayers or witnessing (telling others about your faith).

A person does not get faith by himself. The LORD GOD decides how much faith a person will have, and deals it to each man accordingly.

His measure focuses on six areas to determine how much faith to give you after you are called forward by Him.

He examines you to determine your ability to…

1) Be a living sacrifice
2) Be holy
3) Be acceptable of God
4) Be non-conforming to this world
5) Be able to transform yourself by the renewing of your mind
6) Be able to prove what is the good, acceptable, perfect will of God

1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Romans 12:1-3 AV)

Reasonable service to the LORD GOD, means the reasonable amount of worship that the LORD GOD expects from one of his people.This reasonable service consists of three of the measured areas…

1) Be a living sacrifice
2) Be holy
3) Be acceptable of God

Worshipping the LORD GOD means you must be a living sacrifice. A living sacrifice means that you give up your will, and allow the Will of the LORD GOD, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to perform works through you. Worshipping the LORD GOD also requires you to be holy and acceptable to Him. These areas are measured by the LORD GOD from his expectation that these three areas are reasonable requirements that should be met.

The LORD GOD uses the other three measurements for determining the amount of faith you will receive. These three measurements are not under the “reasonable service” standard. They are not required for faith to be given by the LORD GOD, but they are important measurements to test for your ability to handle faith. People given large amounts of faith will possess these other three abilities, and people of little faith will not. These three measurements are

4) Be non-conforming to this world
5) Be able to transform yourself by the renewing of your mind
6) Be able to prove what is the good, acceptable, perfect will of God

The six measurements that the LORD GOD uses to determine the meting out of faith are not works, but spiritual necessities for faith.

Understand this well. Anytime that you are doing any of these six things, you are doing them as a matter of spiritual necessity. They are not works and they will not be rewarded as works. These six measurements are used by the LORD GOD to give you faith. He determines the measurements, and He determines the standards, and in His Grace, He decides how much faith you will have.

The LORD GOD, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will not think you are great for letting Them use your body. It is expected of you. It is a spiritual standard required of you by the LORD GOD. However, if they use your body, and works result, you will receive reward from those works. So, being a living sacrifice is your spirituality which leads to faith. What your body does as a living sacrifice is works

So…when you see some with great faith, and some with little faith, recognize that their faith is given to each individual by the LORD GOD after a careful and exacting measurement in six areas to determine the amount of faith that they can handle. To increase the amount of faith that is rewarded to you, attention must be paid to those six attributes, all of which are dependent upon a steady and forward walk with Jesus Christ, study of His Word, and a dedicated focus on the Things of God.

Written by: David “Bucker” Becker

The spirit or attitude of unity in a congregation should manifest itself in members working together, sharing the work load, serving one another.

A. Members Should Desire to Share (Have Fellowship) in the Work

Congregations need a spirit of cooperation in which members are committed to participating in the work. This includes work done outside the assemblies, but most of the opportunities to participate in church work will directly or indirectly involve church meetings.

Acts 2:42 – Members of the first congregation continued steadfastly in fellowship (sharing, joint participation, communion, “togetherness”). When and how was this done? In was done in studying the apostles’ teaching, in the Lord’s Supper, and in prayer: i.e., in worship!

They “were together” and helped members in need (vv 44,45). They continued daily with one accord in the temple (v46). Their unity and fellowship was expressed in being together to do the work of the church, especially worship.

Acts 4:23 – In time of opposition, apostles met with “their own companions” (ASV) and prayed (vv 24,31). As a result, the group worked together to teach God’s word (v31) and meet the needs of the members (vv 32-35).

Note that the group had a sense of belonging and working together. They recognized that the group was “their own,” and they desired to be with that group and work with that group. They had a spirit of cooperation, and it expressed itself in their commitment to meet together.

Acts 9:26-29 – When Saul moved to Jerusalem, he also wanted to be part of the group (join himself to the disciples). After his background had been checked and he was found to be a faithful Christian, the church received him. He was “with them” coming in and going out, participating in the work of preaching.

Again, these people understood that they needed to be part of the group and be “with” the group. There was work to be done, and members should desire to participate in that work. That required them to be part of the group (“join” themselves to it) and to be “with” the group.

Ephesians 4:16 – This pattern should be true of all the parts. All should work to build up the body. Each Christian should be a “part” in the body (member) then they should be “working,” doing their “share” (fellowship) so the body can grow and be built up.

Romans 12:5 – We are members one of another. Context (vv 4-8) shows we should therefore use our abilities to work diligently. In our physical body we understand the need for cooperation. Every member must do its share of the work, or the body suffers and is ineffective.

In the church, we have seen repeatedly that much of the work is done when the church meets.

Note carefully the Divine pattern: Faithful Christians “join” the disciples in a local church, they are “with” the disciples (meeting), and they work with the disciples. Members who do not attend assemblies and classes will not be much involved in the work. They are simply not following God’s pattern.

B. Members Should Desire to Serve One Another.

Galatians 5:13 – Through love serve one another. All of us can assist, encourage, and benefit other Christians. We should want to do so.

Galatians 6:2 – The law of Christ teaches us to bear one another’s burdens. Other members have works or hardships that we can help them with. We should be committed to doing so.

1 Peter 4:10 – We all have gifts or blessings from God. We are stewards of these blessings. God gave them to us to use in His work. In particular, we should use them to minister (serve) one another. A member who is not making opportunity to use his spiritual abilities to serve, is not a good steward of God’s blessings.

Ephesians 4:12 – The church was organized (v11) for the purpose of equipping members to accomplish works of service (ministry) so the church can be edified (or built up – v16).

The local church exists to arrange opportunities for members to study, worship, and work for the Lord. Since members should want to accomplish the works of service, it follows that we are expected to be part of the local church and involve ourselves in its work. Note that nothing we have discussed here is in any way limited to any particular day of the week or any particular assembly or number of assemblies. These principles apply to any meeting the church arranges on any day of the week to give members opportunity to work.

[Matt. 25:31-46]

C. Applications to Attendance

1. Assemblies are one of the primary opportunities the church provides for members to fulfill their duty to serve and to share (participate) in the work.

This is why we have repeatedly seen that Christians were together in church meetings worshiping and working.

* In assemblies we can participate or share in learning and in teaching and admonishing one another, as already discussed.

* In assemblies we have fellowship in praising God, as already discussed.

* In assemblies we learn about other work we can do in the announcements. What are “the announcements”? Why do we have them? They provide members with information about opportunities to serve! They tell us what is happening the church and in the lives of other members so we can pray for one another and serve one another. This is the church “equipping” us for service!

Specifically, we learn the needs of other members: sick, hospitalized, troubled, need of prayers, financial needs, people who have been baptized or have confessed sins. We learn of various other work opportunities that the church is arranging: visitation meetings, work days, gospel meetings, etc.

* Events in our assemblies or discussion following our assemblies often suggest ways to serve.

Sometimes in our meetings, apart from the announcements, we learn in other ways of opportunities to serve. If people are baptized or confess sins or ask for prayers, we are there to encourage and pray for them.

In talking privately with people before or after services we may learn of opportunities. Don’t just rush right out after the dismissal. And don’t just stand around talking to your close friends or family members. Stay around and talk to other people, express an interest, get to know their needs, and look for ways to serve! Get to know our visitors and find ways to encourage them. Ask other members about their wellbeing or about their family, and look for ways to serve!

Often the moments following a church meeting is when people discuss some Bible subject privately or schedule a private meeting to study some Bible subject. Often we schedule private studies or small group studies immediately following or preceding our church assemblies.

People who want to work, need to know what work needs to be done. We generally learn this information when we are together, especially in the assemblies. In short, the assemblies are one of the main ways the church “equips” the members to edify one another and build the church up. Since members are commanded by God to share in this work, it follows that fellowship in serving one another should lead members to see their need to be present whenever the church is meeting.

2. When members neglect opportunities to attend, they are not cooperating and sharing in the work.

Some people habitually come late, so they miss the announcements. Some leave early, so they are not there if people are baptized or confess sins. They don’t spend time to get to know other members or visitors before or after church meetings. As a result, they don’t look for ways and don’t know ways to be involved in the work. Is this the spirit of cooperation and sharing in the work that a diligent Christian should have? Does this show a desire to serve other Christians? Are such people diligently looking for opportunities to participate in the work?

And what about people who miss whole services? Are they cooperating and seeking opportunities to serve? They miss the opportunities to be taught, to edify others, and to praise God that are given throughout each assembly or Bible class. They miss the information given about the needs of others and other opportunities to serve. If we really want to serve, why would we neglect such opportunities?

Yes, there are some works of service we can do outside the assemblies. But it is a simple fact: that people who regularly miss the assemblies, generally do not know what work needs to be done nor what others are doing. If they are not interested and dedicated enough to even come, what are the chances they will be dedicated enough to do works of service outside the assemblies? How many people do you know who habitually neglect coming but are still deeply involved in the work?

3. People who do not attend regularly “do not feel part of the group.”

This is one of the most common complaints about every congregation I have ever attended. No matter how friendly, caring, and loving the members are, some members will say, “We just don’t feel part of things. We don’t feel included. We don’t have a sense of belonging.” They usually say this as though it was a criticism of the congregation: it is the other members’ fault.

99 times out of 100, people who say this have not been regularly attending the services or are not making a diligent effort to be involved in the work. When invited to participate in a work, they often decline (or they accept the job but neglect it and drop out).

If an employee of a company attends only 1/2 to 1/4 of the times employees are scheduled to meet to work, will he feel part of the group? If a student attends class only once of every 3 or 4 times the class meets and even then he does not do his homework, will he feel part of the group? If a child in your family participates in only 1/3 or 1/4 of the things everybody else does together, will he/she feel part of the group?

People who regularly miss church meetings “do not feel part of the group” because they are not doing what is required to feel part of the group. They are not cooperating, sharing, and having fellowship in the work.

For more on this article click the following link http://www.gospelway.com/church/attendance-unity.php

Since the coming of the Messiah, we as believers in Christ have been entrusted with a mandate that was delegated onto us by the Christ himself. Jesus declared to us saying, “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus boldly made this statement onto his followers to “go” to every nation, but also made a promise to them by saying, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Furthermore, it is evidently clear on what He expects from us, but also knew beforehand what we where going to accomplish for the honor and glory of God. Therefore, I will attempt to selectively point out three different epochs where we can visualize this commandment not only coming to effect, but also become cognizant that everything that has happened in the past has occurred precisely according to what He had declared onto his followers. First we will take some time to recap on what occurred in the era of the first church after Jesus’ ascension but also depict his prophecy, the persecution of the early church, and how it the church spread abroad. Secondly, we will stop to pay close attention to what happened in the 16^th century, where I believe was a breaking point in the dawn of a new era with the early reformers, the latter effective reformers, and the spread of this new movement. Lastly I will take us to the modern epoch where much has been accomplished as far as God moving throughout the world. However, in the last century much has yet to be done and our objective should be primarily fixed for the future.

While Jesus was at the proximity of His departure, He culminated by delegating instructions to His followers which included the 11 remaining disciples that He trained for three years, and entrenched within them all He knew. Jesus encapsulated all that was going to take place in the future when He prophesied to His followers declaring that they “would be witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the utter most parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Therefore, we see that God’s mission begins to evolve 50 days after Jesus had ascended onto heaven. The people in Jerusalem where filled with the Holy Spirit during the day of Pentecost and caused many God-fearing Jews to never return to their homes; but rather to become associated with the overall plan Jesus had discussed with the individuals that where at his presence upon his ascension. In the chapters 1 through 7 in the New Testament History Book, which is better known as, the Acts of the Holy Spirit, Acts of the Apostles, or simply the book of Acts, we discover that the gospel spread abroad. Many Jews never returned home, so therefore, many stayed in what was called households, but can also be translated as communities. However, in chapter 8 we notice that there was a great persecution that caused the early church to scatter. The book of Acts clearly states, “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the Apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1). Due to the occurrence of this dreadful atrocity we can envision that Jesus’ prophecy came to pass precisely as He declared prior to leaving the earth. In chapter 11 and the rest of the book of Acts we are able observe the Holy Spirit not only utilizing the Apostles, but other individuals as well when they went on to spread the gospel all throughout Asia Minor and ultimately Rome. In addition, if we take the time to scrutinize what took place within the early church we can capture that upon receiving their instructions or better yet, their mission. It’s evident that it corroborates with the Great Commission which was discussed in the paragraph above. In the next paragraph we will continue to give a picture of the greater effects that took place according to the commandment that was given by Jesus to fulfill God’s mission.

After the fall of Constantinople there was a period of two hundred years that caused a great deal of attention in Europe which is known as the “Reformation.” This began in Germany and spread over all northern Europe. Ultimately, this resulted in the establishment of national churches owning no adherence to the city of Rome. Jesse Hurlbut states, “The leaders of the movement were generally not priests nor monks, but laymen, especially in Italy, where the Renaissance began” (Hurlbut, 117). During the course of this time was when men began to rise up such as Desiderius Erasmus, who was engaged with the Roman Catholic Church, but devoted his life to literature. Prior to the Reformation, he became a relentless critic of the Catholic Church; however, by accomplishing many things he never joined the movement and remained outwardly a Catholic. Furthermore, there was a German Monk who had an undaunted spirit and was one of the men who established the Protestant movement. Hurlbut advocates that, “[Luther] was ordained to the priesthood, and soon attracted notice by his ability; was sent to Rome in 1510, and was disenchanted by what he saw there of the worldliness and wickedness in the church. In 1511 he began his career as a reformer by attacking the selling of indulgences or pardons for sins, and as we have seen nailed his theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg” (Hurlbut, 132). Thus, by the establishment of this movement many others followed. Luther was able to spread the gospel to many through the translation of the bible where he spent countless hours translating Greek to German. It’s evident that God was using men such as Martin Luther who where under persecution to spread the gospel of truth and because of their courageous efforts the Great Commission was being fulfilled. During this epoch there were many casualties due to the fact of wars but this was the very reason why many scattered once more to embark to unknown territories. This is how the Puritans (Pilgrims) eventually sailed overseas to America because of the great persecution in England due to their beliefs in Christ Jesus.

As we continue to observe all throughout the beginning of the church until our modern epoch, we are able to come to the realization that much has happened; however, the Great Commission is not yet fulfilled. The world is not yet completely convinced nor reached, so therefore, our mission has not yet been accomplished. We live in a time where there is much confusion due to the fact that there are many false doctrines and less belief in God Almighty. Stanley M. Horton makes a significant point by saying, “One might ask how the gospel can be credible and powerful enough that people would actually believe that a man who hung on a cross really has the last word in human affairs. Undoubtedly, the only answer, the only hermeneutic of the gospel, is a congregation of people who believe it and live by it” (Horton, 573). The church is made up of people who have suffered, died, and given all that they posses for what they believe. As a result, we must continue on this endeavor that has been delegated by Jesus not only to the early church, but also onto us. Horton goes on to assert that, “Our mission as a Church [has] its significance in sharing with a dying world a God whose purpose is to have a people out of every people” (Horton, 573). Hence, God’s efforts are indefatigable amongst His creation and is constantly seeking to reach them which leaves us as “people called and empowered (Acts 1:8) to be fellow workers with Christ in His redemptive mission” (Horton, 574). Thus, by declaring the good news about God’s redemptive plan to save humanity from eternal darkness and self destruction; we are called to be the divine light “with Christ and the Spirit, [however,] the Church has already begun its existence as the people of God having not only roots in the past, but also, and more importantly, a focus on the future” (Horton, 574). Our mission is no different from the mission that was given to the early church nor any other individuals who follow Christ. We must continue to endure until the very end of time so that when our time is up we may receive our eternal prize.

Jesus Christ said that He would return at an hour that we least expect, (Matthew 24:44) so as the “Church” we are in a never-ending quest to reach the world for God simply because He does not want anybody to parish (2 Peter 3:9). As a result, it is our duty to carry on in this venture to reach the world for his honor and glory. Nevertheless, we must never forget of the command that was given onto us; “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15). God is still with us and will continue to be with us until the end of time. It is uncertain when He is going to return for His bride, but I solemnly believe He will execute what He commanded as it was displayed in the early church, portrayed all throughout history, and will fulfill the prophecies that where given about his second coming. Perhaps He is tarrying because He is a merciful God who has complete sovereignty and may not return until every person has heard about the gospel. It is beyond a question of a doubt that He will carry out his plan, but we must understand that it is our mission as the church to be willing to perform His marvelous works and declare to this world that there is a God who is alive and well who desires that His creation would all inherit everlasting life with Him in paradise.

Work Cited

1. Gonzalez, Justo. The Story of Christianity. Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1984.
2. Holy Bible, The
3. Horton, Stanley M. Systematic Theology: A Pentecostal Perspective. Springfield, Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1995.
4. Hurlbut, Jesse. The Story of The Christian Church. Zondervan Publishing House, 1970.