What kind of world was the Early Church bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ into?

In this installment of our series, we are in Didyma, home of the great temple of Apollo. It is almost an exact replica of the temple of Artemis in Ephesus where the Apostle Paul spent about three years of his ministry. Both temples were massive with sculpted columns and courtyards that give us a picture of the what would have been important to a lot of people in the ancient world. It was a world whose economy was directly connected to its system of pagan worship.

Money was made whenever a silversmith or any other artisan sold a shrine or statue of a god made of wood, stone or metal. This is significant because for every new believer in Christ the Early Church made and discipled, it was in essence, removing a customer from the economic system of pagan worship. Over time, the local economies eventually felt the impact of believers finding new life in Christ!

None of this would have even been possible without the Holy Spirit’s power! In fact, the Holy Spirit who empowered the Early Church to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ into the world they lived in, is the same Holy Spirit who empowers the Church to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ into the world we live in today! 

We were not meant to continue the Lord’s ministry in the world we live in in our own power, but in the Holy Spirit’s power. What does this look like for Christ-followers today? Take a listen and find out!