The following was taken from Lester Sumrall's book, The Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit:
" The Acts of the Apostles records the actual history of the infant Christian Church. It presents the early Church as it progressed for one generation, its first 33 years. If you have any question concerning the early Church, the first thing you should do is read the Acts of the Apostles. God may have put the answer to your question within those pages.
The New testament Church began with only eleven disciples. (Of the original twelve, one was lost: Judas Iscariot.) By the day of Pentecost, there were 120. From that moment there began the greatest spiritual upheaval ever recorded by man. History has never known a period of time like those years following the day of Pentecost. Of the early Christian Church, it was written: . . . "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also" (Acts 17:6). Any people who have gained that kind of publicity and notoriety deserve to be studied at length.
How did they do it? Did they start a Bible school? Did they get a good advertising scheme? Did they hire a good public relations man? We can see how people are trying to do it today; let’s see how they did it then - how the Gospel grew from an infant on the day of Pentecost to a church that encompassed the world in only one generation.
There have been great revivals and great spiritual leaders. Martin Luther changed a continent by the force and strength of one Bible truth: "The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17). John Wesley moved not only the continent of Europe, but the United States as well. John Knox moved the country of Scotland to God as he created what is known today as the Presbyterian church.
But for the greatest spiritual revolution in history, we cannot speak of those times; we must return to the day of Pentecost when the power of God was demonstrated with fire and with wind. The beginning of the Christian Church was more dramatic than any revival ever held on the face of the earth. It circumnavigated the then-known world.
We need to know how it was done. was there a specific pattern that we could follow - a pattern in the Word of God that perhaps has been hidden from us through the traditions of denominationalism? What makes the Acts of the Apostles - that fifth book of the New Testament - so outstanding? What makes it one of the most exciting books on the face of the earth?
The infant Church, born in Jerusalem, went forth to challenge and defy the entire Roman Empire with all its paganism, sensualism, witchcraft, and military might. Rome fell, but the little Church marches on!
The infant Church defied atheistic Athens with all its philosophical might, where the mighty brains of the Grecian Empire wrote their scripts. Standing on Mars Hill, the Apostle Paul boldly proclaimed the existence of a true and loving God. Who changed the lives of men. (Acts 17:22-31.)
The infant Church emerged to convert the untutored barbarian, living in a primitive hut and held in the clutches of the awful forces of witchcraft. To him, the Church said, "We will change you, transform you, make you a person you have never been before."
The infant Church had turned the world upside down. They were world-changers, but they did not change the world through intellectualism or by military might. They changed the world with the gifts of the Holy Ghost. The early Church knew what a battle was. It knew the issues of the battle and used only the weapons that would bring victory - the gifts of the Spirit. "
By George Konig
4/15/2007
www.georgekonig.org
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