The Christian Church begins
Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he instructed the disciples to go and preach the gospel to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This is called ‘The Great Commission’.
The Christian church began …
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The growth of the early church is recorded in the Book of Acts.
Jesus told the disciples ‘you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’
On the day of Pentecost they were given the Holy Spirit, which Jesus had promised. From that day onwards they began to preach with great power, and thousands were added to their number each day.
The Ascension
40 days after Jesus’ resurrection, he ascended to heaven. This was witnessed by the disciples and the details were recorded by Mark and Luke.
The Bible says that he is now the exalted Son of God, seated at the right hand of the Father.
10 days after this, on the day of Pentecost, Jesus’ followers were gathered together and the Holy Spirit came upon them.
That day they spoke in various languages and about three thousand people believed. The church began to grow and spread.
The number of Christians worldwide today is estimated to be over 2 billion!
Dig deeper
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus are recorded by his followers who were either witnesses of these events, or friends of witnesses.
The first four books of the New Testament are the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Luke also wrote the book of Acts and became known as an accurate historian. He wrote ‘I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning’.
Matthew wrote down the famous words of Jesus which have become known as ‘The Great Commission’.
The Bible says
Matthew 29:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore 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 have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’
Acts 1:3
After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:7,8
He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’