"You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 1:8

At the Ascension (Acts 1) Jesus told His disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them and that they would be witnesses, starting where they were in Jerusalem ... then into the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria ... and then to the remotest part of the earth. They did receive power at Pentecost (Acts 2) and they became witnesses. The rest of the book of Acts recorded the expansion of their ministry into Jerusalem, into Judea and Samaria, and into the Gentile world and eventually Rome.

Peter and the apostles began in Jerusalem. The church grew by large numbers. Intense persecution, beginning at the stoning of Stephen, drove the early church into Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus and Peter's vision opened the door for expansion to the Gentiles ... into the remotest part of the earth. The apostle James was executed.

The first missionary journey took Paul and Barnabas from Antioch through Southeast Asia Minor. After this trip, they and Peter attended the Jerusalem Council that concluded that Gentile new believers did not have to be circumcised to be saved. The second missionary journey took Paul and Silas from Antioch into Macedonia and Greece accompanied by Luke and Timothy. Because of a disagreement with Paul, Barnabas and John Mark went on their own mission trip to Cyprus. The third missionary journey took Paul and his companions from Antioch through western Asia Minor. At the end of that trip, they returned to Jerusalem. Paul was arrested and held in Caesarea. That gave him a chance to give the Gospel to Governors Felix and Festus ... and to King Agrippa. Appealing his case to Caesar, Paul set sail as a prisoner to Rome on his fourth missionary journey. He was shipwrecked along the way ... giving him a chance to minister on the Island of Malta.

During his first Roman imprisonment, Paul ministered to many people while under house arrest for two years. He was released and revisited the churches. Paul was arrested a second time and held in a Roman prison. Then he was executed.

After Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, the apostle John moved to Ephesus and then was exiled to Patmos where he wrote Revelation.

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THE NEW TESTAMENT 1    PAGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
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