A Quick Look at the Early Church

And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word.”

(Acts 4:29, KJV)

The church was born in the valley of the shadow of death. Besides oppression, persecution, false teachings, and disloyal brothers, they faced the constant threat of the same merciless execution Jesus suffered.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’ve come to believe that regardless of the beautiful shock and awe of the resurrection, those first believers would have carried a primal tension at this morbid knowledge: they were as unwanted as Jesus was. They walked every day in the light of His resurrection and in the shadow of His excruciating death. If you’ve ever watched someone you love in pain, you know the powerlessness. The horror. The soul-deep drain. It’s a suffering all its own, and it stays with you.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
That’s our origin story. The first church had little prosperity, ease, or comfort. Certainly not glamor. Little safety. It was born in trauma, a logistical nightmare. They were commissioned “Spread good news, and by the way, you might die.”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
No wonder only one hundred twenty out of thousands had the guts to wait in the upper room where the power hit them like never before.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
A certain boldness took them there, and they left empowered with supernatural courage.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In that Spirit-filled state, they gave voice to the gospel all over the world. Loud, proud, and clear. They triumphed. Many died as martyrs, but they did it. They preached. Shared. Served. Preserved. Watched the fire fall again and again. We have their words. They kept the new message moving like a perpetual motion that won’t stop until Jesus returns. I have often taken for granted the monumental success of their accomplishment. They did it.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
God has been challenging my heart with questions like these: Have I embraced the whole story of Jesus? Lord have mercy, I want to think I’m a follower of Jesus, but how much am I like those first disciples? How much am I like Him? Am I walking in the boldness they had?