Unshakable Faith: How God Used Hardship to Spread the Early Church

Over the next few weeks, I invite you on a journey to explore what it truly meant to be a Christian during the foundational years of early Christianity.

This series grew out of a course I took on our Theological Heritage and the Early Church (through AD 300) as part of my pastoral requirements in the United Methodist Church. One of our core assignments was to build a sermon series from early church history.

Together, we are going to look at:

• The spread of Christianity from Pentecost to the rest of the known world.
  
  
• The early conflicts between believers and the Roman government, along with their bold defense of the faith.
  
  
• The foundational influencers and key historical moments of expansion.
  
  

Our journey begins where the movement gained momentum: The Diaspora of Judaism and the Mission to the Gentiles.

1. The Diaspora: Scattering the Seeds of Faith

“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria... Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”

— Acts 8:1b, 4

The Diaspora—or the dispersion of the Jewish people—is well-documented throughout the Old Testament. Israel and Judah were taken into captivity by Assyria and Babylon, a reality foretold by the prophet Jeremiah.

Even after the Babylonian exile, Jewish communities remained scattered across vast empires. In the Book of Esther, Haman spoke to King Xerxes about a unique people:

“There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people...”

— Esther 3:8

What made them different? Their worship. Their primary allegiance was to the Almighty, not to human kings. Though far from Jerusalem and without a temple, a faithful remnant kept the worship of God alive.

Because many scattered Jews maintained spiritual ties to their homeland, thousands traveled to Jerusalem for annual feasts. On the day of Pentecost, Jewish pilgrims from at least sixteen different nations heard the Gospel in their own languages (Acts 2:9–11).

2. From Jewish Synagogues to Gentile Hearts

By Acts 13, we see Paul and Barnabas strategically using scattered Jewish synagogues as springboards to preach Christ:

“On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, 'Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.'”

— Acts 13:14–15

Reaching out wasn't always smooth. Many clung strictly to traditional ways. When faced with strong opposition in Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas made a monumental pivot:

“We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.”

— Acts 13:46

The response was remarkable:

“When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.”

— Acts 13:48

While Paul never stopped loving or praying for his Jewish brothers and sisters, his calling was distinct. As he wrote in Galatians 2:7, he was entrusted with the Gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter was to the Jews.

3. How Persecution Pushed the Church Forward

Human nature tends to prefer comfort over movement. Left to itself, the early church in Jerusalem might have stayed right where it was.

God used an unlikely catalyst to scatter believers into the world: a young Pharisee named Saul.

“Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.”

— Acts 8:3

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples...”

— Acts 9:1

Before his miraculous conversion, Saul’s campaign against "The Way" forced Christians out of their comfort zones into Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch (Acts 11:19). God took the enemy's destructive intentions and repurposed them to spread the Gospel across trade routes and borders.

Through the exile centuries earlier and the persecution in the first century, God prepared the world to receive His New Covenant.

4. Reaching You and Me: Grace for the Outcast

If the early Jewish believers had kept the faith to themselves, where would we be? Paul reminds us of our spiritual roots:

“Remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth... were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace.”

— Ephesians 2:11–14

We have the Gospel today because early believers endured immense costs to pass it down.

Consider the sobering honor roll of faith in Hebrews 11:35–39:

• They faced torture, floggings, chains, and imprisonment.
  
  
• They were stoned, sawed in two, and put to death by the sword.
  
  
• They wandered in sheepskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated—“the world was not worthy of them.”
  
  

5. A Pastoral Reflection: What Does Faith Cost Us Today?

When we compare our lives to the early believers, it offers a convicting perspective.

We live in a culture where a unkind comment on social media or an unpleasant interaction in the grocery store can leave us discouraged or offended. Yet, most of us have never truly had to suffer for following Jesus.

It forces us to ask honest, searching questions:

• Do people around us even know we are followers of Christ?
  
  
• Do we speak, act, and respond differently than the culture around us?
  
  
• Is living out our faith our primary commitment, or just an afterthought?
  
  

Measuring Our Walk

I don't like giving out rigid checklists; our goal isn't to measure ourselves against other people, but to align ourselves with Jesus. However, if you want a practical look at what everyday Christian living looks like under trial, take time to read Hebrews 10:19–25 and Hebrews 13:1–17.

The early Christians endured hardships anchored by a deep hope. As Hebrews notes, God planned something better so that together with us His vision would be completed.

Closing Prayer & Reflection

God never wastes a trial. He used physical captivity, political displacement, and intense persecution to bring salvation to the ends of the earth—and ultimately to you and me.

• Reflect: Is there someone in your life right now who still needs to hear the hope of Christ?
  
  
• Challenge: Are you willing to endure inconvenience, discomfort, or social friction so that someone else might come to know Him?
  
  

Join me next week as we continue exploring what daily life, community, and conviction looked like in the early church.

Remember: God uses every situation to fulfill His sovereign plan for you, for me, and for the world.