“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”
Matthew 28:18
The Roman Empire was at one of its greatest moments in terms of size and influence. The borders of the empire were larger than ever before. Their elaborate governing system was in full operation. Tax money was coming in at a higher rate than ever. Truly the Roman Empire was operating in one of its finest hours. It was the most modern civilization the world had ever known.
If it were possible for the leader of this great empire, Tiberius Caesar, to have looked from his palace in Rome all the way to a distant remote mountain somewhere in Galilee where eleven men were gathered around their leader, and if he were able to hear what this leader was saying to these eleven men, there is little doubt that he would have laughed out loud. The leader said to His disciples, “I have been given complete authority…”
However, if Caesar could have seen about 350 years into the future, he would have been aghast to see his successor naming Christianity as the official state religion. It took less than 400 years for Christianity to conquer the great Roman Empire. History would later show that this act of being made an official religion of the empire would be a blight rather than a blessing to Christianity. However, it is still significant to see how a church of only eleven impacted the entire known world in such a short time.
How were they able to achieve this feat? It was through power – Holy Spirit, God-given power. We can impact our world because we have the same Holy Spirit living within us, thus the same power.
Prayer Focus: Pray that the leaders of Grace Gathering will be mightily filled with Holy Spirit power and thus impact the world for Christ. For yourself, pray or sing the words of this song:
“Breathe on me, breath of God, love and life that make me free. Breathe on me, breath of God, fan the flame within me. Teach my heart, heal my soul, and speak the mind that in Christ we know. Take me to your sanctuary. Breathe on me. Speak to me, voice of God. Comfort, heal, restore with love. Breathe on me.”
