As we near the end of Luke’s gospel, remember his purpose statement from Chapter 1 – he wanted to create an orderly account of the events of Jesus’ life. He was essentially on a mission to find out from eyewitnesses, “What happened next?” Luke would go on to write the book of Acts, which recorded the earliest history of the Christian church. And what happened next? Well, quite a bit…
100–300 AD — Extreme persecution
Christians imprisoned, executed, scattered… yet the church multiplies
300s AD — From outlawed to dominant
Legalized under Constantine → becomes the primary faith of Rome
400–800 AD — Survives collapse
Roman Empire falls → chaos spreads → the church preserves truth and Scripture
800–1500 AD — Endures the Middle Ages
Faith continues, though often mixed with tradition and corruption
1500s — The Reformation
Scripture rediscovered → gospel clarity restored → church renewed
1600–1700s — Global missions take off
The gospel starts crossing oceans to new continents
1700–1800s — Great revivals
Spiritual awakenings in Europe and America
1800–1900s — Missions explosion in the industrial era
The gospel spreads worldwide at unprecedented speed
1900s — Global church growth
Christianity expands rapidly across Africa, Asia, and Latin America
Today — The church is global
Not centered in one place → millions of believers worldwide
And now, the question stands for us to answer – “What happens next?” The future of the church, and your role in it, is currently being written. For some of us, it’s professing faith in Christ. For others it may be following the Lord in baptism. For others, it’s continuing to grow as a disciple in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Resurrection Sunday reminds us that Jesus is very much alive. He’s calling men and women to himself every day, transforming lives, and rescuing them from the penalty of sin and death.
Hallelujah!
