They reached a lot of people before they died and at least SPOKE THE LANGUAGE of those they tried to convert!!
If they had gone to this island first they wouldn’t be in the Bible!!
I’m SURE there were places where Jesus and Peter and John could have visited VERY early on with almost no chance of surviving, but they didn’t, did they?
But they weren’t out to make a name for themselves.
They were out to change lives.
They reached a lot of people before they died and at least SPOKE THE LANGUAGE of those they tried to convert!!
= = =
As I pointed out earlier today,
Acts 2
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
God does miracles. Could He have done one here?
jerusalem was famous for killing all that God sent to them. Jesus lamented that fact before he was crucified. That is where God sent him... early on in his ministry.
the early church was founded in an hostile environment, where the leaders, both political and religious wanted them all dead in almost every country that they went.
Paul was the best known christian murderer on the planet in his generation.
Virtually all of the apostles were murdered for their christian testimony... “martus”: witnesses to the point of death... with perhaps the exception of John the beloved... but that was not because the authorities did not try.
the very first christian martyr, a deacon of the house churches that met in Jerusalem was stephen. He was murdered at Jerusalem for his unwanted testimony.
That is HOW the early church in it’s entirety changed lives. That is the way of the “CROSS”.
Salvation, by God’s plan usually comes by planting the seed of death... of the witness sent.
as to what languages pre converts spoke, you could refer to Acts 2. where the early church supernaturally spoke whatever language they needed to use, by the power of the Holy Spirit and it was supernatural in its impact, and comprehension... it is recorded as the birth day of the church.
Jesus refused initially to speak to greeks in their native tongue... which he apparently knew. Yet in his preaching to jews, he was known to quote from the greek version of the old testament on occasion. one goes where God sends him to go, whether they are invited or not...
see the book of Jonah in the city of Ninevah.
seems to me that some folks around here rejoice when those they perceive as bible thumpers are crushed as they attempt to speak of their faith in a risen from the dead savior. whether that thumper is catholic, protestant, pentecostal... etc... they just HATE that christians of any stripe, will do things that make God’s testimony, commandments and willingness to invade lives apparent even where the Gospel is NOT WANTED... “go ye into ALL the world”
rofl... makes me smile. Because, Martyrdom is most often the precursor for massive divine intervention and inversion in the power of man, social groups, and governments... to the hands of God almighty.
blood waters the tree of revival and salvation. that quote about liberty and blood, is a biblical metaphor, a dog whistle of the founders to the majority of Christian sects who built this nation.
martyrdom, it’s not just biblical, it’s not just KNOWN tradition... it always triggers God’s invasion into places where he is violently NOT wanted. look for it here. USA.
if Jesus went to this island early on, he would have been crucified, buried and risen from the dead... perhaps just a little earlier. and it would be in the gospels... God’s plan ultimately is irresistible. Martyrdom is part of his plan.