Faith & Reason Nexus

• Acts 1:8 – “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The early church grew rapidly, and throughout the book of Acts, we see the continuous expansion of God’s kingdom:

1. Acts 2:41 – “…There were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
2. Acts 2:47 – “…The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
3. Acts 4:4 – “…The number of the men was about five thousand.”
4. Acts 5:14 – “…Believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.”
5. Acts 6:1 – “…The number of the disciples was multiplied.”
6. Acts 6:7 – “…The word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied.”
7. Acts 8:12 – “…They were baptized, both men and women.”
8. Acts 9:31 – “…The churches were multiplied.”
9. Acts 9:42 – “…Throughout all Joppa, many believed in the Lord.”
10. Acts 11:21 – “…A great number believed.”
11. Acts 12:24 – “…The word of God grew and multiplied.”
12. Acts 13:49 – “…The word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.”
13. Acts 14:1 – “…In Iconium, a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.”
14. Acts 14:21 – “…When they had preached the gospel… and they had taught many.”
15. Acts 16:5 – “…The churches increased in number daily.”
16. Acts 17:4 – “…Some of them believed, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude.”
17. Acts 17:12 – “…Many of them believed.”
18. Acts 17:34 – “…Certain men clave unto him, and believed.”
19. Acts 18:8 – “…Many of the Corinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized.”
20. Acts 19:10 – “…All they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord.”

The gospel spread rapidly, and as described in Colossians 1:23, it reached “every creature under heaven”:

• Colossians 1:23 – “If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

The growth of the church was fueled by the spreading of the gospel, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the faithfulness of believers in sharing the message of Christ.