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Gospel and Contemporary Organization
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Gospel and Contemporary Organization
Introduction
The early days of the Church were difficult for those who professed Christ as Lord and
Savior. Roman authorities were extremely receptive of other faiths so long as they paid
reverence to the Roman emperor; yet, the Romans grew more aggressive toward the Christianity
who refused to adhere to a monotheistic style to religion. But amid oppression, the number of
believers climbed. In reality, this was a widespread movement. According to (Stark, 2020), the
early church was a true popular movement. This figure is attributable to the propagation of the
Gospel. Through preaching, miracles, and performing good deeds the ancient spreading of the
Gospel rapidly boosted the number of Christians.
Facilitators of gospel growth
Evangelizing
The early Christians began spreading the gospel through sermons. Apostle Paul as well
as the twelve disciples were mandated with a responsibility to spread to all nations around the
world. In the books of Act Chapter 1-7, Jesus instructed his disciples to begin preaching the
gospel in Jerusalem and later Judea, later to Gentiles and to the entire world. Acts 1:8, (NIV)
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' The Christians were
instructed by Jesus to hasten the gospel the ends of the earth.
The sermons from Christians brought people to Christ through faith. The faith enabled
people to believe in God through salvation (Stark, 2020). Therefore, the teachings from the
apostles is was an indication of their need to spread the word of God worldwide. In their
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evangelism, they were aware that their lives were at risk. This did not, however, make them
fearful. It gave them courage instead. They never feared death while evangelizing and never
denied their faith. Through this, it is abundantly clear that the gospel spread worldwide and that
many people were persuaded by the message they carried.
Miracles
The growth of Christianity was also accredited to miracles. Jesus performed miracles
throughout his life and the people who witnessed them were astonished. Some of the miracles
Jesus performed were witnessed by the chief Apostle, Peter. Peter also performed miracles.
Disciples such as Peter performed miracles, through the power given to them by Jesus Christ.
The chief Apostle found the suffering man at the temple, took him by the hands and took
him out of distress, just like Jesus lifted Peter to faith earlier in the sea of Galilee. When Peter
found a leper by the Jerusalem gates and borrowed him money Peter stated ‘Silver or gold I do
not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk (Acts 3:
6)’. He later held his hand and demanded him to walk and the man was healed. His healing was
known in all of Jerusalem because he went the temple courts raising God for the miracle. “When
all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who
used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and
amazement at what had happened to him” (Acts 3:10, NIV)
Good deeds
Good deeds was another way to spread the gospel during the early church and win the hearts of
the lost.
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An example is when Jesus seen doing good deeds to a Samaritan woman at the well in Samaria,
Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman. He took the lead by approaching her without waiting
for an invitation. He begins the conversation on his own initiative. Jesus went on to shatter the
boundaries that had been established at the time (Driskill, 2018). Jews were forbidden from
communicating with Samaritans, and religious men were prohibited from conversing with
women. Godliness and sin were not to be combined further. Jesus defies culture by descending to
earth from heaven; he descends to earth as a small, poor Jewish boy. Consequently, he
transcends barriers and cultures in preparation for preaching the gospel. The example of Jesus
demonstrates the importance of immediately shifting the conversation to spiritual matters by
using a transitional point. Here, Jesus requests water and then asks if she desires the water of life.
Jesus listened to her as well and did not let her off the hook. In his approach to evangelism, he
prioritizes spiritual needs. Just like Jesus used good deeds behind grace, Christians were
expected to use the same to bring people to him.
Flourishing in Hostile Environment
The early Christian church decided to expand at a rapid rate. However, this expansion
was accompanied by hostility from the Roman Empire. Christians practiced their religion, but
they denied to be a part of the culture in which all religions were allowed to adhere to their
beliefs so as they did but under Roman rule and Roman supremacy (Irving & Strauss, 2019).
Their unwillingness to accept to the Roman Empire created a hostile environment for the early
Christians. By breaking their dependence on the Roman Empire for material needs and services,
however, Christians were able to thrive in this environment. Early Christians broke their
dependence on the Roman Empire through a system of social service as well as the practice
of entrepreneurship.
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Social services
To break the dependence from the empire, established social services to support their
livelihood. The Christians gathered their resources and distribute them to people in need.
According to Acts 4: 32 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any
of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had”. According to the Bible
commentary, states that Christians had many things in common, gathered and hence nobody
amongst them who lacked (Henry, 1961). The money was collected and given to the Apostle,
accountable for equal distribution of the resources to those in need.
Entrepreneurship
The early church also practiced entrepreneurship as a means of independence from the
Roman Empire. During that time, it was more common than not for people to have their own
business or a valuable trade (Stark, 2020). One example of entrepreneurs, a real estate owner
who sold his property to help those in need. Christian businesses became prominent by a
movement dominated by businesses to help the poor, widow and strangers living amongst
individuals. However, the Romans also tried to stop business Christians from making donations
to their church members. However, this did not stop individuals such as senator Marcello and
Bishop Lyons belonged to the wealth families and made major contributions to the needy in the
community.
Comparison of the Early Church and Contemporary Organization
Modern organizations exist to fulfill a mission by utilizing people and resources. "Think
of the organization as a means to an end," asserts Daft. It is a method of organizing people and
resources to achieve a specific (Driskill, 2018). Similarly, the early church organized its
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members and resources to achieve a specific goal. The early church organized individuals to
oversee the spread of Christianity. The apostles were these overseers. The apostles were also
charged with and organized to "testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 4: 13, NIV).
The early church organized its resources. All resources were gathered in one location. This
included the provision of food, clothing, and services. People and resources were organized for
the purpose of redistribution to members of the Christian community who were in requirement.
Mission
A mission is an essential component of organizations. According to (Irving & Strauss,
2019), the mission defines shared values and organizational beliefs. Organizational mission
communicates the existence of an organization and plans to serve its stakeholders. The mission
also shares organizational values towards their consumers, employees and other stakeholders. As
a result, the mission provides exceptional working environment by treating each other with
respect and dignity. The mission enabled individuals to embrace people from different cultures
and backgrounds, and desist from discrimination. The strategy of every organization is to
derive directly from the vision, as its purpose is to achieve the vision and accomplish the
organization's mission.
The early church, like contemporary companies, had a mission, which was to spread the
gospel to the whole world. As a result, preaching the gospel entailed taking care of the needy in
the society. The shared values were incorporated through Christian practice is Paul strategy of
putting resources together for the purpose of the gospel. As a means of self-sufficiency and
independence from the Roman Empire, their shared beliefs were reflected in their agreement to
consolidate resources and redistribute them to the poor.
Vision
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A vision is the anticipated ideal position of an organization over a particular time period.
Vision refers to the image of an organization during a particular time frame. Consequently, it is
the driving force of the organization, and all of its other activities are always geared toward
achieving it. It is essential to ensure that the organization's vision is attainable, measurable,
straightforward, adaptable, and inspiring to its members (Irving & Strauss, 2019). With a unified
vision, a business will be able to increase its profitability, establish itself as a formidable market
competitor, and earn the trust of devoted customers. Consequently, a strategic vision serves as
the "road map" that guides the business toward a prosperous future. Similarly, just like
organizational have visions, the main purpose of the early church is to preach the gospel by
enabling faith in people through salvation. The man vision of the early Christians continues
to carry on the vision of God which is to reach the gospel to the entire world. This vision is
intended to be accomplished soon enough in preparation of Jesus return.
Conclusion
The early church was a difficult time for those who existed at the time, proclaiming the
gospel of God. The growth of the gospel was successful through good deeds, sermons and
miracles. Roman authorities were intolerant of the practice of Christianity. The spread of the
Gospel, through sermons, miracles, and prayer, rapidly increased the number of Christians in
ancient times. The organizing of social services and generosity of entrepreneurs of that day
accounts for how the early Christians flourished in a hostile environment. Just like contemporary
organizations, the early church organized people and resources with the intent to accomplish a
specific purpose; the survival and sustainability of the Christians. An examination of all this has
helped to comprehend the speedy growth of Christians in the early church.
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References
Driskill, G. W. (2018). Organizational culture in action: A cultural analyssis workbook.
Routledge.
Henry, M. (1961). Matthew Henry's Commentary: Genesis to Revelation. Zondervan Publishing
House.
Irving, J. A., & Strauss, M. L. (2019). Leadership in Christian perspective: Biblical foundations
and contemporary practices for servant leaders. Baker Academic.
New International Version (NIV0. ® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Ron, Amos S., and Dallen J. Timothy. Contemporary Christian travel: Pilgrimage, practice and
place. Channel View Publications, 2018.
Stark, R. (2020). The rise of Christianity. In The Rise of Christianity. Princeton University Press
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