Our Faith Spread

God's plan of salvation going to the end of the earth began to be fully realized when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles in Caesarea just as it had been on the Jews in Jerusalem at Pentecost. Peter's vision confirmed what Jesus had taught in that God was making clean what was previously called unclean, and the newly-converted Paul was to be a primary instrument of His to take the gospel to the Gentiles.

"Christian," the name mockingly given by citizens of Antioch to those who seemed to believe all that Jesus said and did, became the embraced identity of believers. Many martyrs of the early church were asked to give their name before their execution, to which they replied, "Christian." When asked their nationality, they would say the same: "Christian." And this refrain began to be a demonstration not only of the unity of the believers of the early church, but their true and ultimate identity.