The Leading Men and Women of the Early Church
You can tell if a movement is on the rise, or is declining, by watching what the leaders do.
Eckhard Schnabel reminds us that the leading men and women of the early church were missionaries and evangelists:
Peter in Jerusalem, in Samaria, in the cities of the coastal plain, in northern Anatolia and in Rome;
Stephen and Philip in Jerusalem, in Samaria and in the cities of the coastal plain;
Barnabas in Antioch and in Cyprus;
Paul in Nabatea, in Syria, in Cilicia, in Galatia, in Asia, in Macedonia, in Achaia, in Illyria, in Rome and in Spain;
Priscilla in Corinth, in Ephesus and in Rome;
Timothy in Macedonia, in Achaia and in Ephesus;
Phoebe in Corinth and in Rome;
Apollos in Achaia, in Ephesus and on Crete;
Thomas probably in India,
Matthew probably in Pontus, perhaps in Ethiopia, possibly in Syria;
John Mark in Antioch, in Cyprus and in Rome;
Luke in Antioch and in Macedonia;
John in Jerusalem, in Samaria and in Ephesus.
Nearly all the New Testament texts were written by theologians who had missionary experience, who had led people to faith in Jesus Christ, who had planted new churches, who had served as teachers and leaders of local congregations, who, very probably without exception, had traveled and visited other congregations, and who wrote their texts with numerous Christians and many congregations in mind.
