THE FIRST CHURCHES

by Robert  Brow  (www.brow.on.ca)   Aurora, Ontario     May 2008



After a list of imprisonments, floggings, shipwrecks, and other
dangers that he endured, Paul concluded: "And, besides other things, I
am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches" (2
Corinthians 11: 28). There were six churches to which Paul wrote his
letters (ROME, CORINTH, EPHESUS, PHILIPPI, COLOSSAE, THESSALONICA).
The Epistle to the Galatians was probably a joint letter to four
churches in the Province of Galatia (ANTIOCH in Pisidia, ICONIUM,
LYSTRA, DERBE) which Paul and Barnabas established during the first
missionary journey. The Apostle John wrote to seven churches in the
Province of ASIA Minor (EPHESUS, SMYRNA, PERGAMUM, THYATIRA, SARDIS,
PHILADELPHIA, LAODICEA). Peter wrote to Jewish Christians in PONTUS,
GALATIA, CAPPADOCIA, ASIA, and BYTHINIA(1 Peter 1:1). There were other
churches mentioned by name which do not have letters connected with
them (ALEXANDRIA, ANTIOCH in Syria, ATHENS, BEROEA, CAESAREA,
CAPPADOCIA, CENCHREA, COLOSSAE, DAMASCUS, ILLYRICUM, JOPPA, LYDDA,
PAPHOS, PTOLEMAIS, PUTEOLI, SAMARIA, SIDON, TARSUS,TROAS). Perhaps 6
churches were planted in CRETE (Titus 1:5). There were also probably
churches in RHODES, SALAMIS, SAMOS, SYRACUSE, and also in ARABIA,
EDESSA, INDIA, MALTAand PELLA. That gives us a count of at least 54
city churches, but we might guess a total of at least twice that
number were planted in the first twenty years of church growth.
 

Robert Brow
e-mail : browr@brow.on.ca
web site : www.brow.on.ca

 


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