The early Christian church in Jerusalem was primarily Jewish. They studied and knew the Hebrew Scriptures. When persecution by Saul and those aligned with him came against the Christian Jews, the church fled.
Acts 8:1 states, “And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” Those who were scattered went about preaching the word. (Acts 8:4) The Apostle Philip, one of the 12 disciples, went to the city of Samaria proclaiming Christ.
The Samaritans, a mixed people of Israelite descent, also knew the first five books of the Old Testament—-the Pentateuch. They too had been looking for the Messiah. God had not forgotten them.
Jesus himself passed through Samaria; he spoke with a woman who acknowledged this fact: “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” (John 4:25-26) Believers in Jesus existed in Samaria prior to Philip’s arrival.
The Jewish early church went out of Jerusalem and became mixed with local populations wherever they settled, including with the Samaritans.
Members of the early church were the spiritual and physical descendants of the Israelites. Abraham was promised this by God.
Paul explained this in a letter: “Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations will be blessed in you.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” (Galatians 3:6-9)
The church is a kingdom of priests, made so by its king—Jesus. (Revelation 1:6) The bloodline is pure, no matter if one is of Jewish descent or Gentile descent—each has been released from his sins by the Savior’s blood. (Revelation 1:5)
The human bloodline no longer matters. It is only the blood of Jesus that is of concern. Paul wrote: “There is neither Jew nor Greek.” (Galatians 3:28)
Paul began as Saul, the persecutor of the early church, only to become a key figure used by God to bring both Jew and Gentile into the one faith.
It is the early church which traveled with Jesus and learned all that they could from the Lord before his execution and resurrection. They read and understood the Old Testament Scriptures and were able to pass their knowledge and understanding on to other believers. The early church recorded what they heard and saw for the descendants of Abraham to believe.
Even Mary, a member of the early church, carried the Christ child into the world that all who believe might be saved.
To honor the Lord and the early Hebrew speaking church in the Holy Land, “I AM” from John 18:5 has been embroidered in this artwork titled “I AM.”
Listen to the Lord’s Prayer in Hebrew: