The Spread Of The Gospel Outside Palestine – The Roman Empire (Matthew 28:18 – 20) JSS3 Christian Religious Studies (CRS) Lesson Note

Before Jesus left His disciples, He commissioned them and instructed them to spread the gospel. He specifically told them to:

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Since then, the disciples have been spreading the word of God in and outside Jerusalem to even the deepest part of the world.

Soon, the early Christians (who were mostly Jews) spread to the Roman Empire and were converting people. Unfortunately, the Christians were greatly persecuted until the emergence of **Emperor Constantine**. The mother of Constantine, Helena, secretly converted to Christianity but was afraid to proclaim her new religion publicly. She feared being executed and causing problems for her son’s reign. Instead, she secretly persuaded her son to convert to Christianity, but he was hesitant at first.

Constantine’s mother later made her new religion public. It so happened that someday, while on the battlefield facing strong opposition, Constantine saw his mother in a vision standing beside Jesus Christ. He told Jesus that if He could help him win the war, he would convert to Christianity. He won the war and fulfilled his promise. Not only did he convert to Christianity, but he also converted the entire Roman Empire to Christianity. This happened because the emperor’s religion automatically became the religion of the whole empire.

As the empire became Christianized, Constantine replaced all pagan officials with Christian ones. He established Christianity across the empire and even built the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, specifically on Mount Moriah in Israel. After Constantine’s death, his son Constantinus (also known as Constantine II) succeeded him. Constantine II was a strong and devout Christian, and through him, the church gained even more control over the empire.

Factors that Assisted the Spread of the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire:

1. The zeal of the early Christians
2. The confidence they had in communicating their faith
3. The miracles that occurred wherever they went
4. The good character of the Christians
5. The unity and discipline of the local church

Self Evaluation:

1. Why did Helena refuse to proclaim her religion publicly?
2. What made Constantine convert to Christianity?
3. After the death of Constantine, who took over?