The Early Church in a Roman World: The Market Place

Imagine living in a Roman city where their religion is the center of their culture. The Romans lived in constant fear of offending the gods and bringing down their wrath. Sacrifices and offerings were given daily to appease the gods.

You are a Christian, and you believe Jesus is the only God. Imagine the culture clash. When we think of the challenges the early church faced, we think of them being thrown to the lions. Though this is true, they faced many other challenges on a daily level.

You come to the market to sell your grain, but before you can sell your goods, you must put incense on the altar of Zeus and pledge your allegiance to him. As a Christian, you can’t do that; only Christ is God. The officials will not allow you to sell your grain for fear of offending the gods.

Suddenly, your source of income is gone.

This is one of the daily challenges the early church faced as they tried to share the gospel of Christ.

Source: That the world may know: in the dust of the Rabbi