3 thousand

Hmm... I'm not sure what happened, but at least they could claim to be the first megachurch.:smilewinkgrin:

 

Your asking a question that is not found in scripture. But there is kinda of a formula that can be used for the ps question and that would be appoximately 1 bucket KFC (minus a wing and a breast) and 3 rolls.:laugh:

 

Since the scriptures don't inform us, I will engage in some speculation.

First, it's doubtful if all three thousand met together, since there was likely no place that would hold them. Now, it is possible that they met at the temple.

So, one likelihood is that they broke up into smaller groups and met in homes. This could be one reason there was a plurality of elders, so that each preaching location could have an elder to preside, or preach, or teach.

It is certainly possible that the out-of-towners returned to their home communities and started churches. But I'm guessing any evangelism out of the Jerusalem congregation was confined to the surrounding area (Philip in Samaria, Peter in Joppa, for example). Real evangelism beyond Judea and Samaria does not appear to have gained much traction until persecution broke out under Paul's leadership. As the believers fled, they witnessed.

Nor does it appear that there was any consistent missionary activity until the Holy Spirit separated out Paul and Silas to go from the FBC Antioch.

 

Note that the church at Antioch already existed before Paul and Silas were sent out... Someone did some missionary activity, it just wasn't recorded.

Same goes for the other churches like Rome. When Peter and Paul arrived the church already existed. Paul wrote (Romans) to the church before he ever visited them. Peter didn't get there until the end of his life.

We are correct to base our surety and knowledge on the Scriptures, but the Scriptures do not tell us everything that happened in the church or in the lives of disciples, or even Christ. John noted that at the end of his gospel...

 

Acts 2:47 sheds a little light.

"And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.

Acts 12 relates that Peter was imprisoned, but an angel freed him one night and led him to a house.

V. 13 "And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying."

The three thousand might have gathered at the temple, but the houses couldn't handle them. So logic suggests one church, multiple preaching stations, plurality of elders.

 

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: [so do].
But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

 

This is about as blatant an example of "cherry picking" a Bible verse out of context to make a personal point as any that I've seen.

Is it a foolish question to ask about some element contained in Scripture so that we might bring to light all that can be known about that particular issue? I think not... The Bereans were commanded to search all things in the Scriptures!

Foolish questions are more on the line of, "Can God make a stone so big that He cannot lift it?" Or perhaps, "Am I spiritual enough to discern the will of God without investigating the Scriptures?" :smilewinkgrin:

 

Salty's OP question came with the acknowledgement that we don't have much scripture to answer it. I saw him saying, let's have a little fun with this. Speculate all you want.

God gave us brains and the ability to reason. I found it useful to take what the scriptures tell us (and don't tell us) and propose some possible scenarios.

Frankly, we're not flying blind here. We do have some information from the scriptures. We know they met in the temple. We know they met in homes. We know that the church at Antioch existed before Paul joined it. We know there were believers in Damascus, probably a church. We know that there was a place where the 120 believers met and had a business meeting before Pentecost.

It is entirely plausible that those Jews from the other provinces converted at Pentecost returned to their home areas and evangelized.

Yes, admittedly we don't have complete information to give definitive answers.

But I see what we're doing here is simply having a little fun.

 

I was having fun with it. I understood what Salty meant. (i think)
I never found "thou shalt not have fun" in the Bible. :thumbs:

 

Well, it seems to me that there is a purpose to what God has done throughout history and I certainly feel that is the case at Pentecost. God chose to have the Apostles and other early followers wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit to come upon them. Is it a coincidence that the timing corresponded with the feast of Pentecost, when so many Jews, from all over the known world, would be in one city? I guess it could be a coincidence, but I do not believe so. I believe that it was for the purpose of preparing the way for the Gospel to spread. Jewish Christians carried back news of what they had experienced and the instant change that came upon them. Imagine how those 3,000 believers, many of whom I believe would have traveled back out of Jerusalem, could have helped the Gospel to enter their communities.

 

The scriptures do not say 3000 people were added to the church at Jerusalem, it says "unto them".

Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Who are the "them"? It was the apostles and disciples, about 120 in number.

Acts 1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty, )

It was these about 120 disciples (with the apostles) who were gathered together on the day of Pentacost.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Acts 2:1 is speaking of the 120. But there were Jews from many nations in Jerusalem at this time, and when they heard of the apostles and disciples speaking in tongues, they came to witness this event.

Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

So, the apostles and disciples speaking in tongues attracted a large crowd of Jews from many nations who were in Jerusalem at this time. It was out of this crowd that 3000 were saved. Many were no doubt local Jews, but many were from other nations. So it is fairly safe to assume that many of these Jews returned home and taught of Jesus there.