Saint Mark Coptic Orthodox Church : Los Angeles, CA

Churches were at first inside the believers' homes as St. Mark's (Acts 12:12). It was also in Cemeteries, and then Churches started to be constructed, also, during the Apostles' era.

The Apostles are the first who made the Holy Chrism (anointing oil), as mentioned in (1Jn2:20, 27) "But you have an anointing from the Holy One ". Believers, at first, received the Holy Spirit when the Apostles laid their hands on them as mentioned in (Acts8), (Acts19). And when Churches grew in number in many different countries, the Apostles then used the Sacrament of the Holy anointing (Myron).

The Reverend Apostles were the first preachers, and that shows how importantly great they were:

That was after the day of Pentecost when they obeyed God's saying to them; "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts1:8).

Their missionary started on the day of Pentecost when they attracted 3000 souls to the faith and baptized them (Acts2:41). and then when they healed the lame man at the gate of the temple which was called Beautiful, they then said to the chiefs of the Jews: it is not by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk…and the Apostles directed the people's attention to God the Holy One whom they delivered up and denied when they asked for a murderer to be granted to them instead…and they said that through faith in His name, the lame man stood and walked (Acts3). Then many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand (Acts4:4).

And after ordination of the seven Deacons, we read that: "the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith" (Acts6:7).

After a great persecution had arisen against the church which was at Jerusalem, and lots were all scattered, we also read that "those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts8:1, 4).

We then read about the faith of the Samarians, and that the Apostles sent them the two Saints Peter and Paul who laid their hands on them so they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8).

Preaching then started to be extended throughout Cities, and lots of territories, as from Jerusalem it extended to Antioch. The Disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26). Then preaching moved forward outside of Judea and Galilee to Cyprus and Minor Asia, to the Western direction in Greece and Rome and towards the East in Iraq and India, also it moved towards the South to Egypt and Libya and in the Northern direction to Europe.

During 30 years of time, preaching has been extending in such a great success.

Saul of Tarsus, his faith had helped the preaching missionary to grow (Acts9), Saul whom God appeared to him and called him to be a prophet for the Gentiles. Preaching grew with the great effort of this great Saint, whom Bernaba participated with for some time, then St. Mark with lots of other disciples who then became Preachers.

God granted the Reverend Apostles a power of working miracles; this power helped strengthening their preaching.

In this concern, the Bible says "And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people…And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed" (Acts5:12-16).

Concerning St. Paul the Apostle, the Bible says" Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them." (Acts19:11, 12).

We can notice in their preaching the quality of courage and endurance.

when the Chief Priests wanted to stop them, and threatened them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus, they answered and said to them: "we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts4:20). On the contrary, they replied courageously "We ought to obey God rather than men"(Acts5:29).

When the Apostles were whipped and imprisoned, they went rejoicing out of jail that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ" (Acts5:41, 42).

they were preaching everywhere, even along the roads as when Philip preached the Ethiopian eunuch who was sitting in his chariot reading the scripture of Isaiah the prophet, the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot" and Philip preached Jesus to him. When he believed, Philip baptized him and then he went on his way rejoicing (Acts8:27-39).

And also Paul the Apostle who preached the Gospel to the jailer when he was in the prison of Philippi, the jailer was saved and his entire household (Acts16). God's Angel was always getting the Reverend Apostles out of jails, then they resume their preaching mission and chiefs became amazed of what they do.

They employed all methods of preaching.

St. Paul the Apostle says" and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ, that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save