In the Book of Acts we find these first True Christians performing great miracles and wonders just as Christ himself had done; such as Peter's powerful Spirit filled sermon on the first Pentecost, where five thousand people from many different lands heard his words in their own languages simultaneously; and  Philip's baptizing Simon Magus, the Samarian magician and practitioner of the "Ancient Mysteries", who was later rebuked by Peter for trying to buy a position of influence in the church; as well as the incredible conversion of Saul of Tarsus, from persecutor of Christians - to Paul an Apostle of Christ, and his tireless ministry throughout the Hellenistic world, Illyricum, Asia and Rome. 

    In his first epistle, Peter addresses those at Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia and Asia minor, where he proclaimed God's truth in power and spirit.  
    In the Book of Revelation, it is recorded that John was exiled to the Greek isle of Patmos (by a decree of the Roman Emperor Domitian), where near the end of the first century he received the Apocalyptic vision.  
    But shortly after the turn of the second century the twelve original apostles and Paul were all dead.

    What does history record about the Church founded by Jesus and his disciples from that time on?   
    The answer to that question might surprise you!

   In 69 AD at the height of the Jewish/Roman war, several legions under the command of General Titus surrounded Jerusalem.  
    Seeking refuge in the surrounding hills, the remnant of this original apostolic congregation remembered the warning sign spoken of by Jesus in Luke 21:20-21, and fled northeast across the Jordan River to the mountainous city of Pella, thus escaping the impending invasion - which culminated in 70 AD with the destruction of the city and the Sacred Temple.  
    (Note: This was the first fulfillment of Luke 21; there will also be a final fulfillment that will usher in the Great Tribulation)   
    At Pella, in a state of exile, the "True Church" continued for more than a quarter century in it's leadership and guidance as mother church over the new congregations that had been founded abroad by Paul and the apostles.  
    Meanwhile, after the death of Emperor Domitian in 96 AD, John, the last surviving apostle of Christ, was released from his exile on the isle of Patmos.  Now the acknowledged leader of  Christ's Church, John spent the remaining few years of his life with the congregation founded by Paul at Ephesus.  While there, he continued to preach the True Gospel right up to the time of his death, taking the Good News of God's coming Kingdom to nearby cities and provinces.  
    At neighboring Smyrna, John fellowshiped with a young convert named Polycarp to whom he taught the Word of God as it had been taught to him by Jesus.