Testifying of Christ at All Levels Acts 6-9

A few years ago I heard the  comment "The biggest problem we have in the Church is rapid growth."

Martyrdom of Stephen

As I read Acts 6-9, I found the same type of problems as the Church began to expand outside of Jerusalem. The 12 Apostles chose seven men to help.  Each of these men strengthened the church and spread the Gospel where ever they went.  Their efforts reminded me of D&C 90:11 where the Gospel was preached in the hearers tongue and language.

Language is different than tongue.  It involves all the customs and cultures of the individuals, especially their religious cultures in this context.  As we read these chapters, we see how each taught in both the tongue and language of their hearers. Yet they all had one thing in common:

Each testified of Christ!

* Stephen spoke intelligently to the Sanhedrin about Jewish history.  Even as he died, his testimony was of the Savior (see Acts 7:55-56).

* Philip taught the Ethiopian eunuch about the passages he'd been reading in Isaiah about the Savior (see Acts 8:32-33; Isaiah 53:7-8).

* Paul, after his conversion, taught in the name of Christ (see Acts 9:19-22, 27).

As we fulfill our callings and as the  Church grows, testifying of Christ should be at the forefront -- Whether it is large or small, local or foreign, missionaries and cub scout den leaders we can all testify of Christ!