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There are some names and stories we as believers should know.  Job 8:8-10 “For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out. For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow. Will, they not teach you and tell you and utter words out of their understanding? So be a little patient with me this morning  …. there is an inspiration in this for you, as every life can teach and inspire, so bear with me.

I want to take a few moments to tell you about Constantine the Great who was one of Rome’s most powerful and successful emperors and the first to self-identify as a Christian. 

Constantine was the son of a Roman official and his Christian concubine. This placed him in line to succeed the throne of the Western Roman Empire. At age 31, he prepared to attack his chief rival with an army outnumbered 4-to-1. Before the battle, Constantine claimed to have seen a vision of Jesus, with a specific symbol, telling him, “By this sign, conquer.” Constantine ordered his troops to mark their shields with this symbol, the Chi-Rho, then a symbol commonly representing Christianity. The Chi-Rho combines the first two letters in the Greek word for “Christ” and resembles a capital P with an X drawn through the spine. Constantine’s forces routed the enemy, and he became emperor. The Chi-Rho symbol would be part of Constantine’s personal signature for the rest of his life.

During Constantine’s reign, controversy arose over the teachings of Arius, who denied the full divinity of Jesus. Constantine called a meeting of Christian bishops, the Council of Nicea, to settle the dispute. The calling in of the religious council by a political figure was the first act of separation of church and state.  What we don’t grasp is the separation of church and state is not to keep the church out of state business but to keep the state out of church business.

Contrary to popular myth, this meeting did not discuss the canon of the Bible, nor was Constantine influential in the council’s decisions. Emperors saw themselves as responsible for promoting “correct” forms of worship. 

Constantine’s Christian faith has frequently been critiqued and outright questioned. Even though he made great strides in securing political and social rights for Christians and initiating general humanitarian reforms. He poured time and money into building churches and publicly supporting Christianity. Toward the end of his reign, Constantine vocally professed faith in Christ and credited his success to God. He was baptized shortly before his death, according to the common practice of his time.

However,  some of Constantine’s actions resulted in some negatives because of Constantine’s blending of pagan, building-and-priest-centered worship with Christianity he also contributed to the rise of Roman Catholicism.

Constantine’s legacy is complex and not wholly understood, but he stands as one of the dominant figures in Christian history. Without a doubt, his influence helped transform Christianity from a persecuted minority into the most widespread faith in history.

I wanted to share the story of Constantine because many times... we withhold our giftings, our efforts, our ideas, regarding the building of the Kingdom of God, regarding reaching out to the lost for fear of what others may say or sometimes just out of sheer fear of failure.

Constantine not a perfect man by any means but what he set his mind on doing for the spreading of the Gospel was impactful....

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