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GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30
Romans 10:11-21

Matthew 28:18-20

 

“Go ye therefore,

and teach all nations…”

 

GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR
 
Gregory the Illuminator is remembered as the great missionary and chief bishop of Armenia, serving from about AD 314 to 325. He is honoured as the one through whom God brought the Armenian people to Christ, making Armenia the first nation in history to adopt Christianity as its official religion.
 
Born in Valarshapat (or possibly Caesarea in Cappadocia), Gregory was raised in the Christian faith and educated in the Greek culture of Caesarea. Returning to Armenia during a time of persecution under King Tiridates III, Gregory was imprisoned in a pit for his refusal to worship idols. After his miraculous rescue around AD 300, God used him to save and convert King Tiridates, who then embraced Christianity and imposed it upon his people. This was nearly two decades before Constantine’s conversion in Rome.
 
Gregory received episcopal ordination in Caesarea and returned to Armenia to destroy pagan shrines, build churches, establish monasteries and ordain bishops. His leadership laid the foundation for the Armenian Church, and his influence extended into neighbouring regions such as Albania and the Caucasus. Eventually, he handed over his episcopal duties to his son Aristakes and retired to a solitary life. Though Gregory faced opposition and hardship, his mission succeeded largely because of God’s providence and the support of the royal family. His story reminds us that the work of the Lord is not carried out in isolation, but through cooperation with others in the body of Christ.
 
“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up” (Eccles 4:9-10).
 
THOUGHT: Am I living as a lone ranger Christian, or am I open to working with others in the body of Christ?
PRAYER: Father, help me to be open to cooperating with like-minded believers in the work of the Lord. Teach me to value the strength of fellowship and unity, that together we may glorify Thy name and advance Thy kingdom.

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