him as Savior and Lord. The excitement of the gospel message was infectious and spread rapidly around the known world. However, the newness began wearing off in some places. Persecution of the church grew. Life was hard and disappointing. Following Jesus was not always supplying the desired amount of red stuff, and bitterness began to set in. Therefore, a particular group of Jewish Christians—and in some cases, other Jewish people who had been exposed to the gospel and joined themselves to the church