Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire, had “staying power.” His reign of nearly forty-one years (37 B.C. – A.D. 14) was the longest of the Empire. The Mausoleum he built for his remains has had “staying power” as well. Built in 28 B.C., it has had a continuous history for 2,053 years and counting! 

Augustus (“great” or “venerable”) is mentioned in the Bible only once (Luke 2:1), but his importance in God’s plan for the world far exceeded that infrequency. He issued the decree which directed Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem, where Jesus’ birth fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (Micah 5:2). He is also credited with initiating the Pax Romana, a period of relative peace and prosperity in the Roman Empire (continued by his adopted son Tiberius until A.D. 37). This made possible the rapid spread of the Good News of Jesus, with the Christian faith extending throughout the Empire by the end of the first century. 

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FaithSearch Highlights

• We had a thirty-three percent increase in active and new users of the Bible Learning Center in the first six months of 2025, compared to 2024.
• Merrilee and Stacy, new office personnel, love the Lord and have been quick to learn their roles.
• God blessed Adrian’s Macedonian ministry tour in June with open doors and positive response to the Gospel.
• We are getting positive responses from prisoners reading Surprised by Faith (which was distributed free to U.S. prisons earlier this year).
• The response to Oleg’s Russian ministry continues to grow including his in-person presentations, online seminary classes, and publications. A Russian version of our Surprised by Faith was just published there.
• There has been great interest in Dr. Bierle’s weekly class, “The Mighty Works of God.” Also, the articles in his two newsletters (Paraclete and this one) are gaining a larger following.
• We thank God for the faithfulness of Friends of FaithSearch who support us with prayer and gifts.