Home Is Where You Grow

For the last couple of weeks we have been talking about what makes the feel like a home. Week one we talked about Home is Where You Belong. I told you church is not a place to go, it’s a family to belong to.

Then last week I told you Home is where you’re loved. Jesus told us that they will know we are Jesus’ disciple by our love. The church should be the most loving place on Earth.

Today, I want you to grasp this point. Home is where you grow. Today I want to emphasize that you grow spiritually best when you’re planted in a church family. If you as a believer are not growing in your faith, then I as your pastor or shepherd am not doing a good job.

Think about the house you grew up in. My parents lived in the same house for over 35 years. My sister and I were raised in that house. All of my childhood memories are in that house. Kelly’s parents moved into their house when she was two years old. All of her memories from childhood took place in that home.

You know what has changed over the years in each of those homes. It was all the stuff. My parents did not have the same furniture that they had when I was a kid, when they moved out of that house in 2012. My memories weren’t tied to the stuff, in was tied to all of us living life together.

The things that we did together is what made us a family and it is what made that childhood home of mine a home.

Every once in a while I will be going through Russellville and I will go by that house to see how it is doing. It’s not home anymore. It is just a building with memories of my past.

God designed His church to be that kind of home. A place where we can grow together. A place where we can learn together and help one another grow in our faith.

Turn in your bibles to Acts 2:42-47

Acts 2:42–47 NIV

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This is a report given to us by the writer Luke. He is describing to us what the early church was like. They knew that they wanted to grow in their faith. They had just added 3000 new believers to their already 120 that had met in the upper room. They knew these new believers would need to be discipled, taught, brought together to learn about King Jesus. So, they began gathering in each others homes and sharing the teachings of Jesus. They prayed together. They broke bread together. They fellowshipped together. They saw God do signs and wonders. And if someone had a need they sold property and possessions to make sure they were taken care of.

They wanted to take their relationship with Christ more serious and they knew that growth in Christ wouldn’t be by accident, but it would have to be intentional and in community with one another.

Now, let’s jump ahead to today. The church is still going strong. I do believe in some instances the church has wavered off course but we have a chance to do a redo. Or as the GPS would tell us “recalculating”.

This morning I want to give you three points that will help you understand where the church can help you grow in your faith.

Point 1: You’re Not Meant to Grow Alone

Look at verse 42 again.

Acts 2:42 NIV

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

What are they doing here? They are making it a point to learn from the apostles’ teaching. The apostle’s were the twelve disciples. Remember in chapter one of Acts they replaced Judas with Mathias.

I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but I can imagine each disciple taking their time to go to the different houses of these 3000 new believers and teaching something about Jesus. As these new believers were growing in their faith, I can imagine that they began to teach other believers what they had been taught. And so on. Why do I think this is how it happened? Because their is no way that on 12 disciples can take care of 3000 by themselves. And verse 47 says that the “Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” So, more were being added each day. So, the only way for them to spread the word is for each one of them doing their part to reach all the new people that were being saved on a daily basis.

Lone-Ranger Christianity Never Works—You Miss the Sharpening, Encouragement, and Accountability of Others.

Even the Lone-ranger had Tonto.

How many of you like to cook on a bbq grill? Some of you may only cook on charcoal. What happens if you take a coal and place it off by itself? That fire dies out. But when you put the coals in a pile they keep each other burning. This is why we need each other.

True discipleship starts when you commit to grow with others in God’s Word and in life together.

Point 2: The Early Church Grew Together

In our text, we read that the early church shared life together. What did they share? They saw signs and wonders - This was the evidence of what God was doing in and through each of the Apostles.

They were very generous. Verse 45 says, “They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” They were helping each other live.

They shared meals together. Have you ever wondered what kind of conversations they had with each other around the dinner table? I’m sure they talked about their day. But I’m just as sure that they talked about what Jesus had done for each of them.

They also worshipped together.

This was discipleship in community. This wasn’t just head knowledge but it was life on life.

Spiritual growth happened because they were walking the journey together.

I believe we have lost some of this in the day we live in. We are all obsessed with our phones. We can’t go through one conversation without looking at our phones. We want to see what someone has said on Facebook or look at the most recent picture on Instagram. It is time that we get back to togetherness because we need community with one another.

The best way for us to grow in our faith is to do it together. True discipleship is mutual. We encourage one another. We serve one another. We walk side by side with one another as followers of Jesus.

Point 3: A Healthy Home Creates Growth Spaces

When the church is healthy and people are growing in their faith, you can’t help but rub off on others. When people see the excitement about your relationship with Jesus, they too want to discover this relationship for theirselves.

That is why this church grew daily. It was contagious. The people that weren’t believers yet wanted what they had because it was special. People are drawn to something that is life changing.

Why do you think Charlie Kirk’s organization has quadrupled in size since his assassination? Because he lost his life for something that he believed. H lost his life for sharing his faith. People are drawn to something that might change their life.

I have great news for you. The Gospel message is life changing. It will change your life if you will let Jesus come in and transform you into something you never thought you would become.

Discipleship is both inward and outward. It is helping us inwardly because we mature in Christ as we are growing in our faith. It is helping us outwardly because we in turn invite others to come grow in their faith with us.

Every believer has a role in discipleship. You may not be someone that teaches. That’s fine. —when you serve, join a group, or show hospitality, you’re helping someone else grow.

I shared with you the first week that God made each of us to be together. The same is true for us while we are growing in our relationship with the Lord. We are meant to grow together. Matter-of-fact, we grow best when we grow together.

Our goal here at Connect Church is to give you opportunities to grow in your faith. I understand that the options we have don’t fit everyone’s needs. We solicit your feedback so that we can help you in your spiritual journey. What can we do to help you grow and Connect with God?

My sermon today is called “Home is where you grow.” So my charge for you is to get planted.

Find your place in a Connect Group (life-on-life discipleship).

Join a serve team where you are serving alongside others.

Or you may just need to Commit to gathering regularly with us, (discipleship through consistency).

Discipleship is not a solo project—it’s a family effort. And the church is the home where God designed us to grow together in Christ.

Let me close with this.

In the book of Nehemiah, God’s people faced a huge challenge—the walls of Jerusalem were broken down. One man couldn’t rebuild them alone. But something powerful happened in Nehemiah 3. Each family took responsibility for their section of the wall. One family worked here, another family worked there, and side by side they rebuilt what was broken. And in just 52 days, the wall was completed—not because of one person’s strength, but because the whole community came together for God’s purpose.

Church, that’s the picture of discipleship. We grow stronger when we grow together. Just like those families in Nehemiah’s day, we each have a part to play. Maybe your section of the wall is serving on a team, maybe it’s opening your home to a Connect Group, maybe it’s simply showing up faithfully and encouraging the person next to you. Whatever your part is, when we bring it together, God builds His house.

And just like in Nehemiah’s day, when God’s people work side by side, the world takes notice. Acts 2 tells us the Lord added to their number daily. Why? Because they had built a spiritual home where people could belong and grow. That’s what God is calling us to be. Home is where you grow—so let’s build that home together.