Biblical Church Growth- Acts 11:19-30

Everyone wants their church to grow. This includes pastors and people. We would love to see more people in these pews, more people volunteering for outreach opportunities, counseling ministries, discipleship opportunities, and simply worshipping the Lord on Sunday together.

In fact, I have a book in my library that has chapters on how to break the 200s, 400s, and 800s “barriers.” There are conferences on how to take your church from small to mega, seminars about the subject, and obviously many books. How does the church grow?

This is an important question, and for those here tonight I know this is a question you ask. You love this church, you want to see the church grow because you know that usually that means people are being saved and sanctified by the Lord.

This is a question that I have asked. I want to see our church grow. But how? How do we grow? Does God reveal how we should grow? Yes and no. He does provide us all things necessary for life and godliness, and in His design the Church is the means by which the Gospel is spread and Christians grow.

So yes, it does give us the affirmative. However, it also gives us the negative. What I mean is that the Scriptures give us the how-to for growth, but this can be applied in a variety of situations. We will see this regularly in this book, but we will limit our discussion to 11:19-30.

Biblical Church Growth Depends on God as His People Obey His Commands

I. Biblical Church Growth Occurs in a Variety of Situations- 11:19

This passage opens with a reminder about the persecution of Stephen. Stephen was the first martyr of the Church, and after his death an intense persecution arose, primarily at the hands of Paul.

We learned in 8:1 and 4 that the church was scattered. It seems that there were ethnically Jewish people and proselytes that scattered. God used persecution to spread the Gospel. At other times, the Lord used the preaching of His Word (Acts 2:1ff). The Lord will use imprisonment, women, men, and miracles to build His Church.

My point is that God uses all sorts of situations to grow His church. While I do not know all the details, nor do I need to, I understand that our church underwent a difficult time. God can use that to grow this church. He is not limited by anything.

II. Biblical Church Growth Involves the Preaching of God’s Word- 11:20-21, 24c

This is an essential point, and yet one that is often missed. When I refer to preaching, I mean both the proclamation of God’s Word by pastors/elders as well as the individual preaching or personal ministry of the Word.

These disciples scattered through persecution share the Word, they preach the Word. And as a result, the church grew. God blessed their efforts. A similar passage to this concept is in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9. God ultimately is the One behind all growth, but God is a God of means, He uses people and all other things to accomplish His will. But the means is through His Word. It is His Word that conveys the Gospel, that provides faith, as we learn from Romans 10:17.

We are free to use a variety of means to reach people for God. Mercy ministries are an excellent way to meet the physical needs in order to minister to the spiritual needs. Financial help, family ministries, and all sorts of things like this can be used. But we cannot miss the vital truth that God’s Word is the tool that God uses to reach people and to help people grow.

III. Biblical Church Growth Honors the Authority of the Church-11:22-23 (Eph. 4:11)

What we do not see here is a hierarchy of authority. This is what separates us from Roman Catholics, and the Orthodox Church, Episcopal Churches. Each church is autonomous, self-governing. While this is true, it in no way implies an individualistic mindset. In other words, this is one of the things missing from our churches today. We need to keep one another accountable. We help one another.

One difference here is that the apostles were still living. They exercised authority over the churches in a different way than do pastors/elders. However, the church at Antioch submitted to their leadership.

It is not a magical formula, but the general premise of Scripture is that when people obey God’s Word, things go much better for them. Likewise, when the Church functions as God designed it (i.e., following church leadership), then it is healthier and maintains growth.

IV. Biblical Church Growth Depends on Godly Individuals- 11:23-25

This is self-evident, but it demonstrates the importance of every believer in the church. Each member serves a vital, though not always glamorous or visible, role. Paul elaborates on this in Eph. 4:16. Barnabas and Saul are used by God to strengthen the church. By the way, this is the exact same description of Stephen in Acts 6:5.

When churches are growing, individuals are practicing their gifts from God, by God, for God. They are working for the kingdom. Though God was the cause of the growth (remember 1 Cor. 3:5-9), but it involves the use of means, i.e., people. Are you using your gifts to help the Church? Are you spreading the gospel? You see, biblical church growth depends on godly individuals.

V. Biblical Church Growth Involves the Ordinary Means of Grace- 11:23, 26

Notice the progression in this passage. There is growth in persecution, the preaching of God’s Word, godly individuals working for God, and submission to biblical authority. These things are called by pastors and teachers ordinary means of grace. In other words, they are the means by which God accomplishes His redemptive work in and through His people.

In verse 23, Barnabas is exhorting the people. In verse 26, Barnabas and Saul were teaching the people. They were discipling the people. It is by this means that the church grows and mature. Again, I referenced Eph. 4:12-16 where Paul describes the construction of the church. Notice how this construction and growth takes place. It is through the ministry of the apostles and prophets, the evangelists, and pastors and teachers.

In other words, we do not rely on spectacles, zip-lining into the pulpit, or jumping on a giant couch (all of which I have personally seen). We rely on God and the means He has prescribed.

VI. Biblical Church Growth Is Demonstrated by Loving the Body- 11:27-30

The final item that we will discuss tonight is that the growth the church enjoyed practiced love. They loved one another. A prophet, Agabus, foretells of a coming famine. Immediately the disciples begin collected financial resources to send to Jerusalem to help the church. They practiced their faith, in other words. These trees demonstrated their fruit, to put it another way.

That is how you can tell a tree is growing. When its leaves are full and green, its bark healthy and expanding over the years, you know there is growth. Likewise, for a Christian and the Church, when you see the fruit of growth (i.e., love), you know it is growing. If these things are lacking, then church growth is lacking.

Why does all of this matter? Why spend time talking about biblical church growth?

First, we talk about it because it is in God’s Word. God’s Word is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. In other words, we talk about it because God talks about it.

Second, we talk about this so that we, as individual members, can engage in what is necessary to see the church grow. While this is not a magical formula, it does discuss how God wants the Church to function and thereby grow.

Third, we talk about this because churches have tried all sorts of things to see the church grow. Some of these are innocent, and some are downright dangerous. We will be held accountable for what we do and how we do it. I want to ensure we do things in accordance with God’s standards, not “what works” or even “what is popular.”