Church Growth (2)
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Should The Church Expect To Grow
What are the reasons we give in why the church does not grow?
Why is the church not growing here?
according to scripture the expectation is for the kingdom to grow!
And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?
“It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil,
yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.”
He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”
And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;
and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know.
“The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.
“But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Figures of speech in scripture also suggest growth should be expected.
And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.
What happens when the body does not grow?
but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
What happens to a family that refuses to bear children?
“You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.
“The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze,
its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
“You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them.
“Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
“This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king.
“You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;
and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.
“After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.
“Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.
“In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay.
“As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.
“And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.
“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.
“Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
The Early Church Grew
The Early Church Grew
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number,
The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.
WHY DID THE EARLY CHURCH GROW?
They Lived in the Shadow of the Cross
They Lived in the Shadow of the Cross
it was real, vital, central
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Paul was willing to be persecuted for the cross Gal. 5:11; 6:12.
For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
How do we live in the shadow of the cross today?
They Fearlessly Preached The Word
They Fearlessly Preached The Word
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number,
And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.
The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.
saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
there is power in preaching!
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
“It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,
for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”
However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
If we want more produce we have to sow more seed.
“Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.
for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
What are some ways we can preach the word fearlessly today?
They Had Unselfish Hearts & Liberal Hands
They Had Unselfish Hearts & Liberal Hands
Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.
and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Coming out of Judaism they were accustomed to giving 10% - 30%.
Could you imagine them giving any less?
Levitical tithe Lev 27:30-32 Num 18:21
“To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting.
“For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, ‘They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel.’ ”
‘Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.
‘If, therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it one-fifth of it.
‘For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.
annual festival tithe Dt 14:22-27
“You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year.
“You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.
“If the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you,
then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses.
“You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household.
“Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you.
tri-annual poor tithe Dt 14:28-29
“At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town.
“The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
How are we selfish?
They Had A Benevolent Program Second To None
They Had A Benevolent Program Second To None
every-time the church grew it was connected in benevolence
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem;
and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.
When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people,
if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well,
And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.
And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.
For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales
and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.
Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement),
and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it.
The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.”
Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.”
And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.
At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico.
But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem.
And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number,
to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.
Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.
They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail.
Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.
So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.
“Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.
“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.
And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.
The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
How can we develop a benevolent heart to give?