How did the church grow in the first century? They didn’t have books on church growth or social media strategies. They couldn’t hire consultants, build buildings, or add coffee bars.
Each member believed and obeyed the good news about Jesus, and they lived out their hope every day. They “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers”, spending each day “praising God and having favor with all the people” (Acts 2:42, 47). While everyone they met didn’t join them, “the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:13-14).
How does the church grow today? Don’t be fooled: the answer has not changed. The answer is, was, and always will be Jesus! “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied” (Acts 9:31).
“Fear of the Lord”: we recognize our need and seek the grace and forgiveness found only in Christ, obeying His good news and seeking to become like Him. “Comfort of the Holy Spirit”: we keep in step with the Spirit God gave us as a gift when we were baptized, following His lead and bearing His fruit. When this is true, we are built up, and the church grows.
For the past seven weeks, we have sought to grow as witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. We’re praying for the lost. We’re preparing the reason for the hope that is in us and how it shows Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. We’re seeking the opportunities God is providing for us to plant and water, trusting He will give the growth and fill us with joy as we work with Him.
There are lost souls all around us. God is already working for them. Now the only question is, will we?