Church Growth

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Sama'ria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied.

Acts 9:31

So how does a church leadership go about building up the body of Christ? One would think that the plan of salvation would take care of that automatically? However, in today's religious climate, churches are "shopped" by members to find the size and fit for what one is seeking. If one does not like what one finds in Church A, you go down the street to Church B and try it out. In the early church of the New Testament this was not the case. There was only one church. Denominationalism has fractured Christendom into different flavors from which one can select. I don't think that is what the Lord had in mind when he prayed for unity in John 17. I love the fact that we belong to a unity movement that began as an attempt to not be just another denomination. Instead of being a "Baptist" or a "Presbyterian" or "Methodist" we decided to simply call ourselves "Christians only; but, not the only Christians". We decided to let the Bible speak for itself and abolished clergy and laity distinctions. Congregations are voluntary associations who choose their own leadership based on the Biblical example of having Elders and Deacons who meet biblical standards set forth in Scripture. And yet, we continue to struggle with the reality that we live in a consumer denominated society whereby churches compete for members.

I am indebted to my son-in-law who sent me an interesting link that addresses some of these church growth issues: See here. I am convinced that the spiritual battle for the souls of mankind is waged at the congregational level of the church. Every member has to take responsibility for the gospel. We are a "priesthood of all believers". Ultimately, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that draws people to the cross. Our job is to lift up Jesus in everything that we do. Note the verse in Acts 9:31 above. Two things stand out to me. One, they walked "in the fear of the Lord". I don't think many in the world worry much about what God thinks these days. The Bible has a lot to say about this:

Job 28:28 - And he said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'"

Psalms 19:9 - the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.

Psalms 34:11 - Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Psalms 111:10 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who practice it. His praise endures for ever!

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:29 - Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

Proverbs 8:13 - The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Proverbs 9:10 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Proverbs 10:27 - The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.

Proverbs 14:26 - In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

Proverbs 14:27 - The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death.

Proverbs 15:16 - Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.

Proverbs 15:33 - The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor. Proverbs 16:6 - By loyalty and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.

Proverbs 19:23 - The fear of the LORD leads to life; and he who has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.

And there is more. But, the second part of the above scripture refers to the "comfort of the Holy Spirit". I fear that there many Christians in our churches today if asked to explain their experience with the "comfort of the Holy Spirit" would look like a deer caught in the headlights. We do know that Acts 2:38 promises the "gift of the Holy Spirit" to every believer who is born again by baptism. But, unless one can share with a non-believer what that means, it is difficult for our churches to grow. The ultimate testimony of every believer is to explain the hope that is within one. God in us really is the secret of the good news.

The Book of Psalms

I find it fascinating that the Book of Psalms is quoted in the New Testament more than any other book in the Old Testament. One might think that the Torah or the Prophets would be more in play? Jesus said that the psalms spoke about Him (Luke 24:44) and they constitute irrefutable testimony to the divine inspiration of the Scriptures.

The Messianic psalms include Psalm 2, 8, 16, 22, 23, 24, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 87, 89, 102, 110, 118, et al. Next to Psalm 22, Psalm 69 is the most quoted psalm in the New Testament: Psalm 22 deals with the death of Christ, Psalm 69 deals with the life of Christ.

Psalm 69 is quoted in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and also in Acts and Romans. (There are also many references to it beyond those actual quotations.) This psalm tells us about the silent years of Christ's childhood and young manhood, of which the Gospels tell us practically nothing. (Luke tells us about an incident in the life of our Lord when He was twelve years old, but we learn nothing else about Him until He is about thirty years old.) This psalm fills in some of the details of those early years. We see some of Christ's dark days in Nazareth and His dark hours on the Cross.

Growing up in Nazareth, one hears the heart sob of a small boy, a teenager, a young man. This is a psalm of His early humiliation and rejection:

"I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children (Psalm 69:8)."

Mary had other children, which confirms the record in the Gospels (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3). He became an alien unto His mother's children - not His father's children because Joseph was not His father. They were half-brothers and half-sisters. It may have been a very unhappy home?

"I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them

(Psalm 69:11).

"They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards (Psalm 69:12)."

Those who are "sitting in the gate" are the high officials of the town, the judges. The drunkards and the best people in Nazareth both spoke against Him. His life in Nazareth was not nice. Recall the vicious exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees in John 8: "...We be not born of fornication (Jn 8:41)."

Why did He endure all of this? He was raised in a town where He was called illegitimate in order that we might be legitimate in the eyes of God. The Son of God bore that for us on the Cross; He paid the penalty for our sins. How few of us have considered the 30 years of shame and ignominy that He endured so that we might have clear title to be called "sons of God" (Jn 1:11,12).Yet, He had the most distinguished Family Tree in history: it was encrypted in the Torah (Gen 38) and prophesied in the times of the Judges (Ruth 4). It evaded the blood curse on Jeconiah (Jer 22:30) and included a Virgin Birth (Gen 3:15; Isa 7:14; Ps 69, 110). The Book of Psalms is a treasure trove of prophetic discoveries and insights.

Learning to Wait upon the Lord

A Biblical prophecy is not a mere prediction. It is a promise made by God of the future. God is faithful to keep his promises, even though He may do so many years later. A test of our faith is learning to wait upon the Lord.



Abraham is known as the father of faith. He was 75 years old when he left Haran with the promise that God would bless him and make a great nation of him. [Gen. 12-1-4] While he was still childless, Abraham was promised that his descendants would be "as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered". [Gen.13:16] God made an unilateral covenant with Abraham that was unconditional. [Gen. 12-17] Years later Abraham was still childless. Yet God assured him that his descendants would come through his own body and that Sarah, his rightful and elderly wife, would bear his son:

" I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." ....[19] God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. Gen. 17:6-8,19

Naturally, Sarah laughed when she heard this pronouncement because she was 90 years old and her husband was nearly 100 [v17]. But, God was true to his word and Issac was born as promised. [21:1-7]. Thus, God began his creation with a miracle, for which he made Abraham wait for 25 years.

Why did God take so long? First, the long time frame would show that nothing is too difficult for the Lord and that with "God nothing will be impossible" [18:14; Luke 1:37]. Secondly, Abraham was being conditioned to believe and trust in God's promises. God is not so concerned with our comfort but with our character. Third, in the process of waiting upon the Lord, Abraham developed faith. Abraham " believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations". Romans 4:18]

He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. [Romans 4:19-21]

God's timetable may be different than ours. God's promises may not always be filled immediately; but, they will be fulfilled eventually. It is with the eye of faith that we see his kingdom come.

Truth is a Personality

John 8:32 - ...and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

As closing elder, I shared the following comments with the congregation this morning.

"We are a broken people. As Christians we struggle with:

• mental and physical illnesses
• the effects of aging
• lost jobs and opportunities
• the lament and sorrow of loved ones who have predeceased us

But, we know in whom we believe. In the process of faith we discover that it is not about us. It is about the power of the gospel. We have found truth and it is setting us free. The revelation is that truth is a personality. [And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. John 1:14]

We have discovered that the things unseen are more important than those things that are seen. We are broken people who want to offer to other broken people the message of faith, hope and love."