Do We Really Want To Grow?

In our church commons area you will find a bulletin board with a poster that asks the following; “are you ready to grow?” Simple question really; however, the question is loaded with much to ponder and pray about. Of course, the answer to the question will be either yes or no. The obvious question then, is “what do you mean are you ready to grow?” does that mean we must grow numerically and spiritually? Yes! Does that mean we have to get involved? Yes! Like I said earlier, pretty simple!

⁴⁶ They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—⁴⁷ all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

               When we read Luke’s account of the early church, we see some rather astonishing things taking place in the realm of individual and church growth. These ideas (described by Luke) involve connecting people; serving others; growing in our knowledge and love of the lord; as well as spreading the gospel to our community. All of these combined bring synergy conducive for the Holy Spirit to begin its work.  Then and only then can real and sustainable growth begin.

First, we need to understand that life is to be lived in community, not isolation. People need people. “They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper and shared their meals with great joy…” (Acts 2:46 ESV).  In essence they enjoyed each other’s company! They enjoyed fellowship amidst taking of the Lords Supper as well as eating together. Sounds kind of like the church we are a part.

Our culture, our society if you will, comprises many different individuals existing together. Peter Wagner and Donald McGavran tell us in their book Understanding Church Growth that “People exist not as discrete individuals, but as interconnected members of some society. Normal people are not isolated units but part of a whole that makes them what they are.” The same goes for our church; we are a community of Christ followers. We need people who are dedicated to the Lord to help those outside of Christ to come to know him in a personal and fulfilling way. Thus helping them to become disciples as well.

Secondly, when we worship and study together as did the early church, it comes as no surprise that we begin to serve others. The early church was no different.

³²Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. ³³And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold ³⁵and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4:32-35 ESV)

It goes without saying that serving is a natural extension of the outpouring of God’s Spirit upon those who follow him. The Apostle Paul tells us this in 1 Peter 4:10-11.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

In fact, we will be no different. We will by extension of Christ’s character and sacrifice be the hands and feet of the risen Savior. To, as the scriptures say, find “great grace” upon us to do as the early church did. In “great power” we will give our testimony to whom Jesus is as we serve not only each other but also the community.

Third, as we continue in the path taken by the early church, we will begin to grow in our knowledge of God and come to love him more.  When we go back and look at our original scriptural reference in Acts, we witness the believers worshipping together, much like we do today. Luke writes. “They worshiped together at the Temple each day…” Not only did they worship together on the Sabbath, they worshipped each day. Imagine with me for a moment, if we as a body did the same; not only on Sunday but other days as well. Imagine what would take place as a church; also individually, revival would begin. Imagine if our families did the same; our children would be blessed; our marriages would be strengthened. The body overall would become one.

Finally, the end product of all of the above would be the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ not only to our community but the entire world. The church would increase numerically and spiritually. The simple truth is that “…each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47 ESV).  My question then is “why we wouldn’t want to grow?” Just a thought!

I love culture...I study the culture...I believe in the culture; the amazing culture created by God in the garden. Sadly, that culture fell because of sin. As a result, man had to work within the culture they chose to worship instead of the creator, God “Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

(Genesis 3:17‐19 ESV)

Until this very day, our culture remains cursed...full of pain and suffering.

I also love the culture God has allowed us to be part and parcel to. It’s fun! It’s Confusing! It’s where we live! It’s also where we raise our families. With that being said, we must make an effort to understand what is going on.

Webster’s dictionary defines culture as, “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also, the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time.” Alternatively, Andy Crouch in his book Culture Making, says; “culture is what we make of the world.” Both definitions are compelling indeed.

As followers of Christ, we are called to go into the culture (the world) to make it a better place, to reclaim for God his creation. In the original covenant agreement, God called the Israelites to the same mission. In Exodus 19, we hear God telling Moses to tell his people.

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:4‐6 ESV)

Christopher H.J. Wright, in his book The Mission of God, writes,

It is richly significant that God confers on Israel as a whole people the role of being his priesthood in the midst of the nations. As the people of YHWH they would have the historical task of bringing the knowledge of God to the nations, and bringing the nations the offer of atonement with God. (Wright 331)

On the other hand, we must not forget what God announced to Abraham in the same regard.

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and him     who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:3 ESV)

What is important for us to remember is that we are the same— called—to do the same...to be a blessing to the nations; our communities, our culture. We are God’s treasured possession. Peter tells us, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own pos‐ session, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV).

What is significant—even in today’s culture— is the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan to reconcile the world and its people to himself; the Missio Dei, which translates “sending of God.” In 1934, Karl Hartenstein, a German missiologist, coined the phrase in response to Karl Barth and his emphasis on actio Dei (Latin for “the action of God”).

When kept in the context of the Scriptures, missio Dei correctly emphasizes that God is the initiator of His mission to redeem through the Church a special people for Himself from all of the peoples (τα εθνη) of the world. He sent His Son for this purpose and He sends the Church into the world with the message of the gospel for the same purpose.

According to David J. Bosch, "mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but an attribute of God. God is a missionary God." Jürgen Moltmann says, "It is not the church that has a mission of salvation to fulfill in the world; it is the mission of the Son and the Spirit through the Father that includes the church. "There is church because there is mission, not vice versa. The Church must not think its role is identical to the missio Dei; the Church is participating in the mission of God.

What is at stake then is the redemption of mankind. It is also the idea that reconciliation must take place. As F. F. Bruce points out: “... the Christian gospel . . . tells how for the world’s redemption God entered into history, the eternal came into time, the kingdom of heaven invaded the realm of earth, in the great events of the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. ”

To bring it home, Paul gives us this admonition; how we are to respond to the call of God in His mission for the church.

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to him‐ self and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:18‐20 ESV)

In the final analysis, I see many questions that beg an answer to the idea of wading into the cultural morass. How is this going to take place, is one of many that we can pray about. We can stand idly by any longer with our heads in the sand or hiding behind a wall of fear and separation. We must all collectively come to the table with ideas and ways for all of the above to be achieved. I, myself, look forward to this taking place.