Have you ever seen something grow despite obvious challenges to growth? I have to be honest, for the longest time, the grass in our driveway grew better than some of the grass in our yard. No matter what we did or sprayed, the grass would grow in the driveway. It just didn’t make sense, yet the growth was undeniable. I imagine that throughout history people have had similar thoughts about church growth. How did the church grow in the first century with all the persecution that happened? How did it continue to grow despite all the obstacles and opposition? How does the church grow today when there are so many other things that vie for the attention of people? There is one undeniable able to that question. The answer is, the Word of God. Specifically, it is the Spirit of God using the Word of God proclaimed faithfully to grow the church of God. It has nothing to do with great theologians, charismatic pastors, flashy programs or worship services. The church grows as God intended for it by the Spirit of God using the Word of God proclaimed faithfully. In Acts 17:11-12 we read, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that the received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore, many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.” Everywhere Paul and his ministry companions went they faced intense opposition. They were run out of city after city, yet the church kept growing. Why? Because Paul taught the Scriptures to the people, and the Spirit of God used it to convert sinners and make them into disciples. There are a few lessons that I think we in the modern-day church could learn from this.
- Be faithful in teaching the whole counsel of God. This first encouragement is for the pastors and Bible teachers. I know it is difficult to teach everything, because so many things have become hot button topics these days. I know we all have issues or topics that we like, and we enjoy teaching on them. However, only preaching “relevant” topics or our getting up on our favorite “hobby horse” issues is like a diet that consists of a meat, bread, and junk food. If you eat that stuff you will grow, but not in the right ways. You will grow, but you will be unhealthy. We need a well-balanced diet if we want to grow the right way and be healthy. The same is true for the church. She needs the full counsel of the Word of God taught to her, even those tough topics we don’t like to teach on. If it is in the Bible, it is inspired by God and good for the Christian.
- Be a student of the Bible. This is not just for pastors, this is for all Christians. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 to be “study to show yourself approved, a workman of God that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” If you want to grow in your walk with God, there are no shortcuts. It is only by persistent prayer and diligent study of the Bible.
- Expect opposition. I can’t remember who said it, but they said, “every place God builds a church, Satan builds a synagogue on the other street corner.” Just remember, anything worth building is worth working for. So, labor well in Christ’s power.
- Trust God for the results. At the end of the day, you can be diligent in study, persistent in prayer but still struggle to see growth. However, I thought about what happened here in Virginia a couple of weeks ago. It was a bright, what should have been a sunny day; yet, it was hazy outside. The haziness was the result of the California wildfires. Think about that, our sky was affected by something happening 3,000 miles away. My point is, you don’t always see immediate results. However, as you are faithful over time, one day you will wake up and see things that you had been praying for, maybe for years. But even if things don’t grow the way you desire, trust that God is still on His throne and knows what He is doing. It is His will that we want to see, not our own.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin