Back To The Basics

Back To The Basics

“And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” 

 Acts 2:47

Many books have been written and seminars taught to teach various methods used in bringing about Church Growth. 

It would be good for us to understand, first of all, that we as people cannot cause the church to grow.  We can witness, conduct evangelism, pray, fast, build a church building, but none of these will ensure that our church will grow. 

Paul said, “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.”      (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

Paul made it very clear that we are merely “labourers together” with the Lord who builds the church. 

Rick Warren in his book, The Purpose Driven Church states that “church leaders should stop praying, ‘Lord, bless what I’m doing’ and start praying, ‘Lord, help me to do what you are blessing.’” 

We cannot bring about church growth but we can learn to understand what God is doing and blessing and work accordingly.

Rick Warren advises us to ask “What is keeping my church from growing?” Instead of, “What will make our church grow?” 

God wants His church to grow.  Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God has been making a way for bringing lost people back into a correct relationship with Himself.  The Gospel provides this.  It is being presented throughout the world, and we have the option of accepting it or rejecting it.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

 

In this Scripture we understand that God wants everyone to repent instead of perish.  This was the reason why He came to earth, was tempted, died on the cross, resurrected, and has ascended.  This is well understood in John 3:16-18.

Jesus made his purpose of being on the earth very clear when he said “I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18) Jesus loves the church and gave His life for it.

We have established three truths so far in this lesson. First, we cannot bring about church growth. Secondly, God causes the church to grow.  Third, He wants the church to grow.

We cannot put our confidence in methods that have been made by men. Paul said our confidence should be in God (2 Corinthians 3:4-5).  He warned against using excellency of speech and wisdom. He claimed that this would be enticing people. Instead he proclaimed that we should be “declaring the testimony of God.”  (1 Corinthians 2:1).  This is the reason why he wanted to know Jesus Christ instead of any other thing and operated in the power and demonstration of the Spirit. 

Methods change but principles do not change.  Methods can change according to culture, location, circumstances, and time.

“Methods are many,

principles are few;

Methods always change,

principles never do.”

Warren Wiersbe

Principles will apply to all people, everywhere, in all situations, and throughout time. There is much danger in copying the approach of other churches and other men.

We should rather look for principles that do not change and will be very effective.  It is time for us to go back to the basics. We often like to compare ourselves with other churches around us.

 

We begin to measure ourselves against other churches.  We measure our revival against no revival in another church.  We copy methods hoping to reproduce the same results.  Some even copy the styles of other preachers and singers.  We begin to compare our success or lack of it with others. 

Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 10:12, “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves; but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, ARE NOT WISE.”

There is no better place to study the growth of the church than the Book of Acts.  Here we find the acts of the church, and the God that made it grow.  We can clearly see in Acts that the Lord was the one that added to the church.

Following the New Testament pattern and principles will produce New Testament churches.  We need churches that are patterned after the New Testament example.  New Testament preaching will also produce New Testament results.

The best way to study church growth is to go back to the basics of the Word of God. It would be best for us to measure ourselves against the Word of God, the only measurement of truth. We should measure our church with the church established in the Word. 

Jeremiah wrote, “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls....”  (Jeremiah 6:16)