What is the secret to church growth?
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be in that room described in the first chapter of Acts with about 120 people, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, the Apostles, and other dedicated followers of Jesus? Many, if not all of them, had seen Jesus taken down from the cross and had been completely devastated. But beginning three days later and for forty days, he appeared to them. They weren’t talking about church growth, but that was what was about to happen.
At the top of mind was the fact they had seen him. The awe of the resurrection was still a powerful presence in their lives. And the Apostles had seen him ascend out of their sight.
Imagine the conversations in that room during the ten days after Jesus’s ascension. If you had been there, what would you have been thinking? What would you be feeling?
There were probably times when they all prayed together and shared memories of things Jesus said and did. They may have sung hymns to praise God for all that had happened.
One thing we do know is they chose Matthias to fill the place of Judas Iscariot.
First church meeting
Basically, this was the first time people had come together as church, the church Jesus had founded. They were united in the solid conviction that Jesus was the Messiah and had risen from the dead.
What do you usually do when your church gets together to talk, either in a membership meeting or maybe a meeting of the church leadership, or a social function? What is top of mind? Financial obligations? Declining church membership? What color to paint the sanctuary?
Or do you focus on how you can reach out more effectively to those in need?
I can guarantee the 120 folks in that room were not talking about what color to paint the walls, which contractor to repair the roof, or how much money they needed to pay their bills.
They were full of anticipation because Jesus had told them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit.
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he[Jesus] gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 1:4, 5 NIV
They didn’t really know what that meant, but they were waiting in Jerusalem until they found out.
First church growth
And suddenly it happened. On the Day of Pentecost, which was just ten days after Jesus ascended and 50 days after his resurrection, this little band of faithful followers of Christ, were once again together, waiting.
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4 NKJV
Have you ever wondered what they were of one accord on or in agreement about? As I said, they weren’t focused on unimportant stuff. They were united in their conviction that Jesus was the Messiah, had risen, and that they wanted to follow him and share his message with the world.
Your church growth
How can you bring that sense of spiritual unity of vision and purpose to your church? How can you and your church feel the presence of Jesus’s resurrection today?
If you’d like to read the whole story of what happened on the Day of Pentecost, you’ll find in in Acts, Chapter 2.
The disciples started speaking in different languages. Jews visiting Jerusalem from other countries heard then speaking in their own languages. Peter saw and took advantage of the opportunity to tell the crowd about Jesus. And thousands of those listening believed and accepted Jesus as the Messiah.
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Acts 2:41 NIV
Think about that. The church, the community of those who believed Jesus was the Christ, jumped from 120 to over 3,000. That’s 25 times the number of people they were the day before. What would you do if your church membership was multiplied by 25 in the space of a day?
Let’s say you have a small membership of 20 people. That would be 500 new people coming to your church. That’s a lot of church growth.
What are your expectations for church growth?
Most of us would be happy just to have two or three new people visiting our churches and becoming part of our church family. Again, I’ll ask: What would you do if 500 people suddenly wanted to be part of your church?
If it could happen with the Early Church on the Day of Pentecost, it could happen today at your church. If you do what they did.
Are you expecting this? Are you prepared for something like that to happen? Probably not. Neither was the church back then. They had to pray to be guided each step of the way.
The important point to remember here is that the disciples were full of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit promotes church growth
Being full of the Holy Spirit is mentioned often in the book of Acts as a major factor in this incredible increase in the number of those who believed in Jesus and the resulting church growth.
Here are a just few examples. This is a description of Barnabas, an early worker in the church who went with Paul on some of his journeys.
He [Barnabas] was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Acts 11:24 NIV
Philip, not the Apostle, but one of the Seven chosen to help minister to the needs of the growing church community, was also full of the Holy Spirit as he preached to the Samaritans.
Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. Acts 8:5-8 NIV
Philip is also the one who talked to the Ethiopian eunuch about Jesus. This man then took the message of Jesus being the Messiah to his home country of Ethiopia.
And I love the time Peter went to talk to a Roman Centurion named Cornelius, and his friends and family. As Peter was telling them about Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended on this Gentile audience. And they all became followers of Jesus.
You can read this whole story in Acts, Chapter 10.
What do people experience in your church?
When people experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit, it changed them. It transformed them spiritually. It made them want to be part of the church, the community of people who followed Christ.
Experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit is vital to our churches today. Is that what visitors to your church feel? Is it what you and your fellow members feel? Or are you more focused on the letter of the law? Do folks experience the rigidity which insists things have to be done a certain way?
In short, are legalism, church traditions, and human will running your church or is the Holy Spirit?
If you want your church to grow and prosper, you and your fellow members being full of the Holy Spirit, and letting go of all that the stuff, is absolutely essential.
Resurrection, prophecy fulfilled, and church growth
Another factor that led to rapid growth of the church in the book of Acts, is what I’ll call proximity to the resurrection of Jesus and the fact that he was the Messiah.
I mentioned this briefly a few minutes ago, but it is really crucial to understanding what was motivating the early Christians to share their faith. They had seen Jesus alive after what they thought was his complete failure by death on the cross.
How would you have felt during those three days between the crucifixion and the resurrection? It was a devastating time for those who had been convinced Jesus was the Messiah.
When Jesus met two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus as they were running away from the scene on the morning of his resurrection, he explained how he, even though they didn’t know it was Jesus yet, had fulfilled the prophecies of the coming Messiah.
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Luke 24:27 NIV
Not much later, after Jesus had revealed who he was and disappeared, those two disciples couldn’t get back to Jerusalem fast enough to tell what had happened. They wanted to be part of things again.
Effect of fulfilled prophecy
The question we really need to think about is: What effect did Jesus explaining how he had fulfilled the Messianic prophecies have on these two disciples? The answer is in Luke,
They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32 NIV
Understanding how Jesus fulfills the Scriptures, which includes his resurrection, is fuel for the fire of church growth and progress.
When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, as well as on other occasions, he showed how Jesus was the Messiah. And I love the story of Apollos, who had been preaching about Jesus but didn’t know the whole story.
Aquila and Priscilla explained things to him more fully. And this is what happened as a result.
When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. Acts 18:27, 28 NIV
Paul, prophecy, and church growth
And of course Paul does the very same thing when he is talking to a Jewish audience.
When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. Acts 18:5 NIV
There’s something deeply compelling when you see that Jesus fulfilled prophecies in the Old Testament, some which went back as far as Moses. It makes the Scriptures come alive.
Jesus is not just another prophet sent by God. He is the Messiah, or Christ, God’s Anointed One. When you connect the dots and you see how all the prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled by Jesus, it reveals God’s love for you and all mankind and you want to be part of it.
When you and your church have the thrill of fulfilled prophecies in your heart, it opens the door for the Holy Spirit to enter. Church growth is the result.
As the Day of Pentecost approached, the 120 faithful disciples felt so close to these prophecies being fulfilled. They were profoundly conscious of Jesus’s resurrection and ascension. It was all so fresh.
Your church is not separated from the resurrection
Do you ever feel those events are so far away that you can’t feel the immediacy of their impact? I know that feeling well. I mean really, it was almost 2,000 years ago.
What if, instead, you could feel the same way you would have if you had been there to see Jesus when he appeared in a room when the doors were locked? Or what if you, along with 500 others, had seen and heard him after his resurrection, talk about the kingdom of heaven?
Your heart would be on fire, just like those two guys going to Emmaus.
The world says you and I can never experience this same spiritual inspiration because those events happened so long ago. But we can throw that lie in the trash can. When you open your heart to the fullness and timelessness of Jesus’s resurrection, you can be in awe of what happened just as much as those who were there at the time.
Power of the resurrection for church growth
What is the power of the resurrection and why is it so important to church growth and progress? I guess there are lots of ways to answer that question, but for me, one of the most important things is that the resurrection shows Jesus’s triumph over all the sum total of sin, evil, and materialism in the world.
When your kid’s little League baseball team wins a game, you get excited. When your favorite professional sports team wins a tough competition, you are thrilled. When you win a new contract at work or get a new job, you want to celebrate the victory.
Jesus’s victory over sin, evil, and materialism is the most important and has had the most far reaching impact on the world than any other moral or spiritual victory in history. When you and your church are alive to this and in a spiritual celebration mindset because of it, nothing can hold back your church from growing.
If your church is not growing, and here again, I don’t just mean in the number of members you have, but in the spiritual progress you’re making, then it’s time to embrace Jesus’s resurrection and what it represents in a deep, fresh way. Jesus’s victory over sin and death should be a transforming presence in the lives of everyone in your church. If it’s not, you’ve got work to do.
Desire to share Christ’s message
There’s something else that impelled church growth in the book of Acts and can help our churches grow today. It was the earnest desire to share the message of Jesus, his resurrection, and the kingdom of heaven with everyone they could.
Actually, this desire came from a deeper desire to obey one of Jesus’s final commands:
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Mark 16:15 NIV
Is your heart, and the heart of your church, on fire to obey this final command of Jesus? How much do you really love Jesus, the people you interact with every day, and the people your church can reach out to?
Then you’ll find ways to share the good news of God’s love with them in your own unique way.
Now, I know, you may be thinking: Hey James, I’m just not very good at sharing my faith. I just don’t feel comfortable telling someone about Jesus and I don’t really see any opportunities to do this. I don’t want to force my religious beliefs on someone.
Hey, I get that. No one wants someone else’s religious beliefs crammed down their throat.
Seeing opportunities to share
But that’s not what I’m talking about at all. I’m talking about living your love for Christ and your fellow men and women, the people Jesus would call your neighbors, all of them, so they feel this love and want to experience more of it.
Every day gives you many different opportunities to love people with your love for Christ and treat them the way Jesus would have. That’s how Jesus got started. He shared ideas from the Scriptures or an idea God gave him. He realized people needed to feel God’s love and he demonstrated that love constantly. His ministry grew from there.
You might just offer a kind word of support and share a Bible verse that’s been helpful to you. Sometimes a knowing and loving smile is all someone needs to feel encouraged, as you pass them on the street. Or a kind greeting to someone in the store. And sometimes you just might tell someone about the difference following Christ has made in your life.
The point is, when you love Jesus and your fellow man, you will find opportunities to share God’s love with them. Actually the opportunities to let your light of love shine are always present. But you will see and act on these opportunities when your heart is full of love.
Sharing your faith leads to church growth
Just think about how Peter and Paul saw opportunities to tell people about Jesus, when you and I might not have.
Let’s come back to the Day of Pentecost when people heard the disciples speaking in different languages and started accusing them of being drunk. If that sort of accusation happened today, it would be easy to think of it as a public relations disaster that had to be corrected.
But Peter saw it as an opportunity to tell these Jews from other countries about Jesus. The result was amazing, as I mentioned at the beginning of this episode. About 3,000 people joined the church that day.
And Paul was always looking for and finding an opportunity to tell people about Jesus. The one that amazes me the most is when an angry Jewish crowd is about to beat him up and a Roman officer takes him into custody.
Paul asks the officer if he can go back and talk to the angry crowd.
Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”
As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?… Please let me speak to the people.” Acts 21:34-37, 39 NIV
When most of us would have been grateful to be away from that hostile crowd, Paul saw it as an opportunity to tell them about Jesus. Now, I know, that is an extreme example. But it gives you and me something to think about. If Paul can talk to an angry crowd that just tried to kill him, you and I can find ways to talk to people in less extreme situations.
Know who you’re speaking to
One more point I’d like to make is that Paul always knew who he was speaking to and spoke accordingly. When he was with Jews, he told them about his Jewish heritage. When he was talking to Pharisees, he talked about being a Pharisee himself. When he was talking to Roman officers, he spoke Greek and mentioned that he was a Roman citizen. He knew how to relate to and communicate with whoever he was talking to. You and I need to do the same.
You can’t talk to an atheist about Jesus the same way you would talk to someone who already believes in God to some degree.
Praying for church growth
In praying for church growth and progress, I encourage you to read the whole book of Acts to get an overall view of how the early Christian Church grew so rapidly. Think about how you and your church can embrace the way the early disciples thought and acted.
Be full of the Holy Spirit. Be in the presence of the spirit of Jesus’s resurrection, Understand how Jesus fulfills the Scriptures, love Jesus enough to obey his command to share his message with your neighbors, love your neighbors enough to actually share your faith with them, and look for the opportunities to share that are always there. And try to speak in a way others can understand you.
When you and your church do this, I can’t guarantee you’ ll get a bunch of new members, but I can promise you there will a lot of spiritual growth on your part and there are no limitations to what God can do when your hearts are on fire for Christ.
Photo Credit: Samuel Martins
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Acts 1:4, 5 NIV
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he[Jesus] gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:1-4 NKJV
1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:41 NIV
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Acts 11:24 NIV
24 He [Barnabas] was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord
Acts 8:5-8 NIV
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.
6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.
7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.
8 So there was great joy in that city.
Luke 24:27 NIV
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Luke 24:32 NIV
32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Acts 18:27, 28 NIV
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
Acts 18:5 NIV
5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.
Acts 18:5 NIV
5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.
Mark 16:15 NIV
15 Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Acts 21:34-37, 39 NIV
34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.
35 When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers.
36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”
37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?
39 “Please let me speak to the people.”