THE FRUITS OF CHURCH GROWTH (IV)
Preacher James Tan
Spiritual Growth in the Fellowship of the Saints
The fellowship of the saints in the early church (Acts 2:42) constitutes the other aspects of life in the church — the learning of the “Apostles’ doctrine”, the continued observance of the sacraments in the “breaking of bread”, as well as “in prayers”. This simple pattern would form the basis of every church and would be part of the evaluation of how a church grows. The church cannot be said to be growing if members have no interest in studying the Word, pay no attention to the sacraments, or refuse to gather to pray. This is reflective of a lack of reverential fear (2:43) which the early church had. It is not just a mere attendance or gathering on the Lord’s day, but the active participation of the believers in these aspects.
Their care for each other, in how they took care of the welfare of the church (2:44-45), is resultant from the fellowship they had. This physical welfare and care in the church (while important), does not precede the spiritual aspects of the church, and it is not the measure of how a church is growing by how much good works are done. The unity and joy they had (Acts 2:46) was a result of their fellowship with one another in the Word, sacraments, prayer first, then practiced with their mutual care and concern as fellow believers. Having a focus on love and unity without caring first for the word, sacraments and prayer would be going against the biblical pattern. There would eventually be no spiritual basis for any such love shown, which would be man-centred, and man-pleasing, all in the semblance of Christian religion, but being no different from a community centre in reality.
The growth of the church is not centered upon one singular person or just the leadership alone. Paul had the company of saints in travel like Barnabas, Silas, Timotheus, Gaius, Aristarchus, etc. Paul had friends who cared for his safety and well-being while being persecuted at Ephesus (Acts 19:31), and was able to even visit friends “to refresh himself” (Acts 27:3). At this point, it can be observed that the individual churches had grown and matured over the years, such that Paul was able to find such like-minded brethren in all the places he visited. A church cannot be deemed to have grown if no real spiritual fellowship can be found in the congregation. If the members of the church are just another set of friends that would have little difference from the people of the world and would have no real spiritual concerns, then the church has not grown according to the biblical model.
Church Growth and Spiritual Leaders
One of the immediate concerns of the early church was the immense number of converts, the dire needs of the people, and the amount of welfare that had to be managed amongst the needy members of the church. While this was a genuine need, it must be dealt with the right spiritual principles. The key priority of the church is still the Word of God (Acts 6:2, 5), of which its focus cannot be compromised. While the Apostles certainly helped, they found the administration of it to be overwhelming, to the extent that they could no longer focus on the teaching and preaching of the Word. Despite the urgent need, the spiritual standards were not compromised. Even the men appointed must have the right spiritual qualifications and gifts (Acts 6:3). The primary focus of their appointment was not to further expand the church, but to make sure that those in the church are properly ministered to, even in their physical needs.
The focus of the end effect is that “the word of God increased” followed by the record of how “the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:7) This growth in the church would not be possible if the Apostles were not able to focus on the preaching and teaching of the Word.
This is a lesson for the church today that the biblical pattern for church growth is to prioritize the Word always, and never to compromise on the provision of it. All other matters that follow might be important (e.g., finances, administration, etc.), but they can be carefully managed by spiritually qualified and gifted believers. The existing church must be well taken care of first, and as the faithful preaching and teaching of the Word continues, the Lord will add and help the church to mature.
Churches today instead would seek to operate ministries for the sake of expansion and rapid growth first, and often at the expense of the Truth. The neo-evangelical methods that would seek to attract the world, using worldly methods go against the biblical model. They would use the world’s music, activities, business methods, advertising, psychology, etc. to grow the church. Positions are no longer held to biblical or spiritual standards, but for the sake of selfish politics and pragmatism. Leaders appointed to such positions will continue the vicious cycle of growing the church but leading it further away from Christ and the Truth. Though some semblance of the Gospel and the Bible might be used by such churches and ministries, it is a mere façade. This is the form of godliness, but without the true power of the church (2 Tim 3:5).