Church Growth-God’s Style

There is an urban legion floating around on the Internet that tells the story of how at the height of the space race during the 1960’s, NASA took on the challenge of finding a way to write in space. Normal pens wouldn’t work due to the zero gravity the astronauts would face in the space capsules. So scientists embarked on a way to solve the problem; they came up with the Astronaut Pen, after months of research and development, and at a cost of about $1 million. But after all that time and money had been invested NASA’s hard work paid off and they had a means of writing in space.

The Soviet Union also faced the task of writing in space. To solve this weighty problem, they used a pencil.

Research into this urban legion reveals that it is not true. The Fisher Pen Company did develop a pen for NASA at their own expense but at the beginning of the space program both the American and Soviet astronauts used pencils.

While this urban legend is false, the lesson conveyed by it is true: Doesn’t it seem that we oftentimes put in place the most difficult of solutions to solve the simplest of problems?

When it comes to church growth, many pastors and church leaders implement complex methods, strategies and gimmicks in order to get their churches to grow when the Bible has already outlined God’s simple solution.

Today I will be sharing with you one of God’s simple solutions to the problem of little or no growth in the church.

As we begin, I would like to submit to you that if a church is healthy it will grow. When people are about the Father’s business of living pure lives, sharing the Good News of Jesus, death, burial and resurrection, giving their time, treasures, talents and temples in loving and serving one another in the church, the church will grow.

However, a church will grow without any of these things happening.

It will grow as people flock to sit in air conditioned, spacious facilities, send their kids to exciting children’s ministries, hear awesome sounding choirs, praise groups and bands, and watch tear-jerking drama and laugh at comical skits.

It will grow as a result of people flocking to hear articulate preachers who preach messages that tickle the ears and numb the conscience, fail to preach against sin; fail to mention judgment, hell and the lake of fire to follow.

How is a church to experience true growth? This question will be answered as we look to Scripture.

Chapter two of the book of Acts begins with the day of Pentecost arriving some 50 days after Passover. We all know what happened during the week of Passover. The Passover Lamb Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins and raised from the dead so that we might be declared righteous (Romans 4:25).

The disciples were all together in one place and the Holy Spirit came with a noise like a violent, rushing wind and it filled the whole place where they were. They all began to speak with other languages and the Holy Spirit filled each person assembled.

Because it was the time of the observance of Pentecost, the Bible says in Acts 2, verse 5 that many foreigners from every nation under heaven were in Jerusalem and heard the disciples speak in their own native tongue.

These foreigners, “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs” all heard the disciples speaking of the mighty deeds of God in their own language (vss. 8-12)

Some were both amazed and perplexed; others mocked and accused the disciples of being drunk.

The Apostle Peter stood up and preached saying that these men aren’t drunk because it was only 9am. He went on to say that what was happening was spoken of through the prophet Joel. Peter continued and preached a sermon that is summarized in verse 22 – 24:

Acts 2:22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know--

Acts 2:23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

Acts 2:24 "And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

The amazing thing is that at the end of Peter’s message you will find no invitation. You will find no chorus being sung by a choir with the words, “Come to Jesus, come to Jesus, come to Jesus just now…” There was no crusade choir singing, “Just as I am….”