God’s Method For Church Growth

Please notice, I said God’s Method For Church Growth.

Before we get into God’s Method of Church growth let me talk to you about two MAN MADE METHODS FOR CHURCH GROWTH that is being used by liberal churches all over this nation.

There are many ideas today about church growth, but some of these ideas cannot be found in the scriptures.

I looked the other day for some books on church growth and immediately I found 25 books. I have not read all twenty five of these books but I have read some of them and I can almost guaranteed you that each book is filled with man made Ideas for church growth.

Not all of these ideas are sinful but the problem is you cannot find God’s Method For Church Growth in them.

Before I show you GOD’S METHOD FOR CHURCH GROWTH let me share with you TWO DANGEROUS METHODS FOR CHURCH GROWTH that is prevalent today.

There is:

(1)The Easy Believism Method

This method of church growth is widespread and dangerous. This is man’s made method for salvation. All you have to do is believe there is a Christ that died for your sins.

This is a method that goes soft on sin and leave out repentance for salvation.

There are two dangerous things in this approach to salvation.

(1)Easy believism teaches one needs only to believe in Jesus in order to be saved.

It is true that a person must believe in Christ to be saved. But the book of James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”

When it comes to believing Christ for salvation we need to look at the word BELIEVE!

Illus: Let me illustrate it this way. As you set here in this beautiful sanctuary suppose someone come through the back door and they began to holler “Fire! Fire! Fire!

Now when you hear the word “Fire” you have got to decide two things:

(1) Do you really believe what you hear!

(2) You do not believe in what you hear!

If you believe someone is playing a joke on the congregation you would set there, but if you believe that someone was trying to warn you it would cause you to ACT on what you heard.

True faith in Christ will always lead to a changed life. It is a belief that I am a sinner on my way to hell and the Lord Jesus is the Savior. And if I truly REPENT OF MY SINS the Lord will save me and I will become a born again creature.

Just saying that you believe in Christ will not save you.

We read in Ephesians 2:8–9: “For by grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”

So we see that faith, given as a gift by God, is what saves us.

But the next verse (Ephesians 2:10) tells us of the results truly believing. We read “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

This verse teaches us we are saved by the hand of God Almighty, by His will and for His use.

Another common usage of the term easy believism is…

(2) In regards to those who believe they’re saved because they prayed a prayer-

• With no real conviction of sin

• No real faith in Christ.

There is more to salvation than mouthing off some words.

We are His servants, and from the moment of salvation by faith, we embark on a journey of pre-ordained good works that are the evidence of that salvation.

If there is no evidence of growth and good works, we have every reason to doubt that salvation ever truly took place.

• “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20), and a dead faith is not a saving faith.

• With true salvation comes genuine repentance and real life change.

• Second Corinthians 5:17 says that those who are in Christ are a “new creation.”

Is it possible that the new person Christ creates is one who continues to walk in the flesh of sin? No.

Salvation is certainly free, but, at the same time, it costs us everything. We are to die to ourselves as we change into the likeness of Christ.

Where easy believism fails is its lack of recognition that a person with faith in Jesus will lead a progressively changed life.

Our churches are filled with people who believe in EASY BELIEVISM.

How do I know?

Because many of those who claim to be saved they are the same old sinful creature they have always been.

But many churches use this method for church growth leaving out the fact the Lord says, “Except ye repent ye shall likewise perish.”