Growing Deeper & Reaching Wider

GROWING DEEPER, REACHING WIDER

Text: Acts 2:42-47

I. GROWING DEEPER

A. Who needs to grow deeper?

1. People who had just receive Christ.

2. People who are suffering from trials and persecution.

3. People who live and work among unbelievers.

4. People who are in the service.

5. All Christians need to grow deeper.

B. What should we do to grow deeper?

1. Devote yourself to the Apostles’ Teachings

2. Fellowship with Fellow Believers.

3. Remember the Message of the Last Supper – the death, burial, resurrection and return of Jesus

4. Pray…Pray…Pray

II. REACHING WIDER

A. Who are the people to reach?

1. The reached – love one another as I have loved you.

2. The reachable – our circle of friends, those immediately around us

3. Our household –OIKOS-- The extended family. Reachable--these people are within our reach.

4. The Unreached group - people not in our OIKOS. This will take extra effort and takes time.

5. All the World-- The scope of our reach should be the world, the mandate of our commission.

B. How can we reach wider?

1. Power Evangelism (v. 43) - Miracles manifested that resulted to awe. There was power in the ministry of the

Apostles. As Jesus healed the sick so did the Apostles. There is no doubt that people were attracted to the power

demonstrated by the early church.

2. Servant Evangelism (vv. 44-45) - They lived in communal living. No need was ignored. Properties were sold not

for the owner’s gain but to meet the need of the believers.

3. Body Evangelism (V.46a)- They met daily in the temple courts. The whole church gathered in the place where

there were people to reach. The body started to make contact with community of people where they can be found.

The church went to the center and not at the corner of the city.

4. Oikos Evangelism (v.46b) - Believers gathered in their homes.

5. If someone became a believer, the next thing they did was go to the house of a believer, and there they preached

the gospel…to the member of the family…in the house.

6. Acts 16:31 – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

7. Life Testimony Evangelism - The church found favor in the people. We cannot ignore reaching out to people by

the way we live. It is much easier to knock on the door of a complete stranger and share the gospel to them than

to share it to your neighbor.

III. REMEMBER

A. "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

B. The Lord is reminding us :

1. The Lord is the one who adds people to the church -- Our work is to minister to people and share the

gospel to them.

2. The Lord added to their number and not just to their spiritual growth – God is number conscious God.

C. The Lord adds those who are being saved-- No person is added to the church unless he experienced the

salvation offered by the Lord Jesus Christ.

D. Don’t believe in the principle : "It is Ok if we are small in number as long as we are a quality Church."

E. Remember this: "A church who grows in quality is a church who also grows in quantity."

F. A GROWING CHURCH IS A MISSIONARY CHURCH.

G. A GROWING CHRISTIAN IS A MISSIONARY CHRISTIAN.