THE CONTINUED POWER AND GROWTH OF CHRIST'S CHURCH
Acts 5:12-16
(Antioch Baptist Church: Wednesday, October 29th, 2025)
Several years ago there was a new church in our area that experienced rapid growth and many people were amazed at all of the things that God was doing in and through that assembly. Today, that church is no longer in existence. A friend of mine once pastored a historic Baptist church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I recently learned that that once thriving church closed about five years ago. As a result of the many unexpected consequences related to the Covid 19 pandemic, countless churches in our area, throughout the state, and across the nation did not survive. It is estimated that somewhere between 4,000 and 10,000 churches closed in the US last year (2024), with some sources predicting another 15,000 closures will occur in 2025.
These stories and statistics are certainly disturbing, and I grieve for our brothers and sisters who have experienced the pain that comes from seeing their places of worship cease to exist. However, I am encouraged and excited for the future of Christ’s Church. This is because I know who is in control, I am confident in His power, I trust His promises, and I am assured that Christ’s Church will always stand.
On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon a small assembly of Christ’s followers; that very day, the number of Believers increased by over three thousand. Just a few days later thousands more were converted after Peter’s sermon at Solomon’s Portico. Those who were converted responded to their spiritual transformation by telling others about what Jesus had done in their lives. Through their testimony Jesus added even more people to His Church.
As a result of all of this spiritual progress, the Saints in Jerusalem experienced great opposition. By this point in time, the Church has experienced persecution from without and problems from within. From outside of the church, the religious rulers have threatened the Apostles to cease preaching in Jesus’ name. On the inside, Ananias & Sapphira have given into Satan’s tactics and sought to deceive their brothers and sisters in Christ.
As we arrive at Acts 5:12-16 we encounter a very encouraging portion of God’s Word; these verses show us that even in times of great difficulty God’s church can not only survive, it can thrive! In fact, some of the greatest moments in Church history occurred as a result of opposition and persecution.
Though there has always been and always will be troublesome times for the people of God, and though the Enemy has never ceased his attacks against the people of God, the Church still enjoys the power of God, and in spite of constant and often extreme difficulties, the Lord’s Church continues to grow.
- As we examine our selected text I would like for us to consider “The Continued Power & Growth Of Christ's Church.”
I am thankful that some 2,000 years after its initial opposition, the Lord’s Church still possesses great power and it is continuing to grow. The Florida Boys used to sing a song that said:
“The Church is like an anvil,
Attacked for Heaven’s sake,
It’s worn out many hammers,
But it will never break;
So gates of Hell, open wide
And pour out all you can,
For Jesus said, “you won’t prevail”,
The Church will always stand!”
In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said to Peter “upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Our own Church is proof of the endurance of Christ’s Church; there have been many times throughout its two-hundred-year history when Satan has unleashed his fury and tried to destroy this assembly; yet, Antioch has prevailed. There is no guarantee that Antioch Baptist Church will always stand, but we can rest assured that Christ’s Church, (the Church Universal) will never be destroyed! This is not because of the people who make up the Church, it is because of the Church’s source of power; that is, the power of Jesus Christ.
- Let’s take a moment and examine:
THE CONTINUED POWER OF THE CHURCH
Verses 12-16 stand in contrast to the deception and death that is seen in the first eleven verses of this chapter. Luke gives a report concerning the amazing and supernatural power that the Apostles possessed as a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. He says that “through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people”
When Jesus walked the earth, He performed countless miracles among the people and He transformed many lives. But Jesus did not come to earth to give the blind their sight, to make the deaf to hear, or the lame to walk; He did not come to cast out demons, to cleanse lepers, or even to raise the dead. We know that He did all of these things (and so much more), however the physical miracles that Jesus performed were a “means to an end” so to speak.
The purpose of Christ’s miracles was to authenticate His divinity and to prove that He was exactly who He said He was; namely God’s Promised Messiah. Ultimately, Jesus’ desire was to bring salvation to the lost. He declared that His purpose for coming to earth was to “seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
Jesus’ miracle working power continued after His ascension. As He promised, the Holy Spirit arrived and filled the Apostles and empowered them to be His witnesses. As a result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles were enabled to perform many great “signs and wonders”.
Like Jesus, the Apostles main concern was not the physical healing of the people; rather they were focused on their spiritual well-being. These men had not been called and commissioned to be miracle workers; they had been commanded to go and “make disciples of all nations”. The signs and miracles that they were enabled to perform were intended to authenticate that the message they were sharing was a message that came from God. When the people saw these signs performed at the hands of the Apostles, they were understandably filled with wonder and amazement.
It is important to note that these “signs and wonders” were an answer to prayer. After Peter & John were arrested and threatened for preaching in Jesus name, the followers of Christ gathered together and prayed for boldness and for the Lord to continue to work miracles through the Apostles. Acts 4:29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." God answered the prayers of His people and the Apostles performed “signs and wonders” in Jerusalem and beyond.
The influence of the Saints and the impact of the signs and wonders that God was doing through the Apostles caused people from all over the region bring their sick loved ones out into the streets believing that they would be healed.
v15 they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
After seeing all that God had done through Peter, the people in Jerusalem and “Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem,” and they “brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches” they also brought “those who were tormented by unclean spirits”. These people believed that the divine healing power that Peter possessed was so powerful that even his shadow would cause their loved ones to be healed. They were correct in their assessment because “they were all healed.”
It was not Peter that healed the sick or delivered those who were possessed by demons; it was God’s power working through Peter that transformed these people. There were many occasions where Peter was used to perform great miracles, yet he never accepted the credit or sought glory for himself. After the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate, Peter said:
Acts 3:12 "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
These signs and wonders performed by the Apostles served to authenticate their message and they demonstrated the power of the risen Lord who was now abiding within His followers.
There are many so called “faith healers” in our day. It is apparent that these men and women do not possess the power that the Apostles had. You will notice that when the people were brought to where Peter was, “they were all healed”. You will never see this in modern day healing campaigns. You will only see a select few people (usually the ones who are planted in the audience beforehand) receive a supposed miraculous healing. If these so-called faith healers possess the same power that the Apostles possessed, then why do they not spend their days ministering in the cancer wards and in children’s hospitals?
God is still a miracle working God and the Holy Spirit is certainly moving in the world today. But there are many deceivers who in the world who are using the name of Christ to deceive people and build their own kingdoms and they are doing great damage in the process. Certain “preachers” and “ministry leaders” operate in such a way as to draw people to themselves. Rather than advancing God’s Kingdom, they are building their own.
Many assemblies have facilities, programs and events that are designed to draw people to “their church”. Sadly, in many cases, once they draw them in, they fail to give them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the only hope of the Church experiencing true growth. This reality leads us to:
THE CONTINUED GROWTH OF THE CHURCH
There are certain things that we could do that would fill this church to capacity within a few weeks, but Jesus did not call us to fill buildings with people, He called us to be His witnesses, to preach, baptize and make Disciples.
Verse 12 says that the Church was “all with one accord in Solomon's Portico.” Solomon’s Portico was a covered walkway in the Temple complex where the Christians often gathered. This is where the people assembled after the lame man was healed at the Beautiful Gate and where Peter preached the Gospel and many people responded by repenting and believing in Jesus.
The Church was in one accord and God was moving in a mighty way, but many of the unbelievers were afraid to join with them; however, they did possess great respect for this community of Christ followers. (v13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.)
The things that were happening within Christ’s Church certainly amazed the outsiders, but they were also very intimidated. Many of the unbelievers were so fearful of the power that was moving among the Church that they “dared to join them”. It is likely that these people were afraid to join with the Church because they were terrified of the consequences of their own sin. They may not have been present when Ananias & Sapphira were judged because of their sin, but they certainly had heard about their untimely deaths. Perhaps they were intimidated and fearful that they may experience a similar fate.
It is very interesting that even though they were afraid to join in with them, the unbelievers possessed great respect for those within the Church and they “esteemed them highly”. This should be the case for Christ’s Church today. We will never reach everyone who is outside the church, but we should live and operate in such a way that even if lost people don’t want anything to do with us, they still respect us.
For this to happen, we must possess the same attributes as those Believers in the first century Church. We must be filled with love, compassion and unity; we must be generous and benevolent, we must be holy, faithful and steadfast and we must live lives of complete devotion to Jesus Christ.
Even though many unbelievers stayed away from the church because of their fear of the consequences of sin, the growth of the church did not stall, the Lord continued to add people to His church.
v14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
During this time, multitudes of men and women saw the signs performed by the Apostles, heard the message of the Gospel and responded by believing, repenting and joining the Church. These people were not intrigued by extravagant facilities, eloquent speakers, entertaining programs, or exciting gimmicks; they were captivated by the work that God was doing among the community of Believers.
The people outside the church were interested in what was going on in the church because of the transformation that Jesus had performed in the lives of the people who were part of the church. The people in Jerusalem had seen the compassion, benevolence, and unity among the followers of Christ and they were intrigued by the power of God moving in and through His people. Ultimately, as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit, many of these people were convicted by the Gospel message, came to faith in Jesus Christ, and became a part of His Church.
Listen to this quote from the Life Application Study Bible: “What makes Christianity attractive? It is easy to be drawn to churches because of programs, good speakers, size, beautiful facilities, or fellowship. People were attracted to the early church, however, by expressions of God’s power at work; the generosity, sincerity, honesty, and unity of the members; and the character of the leaders. Have our standards slipped? God wants to add believers to his church, not just newer and better programs or larger and fancier facilities.” (Inc., Tyndale House Publishers. NASB Life Application Study Bible, Second Edition)
The power that was available to those in the early church is still available to us today. The Lord is still adding to His church today just as He did back then. We have access to the same Holy Spirit as those early Christians, we have the opportunity and the obligation to be witnesses of Christ in this world, We can experience His power and contribute to the growth of His Church and the advancement of His Kingdom. For this to happen, we must be filled with the Spirit, devoted to His cause and faithful to the tasks that He has assigned.
God does not need our creative methods, innovative programs, or meaningless gimmicks to advance His Kingdom. What is desires and demands of His people is the same thing that He expected of those Saints in the first century. Our Lord would have us to be unified in purpose, devoted to the study of scripture, constant in prayer, faithful in worship, giving, and service; passionate in evangelism, steadfast in times of opposition, and bold in the face of persecution. If we will plant and water, we can trust that He will give the increase! When we do our part and trust Him to do His we will have the opportunity to witness and participate in “The Continued Power And Growth Of Christ's Church”.
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