Steps To A Growing Church!

Verse 42-And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine

Step 1.They Were Learners!

Psalm 119:73-Your hands have made me and fashioned me;

Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments

Matthew 11:29-Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

We should be always learning, we should always be growing!

But to many Christians are ignorant of the Bible!

Pastor asked the little boy after Sunday School (He knew that is what the lesson was about) “Who knocked down the walls of Jericho?” Kid answered, "Not me!" Pastor said to the father, "Well, what do think of that answer?" Father said, "I believe him, if he said he didn't do it, he didn't do it."

Verse 42-And Fellowship, in the breaking of bread,

2 Step-They Fellowshipped Together

Sharing Trials, Victories, Heartaches, and Joy.

The reason so many people say they don’t get anything out of Church is because they arrive right before Church starts and they leave right after Church and they don’t fellowship with people….They don’t get close to people and they don’t let people get close to them.

Then there are the ones who come every now and then. (The man who came only on special occasions and said to a person who had come with him, “I bet half these people don’t know my name, and I been coming here for years!”) He don’t stick around long or come around long enough for people to get to know him.

Proverbs 18:24-A man who has friends must himself be friendly,

But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Verse 42-And In Prayers

Step 3-They Prayered Together And For Each Other

We can not achieve anything that will last or anything that will change the world, if we do not pray first!

We can try to do things on our on ability and see who that works? Or we can pray and seek God’s direction and use the resources, the talents, and the abilities that God has given us and be successful for the Kingdom of God!

Verse 44-45-Now All Who Believed Were Together, And Had All Things In Common, And Sold Their Possessions And Goods, And Divided Them Among All, As Anyone Had Need.

Step 4-They Were Generous

The people who truly have God first in their life, giving is never a issue!

Think about Judas, and about the woman with the expensive perfume.

When God is first in your life, money seems to lose its value. It becomes the tool that it ought to be, instead of the master it has become.

Verse 46-So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart

Step 5-They Had Gladness

Simplicity-a lack of complexity, complication, embellishment, or difficulty

With all the gadget’s, all the toys, all the bells and whistles on our vehicles that we own is our life, is our life less complicated or more complicated?

When material things lose their attractions to us and spiritual things become more important, that’s when we will find real joy!

Verse 47-Praising God And Having Favor With All The People. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Step 6-They Became A Light In A Dark World

When we become different than the world we live in, when speak different than the world speaks, when act different than the worlds acts, when we have solutions different than the world’s solutions, when we treat people different than the world treats people, then we will see an out pouring of what God did in the book of Acts.