I want to start off by saying that I am pleased with where our church is at this point in history, we are healthy, we are growing, we are persevering, but in the same breath, let me say that I believe that we are capable of so much more.
We are growing spiritually but we need to grow more.
We are growing into the apostolic, becoming the church that God desire, but we need to grow more.
We are growing in prayer but we need to grow more.
We are growing in praise and worship but we need to grow more.
We are growing in our relationships but we need to grow more.
We are growing in servanthood but we need to grow more.
We are growing numerically but we need to grow more.
Christianity... that is your relationship with God is not something that is supposed to be stagnate, ungrowing, and unfruitful. It is supposed to be the opposite.
That is why we do the things around here the way we do. That is why we have the focus on five. That is why we are teaching on the apostolic. That is why we are urging you to become the people God wants you to be. We need to continue to grow.
We must grow spiritually.
Jesus spoke to the churches of the world in Revelation 2 and 3. To one church He said, “Wake up!” And to another church He said, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So because you are lukewarm… I am about to spew you out of my mouth.” NIV
We grow by being in the Word of God and by meeting together to study the Bible and to worship God.
Solomon said, “as iron sharpens iron so does one man sharpen another.”
Paul said, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 KJ
Spiritual growth is absolutely necessary for the believer.
We need to grow apostolically.
Most Bible scholars will tell you that the Apostolic age ended when the last apostle died. The last apostle to die was John.
Webster defines apostolic as “pertaining or relating to the apostles.” Therefore for us to grow apostolically we must model the First Century churches. The specific examples of how a church should operate are primarily found in the book of Acts. To sum it up, Jesus is the center of it all. Worship is important as is prayer and faith. An Apostolic church is a place that will teach the uncompromised Word of God. It is a place, in which the people are growing together, working together, and sharing with each other.
It is a place that is committed to advancing the Kingdom of God.
If we are growing Apostolically, then we will be growing in other areas. We will grow in prayer because we will have a deeper desire to be close to God and hear from Him. We will also grow in praise and worship. These things become more important to us because we learn that without them we are empty.
We will grow in our relationships with others. We will truly learn how to love and practice love through servanthood.
Prayer, praise, worship, proper relationships, love, serving each other are all Biblical principles. We must grow in these areas even more than we all ready have.
We must grow numerically.
Most people in small churches are looking for some magical formula or program that will help them grow their church when all the while they have everything they need to grow their church right under their nose.
Do you want to know the most important ingredient for growing a small church? The people in the church having one-on-one conversations with non-Christians that leads to their conversion to Christ. This goes for the pastor, the youth pastor, and everyone else.
A 2005 study of 700 church plants funded by The Lilly Foundation and the Lutheran Brotherhood titled “New Church Development in the 21st Century” proves this point. The study included churches from seven mainline denominations (You can read about the complete finds in the book Extraordinary Times, ed. By H. Stanley Wood, and published by Erdman’s).
The study compares church plants that grow beyond a small church with those that either failed or succeed and then hit a plateau and didn’t grow beyond a small church.
The key finding of the study is - The more focused the pastor is on evangelism the larger the church becomes. I am committed to evangelism. I am committed to seeing the kingdom of God advance and as committed as I am, you also have to be committed and focused.
We need to get the word out. That is the first of our five focus points. Invest in people and Invite those people to know Christ and then bring those people to church.
The most important thing you can do to grow that church is to practice personal, one-on-one evangelism. In a church our size we can grow the church. All we have to do is bring in fifty to seventy-five new Christians and everything changes.
If you want to see our church grow then you need to spend some of your time out among the public meeting people, knocking on doors, doing whatever is necessary to come into contact with people who don’t go to church or who aren’t Christians. In a church our size growing the church is that simple, we have to build relationships with people and in those relationships we MUST tell them about Jesus.
How are we going to know that we are growing in these areas?
It’s like playing a baseball game.
The key to playing baseball is getting on base and scoring runs. That is how you win the game. You get up to bat, you hit the ball and you run to first base.
Very important. You don’t run to third base first, you don’t run to second base first. You run to first base, then you go to second base, then you go to third base, then you go to home plate. In that order. If you skip a base then you are out. The game is very simple and being the church that we are supposed to be is simple also.
The first thing you need to do is get on first base.
First base is relational. It is building up the relations with the people around you, becoming a member of a body of believers and accepting each member of the body as your family. We begin to care for each other, watch out for each other, minister to each other’s needs. We lift each other up and edify one another and serve. We stop backbiting, fussing, whining, complaining and gossiping and we start loving others and living like it.
We get involved with the church. We begin to help out. We support the church with our tithes and offerings and with our talents. We worship together and learn together and fellowship together.
Once we have that established then we can move on to second base.
Second base is when we begin to solidify our Biblical worldview. This is done through discipleship and Bible study. We have made a commitment to the body of Christ and we are growing in Him. We have developed Godly relationships and we are sharpening each other.
The next stop is third base.
Here is where we have grown to a point in our walk with Christ that we are beginning to discover our spiritual gifts; a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, special faith, gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues, helps, administration, leadership, teaching, exhorting, pastor, apostle, prophet, evangelist, hospitality, intercession, and witnessing.
On third base we are discovering these gifts and honing them so that we can go to home plate.
Home plate is where we find the kingdom of God.
Finding the kingdom of God means that we are taking all that now have, every gift, every ability, every talent, all we own, and all we are to further His kingdom.
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. Matthew 11:10 NIV
By living in the Kingdom of God now means we are giving God sovereign control over everything. He is in control and our faith and trust is in Him alone. The Kingdom of God is a holy kingdom; a kingdom governed in accordance with the perfect law of the Most High.
The Kingdom of God is the most valuable thing that anyone of us could posses.
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44
Getting to home plate means you are living in the principle that if you decree a thing, it will be established. It means that you believe that God has called you by name and that everything that is His belongs to you.
It is living in the newness of understanding that you are saved, transformed, healed, provided for, restored, renewed, strengthened, filled with the Holy Spirit, not afraid of the enemy, and ready to live for Christ.
You have found your treasure. You have scored.
So my question today is what base are you on?
Are you ready to step up to the plate and score a run?
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