The Church: It’s A Productive Place
Acts 2:42-47 & 9:31
INTRODUCTION:(Prop: Houseplant)
I want to introduce you to “the plant.” The reason I say, “The plant” is because it is the only plant in our home that is alive. In fact, it’s probably lived longer than any other plant we’ve ever had. My wife will tell you that we don’t have a green thumb.. If it’s any color we have a black thumb. The only plants that do well in our house are the plastic ones. But this plant is different. This one is special. We’ve cared for it very carefully because it was given to us by the nursing home personnel who took care of Deb’s mom who passed away in September, 2004. So, we have done all we could to nurture it and it has grown. Now, it wasn’t always this size. It started small, we’ve had to transfer it to a larger pot, we’ve put a couple of sticks in it to hold it up. We’ve watered it, given it plant food, made sure it has sunshine. We even carried it with us in the car 1800 miles when we moved from Colorado Springs. All because we wanted it to live and grow. And why has it grown? Because of a very simple and true principle: healthy things grow! We all understand that’s true of all living things.
I have 3 children. They looked like this when they were young. But they grew. They grew into young men and women and now they two of them are married and have children. The youngest one isn’t married yet but wants to be! So why didn’t they stay small? Well, because they did what all healthy humans do... grow. If a living thing doesn’t grow, we know something is wrong. And whether it’s a plant, a child or a pet... we know it’s true: healthy things what? Grow!
The same is true of the church. When a church is healthy it will naturally grow. You say, “Yeah but is a church a living thing?” According to the Bible it is. In fact the most often used metaphor to define the church is a body. Eph. 4:15-16 says, “ We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”(NLT) That’s what we have been talking about this month. We’ve been looking at the first century church in the book of Acts and seeing that it’s health barometer was good.. Dennis taught us it was a peaceful and powerful place. Last week Arron helped us understand it was a positive place. Today we want to look at the final phrase in our study from Acts 9:31. Let’s read this together.. Would you read it out loud with me? “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.”(NIV)Today, I want us pay special attention to the phrase, “it grew in numbers,” and to see that the church was a productive place, a growing place.
I. CRITERIA FOR A GROWING CHURCH:
Let’s begin by looking how a church should grow. I want to spend the majority of our time together talking about the practical side of this but let’s start by mentioning two ways this early church grew and that we are to grow too.
A. We are to grow spiritually. In our theme verse for this series it says that the church “was strengthened.” By looking at other descriptions of that church I take the word “strengthened” to mean that they grew spiritually. That is, they grew deeper and deeper in their faith. You see, the church is not just about how many attend. Oh, I know, numbers are probably the most tangible measurement of growth but they cannot be our only criteria. We need to see lives transformed, growing deeper in their relationship with Jesus and with each other. That’s exactly why we have some of the things we do. It’s why we have Adult Bible Fellowship classes where you can learn in an informal setting. In the very near future we are going to offer some electives that will invite people to attend by their interest in a topic. For example we are going to have a class that will emphasize how you can mature by helping you learn how to study your Bible, pray effectively, grasp the principles of fellowship and giving. There will be other classes that will study a book or Biblical topic. We offer special interest classes like our S.H.A.P.E. class that helps you find where you can serve, or our Peace University Class that helps you look at your finances from a Biblical perspective. We have small groups that meet during the week that not only study the Bible together but enjoy rich community and care for one another. There are children’s classes, youth activities, Celebrate Recovery and more. All this to help us grow spiritually. If we only measure numbers we’ll have a church that is a mile wide but only an inch deep. Our goal is not just to have a big church but a great church! As the Hebrew writer wrote: “We must go on to maturity and think about more than just the basic things we were taught about Christ.”(Heb.6:1 CEV) Like that early church we must be strengthened, grow spiritually.
But it is also very clear that we are to grow numerically. It’s certainly what the early church did. In fact, their growth was astounding! We planted a church in Colorado Springs and on that first Sunday we had what those in church planting said was an excellent launch... almost 500 people in attendance. That’s nothing compared to the first church - they launched with 3000! And that wasn’t just attendance. Acts 2:41 tells us that 3000 made a decision and were baptized! And they didn’t stop sharing their message of God’s love. Two chapters later in Acts 4:4 it says, “...many of the people who heard their message believed it, so that the number of believers totaled about five thousand men, not counting women and children.”(NLT) Acts 5:14 tells us “more and more people were brought to the Lord - crowds of men and women.”(NLT) and in our theme verse for this series, Act 9:31 it says... “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.”(NIV) Some commentators say that by this time the church just in Jerusalem was running somewhere around 10-15 thousand!
Now, I think we ought to celebrate that fact that Christ’s Church has grown quite impressively too. In 1975 there were 117 people attending. By the late-1980’s we were running a little over 300. 10 years later there were 1000 people and now we are having close to 3500 attending on any given weekend. That ought to excite us! We should celebrate that fact that thousands each week hear about God’s love. But we dare not become complacent, we dare not stop here because if we stop growing it will be a sign that something is wrong, that we’re not as healthy as we should be. So, we must continue sharing the message with those that God has given us to reach. And let me tell you the need is incredible!
I’d like to ask you to take out the insert you have in your bulletin. Some weeks ago we hired a company to do a special demographic study of a 10 mile radius of our church. (www.perceptnet.com) We found that the typical person in this area is married, with children, in their mid-30’s, very educated and fairly affluent. We also found that they have a low faith preference. In other words many of them are unchurched. That’s what this insert shows. In fact, and I’ve seen dozens of demographic studies for church plants around the country, this is one of the highest unchurched areas I have ever seen. Just look at the red area which stands for 40-45% unchurched! And the other areas are close to that percentage.
Can we talk? We’ve been talking about an open door that God had given us and I’ve heard the question asked by several, “What does that open door look like?” It looks like this! Who knew, back several years ago, when we moved to this property and all it looked like was an industrial area that now we would be sitting in one of the most spiritually needy places in the country? God knew! And he has given us this opportunity. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to stand in front of God and explain why I didn’t do as much as I could do to make an impact on this opportunity that He has entrusted to us. We must be growing in numbers! Not because we want a big church but because numbers mean souls. We count people in this place, because people count! We have the same goal as Jesus, that is to seek and save the lost. Maybe it’s time for us to quit asking, “What kind of music are you going to play for me?” “What kind of service are you going to plan for me?” And start asking, “Who are we not reaching?” “Who are we leaving out?” I will never understand the mind set of some who say, "I don’t like a big church,” or “I want the church to remain small." That is to misunderstand the Church’s primary function. It is absolutely ludicrous to say, "I am looking for a small, friendly, highly evangelistic church." There’s no such thing! I want to be a part of a healthy church and a healthy church grows! And as we continue to grow if you hear somebody say, "You all have gotten to big. It’s hard to find a parking place, I wish it wasn’t so large." You just tell them to turn to Rev.7:9 - John describes his vision of heaven and he says, "I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb." (NLT) Too many to count and I guarantee you when you get up there your not going to say, "Boy, too many people here for me, send me someplace else." The Church was created to grow! In fact, the church is the only organization I know that exists primarily for those who are not a part of it. So, let’s spend our remaining time suggesting how we can reach out to these that need so badly to know how much God loves them.
II. CHARACTERISTICS OF A GROWING CHURCH:
But before I get real practical I want us to understand a Biblical principle. Our job is to get the message out, God’s job, through the Holy Spirit, is to save people We don’t save anyone. We do the sharing, God does the saving. On the very first Sunday of the church Peter and the apostles preached a mighty sermon about Jesus and they concluded by convincing the people that their sin had crucified Jesus. “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit... Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." (Acts 2:37-38 & 41 NIV) You see the pattern that was established on that first day of the Church still applies today. You accept Jesus as your Savior, you repent of your sins, your baptized into His name and God adds you to the Church, you don’t join it. We talk about joining Church like it is a country club or a college fraternity. But that’s not the way it happens. You see, we don’t save anyone or add them to the church, we’ve been entrusted with the job of sharing the message of God’s love with our co-workers, our neighbors, our family, our friends. But, how do we do that?
In Mark 2 there is a story of four friends who carry their crippled friend to Jesus that ought to be a paradigm for us. “Soon the house where he (Jesus) was staying was so packed with visitors that there wasn’t room for a single person more, not even outside the door. And he preached the Word to them. 3Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. 4They couldn’t get to Jesus through the crowd, so they dug through the clay roof above his head and lowered the sick man on his stretcher, right down in front of Jesus. 5When Jesus saw how strongly they believed that he would help, Jesus said to the sick man, “Son, your sins are forgiven!”(Mark 2:3-5 LB) Now, an in-depth study of that story is for another sermon, another day, but the men’s attitude is for right now. I want us to have the same conviction these guys did. Do you think those four guys were convicted that Jesus had the answer to their friend’s problem? Do you think they had the resolve and determination to get their friend to Jesus? You bet! They tore down the roof to get him in the presence of Jesus. And we must have the same sense of purpose. We must understand that the people that you come in contact with who are unsaved, unchurched or dechurched (my term for someone who’s had a bad experience in church) need Jesus and need a healthy group of believers to grow with. And they need someone to carry them into the presence of Jesus like these four guys did in Mark. 2. How do we do that? Well, let me close by giving you 3 “I’s” of outreach. Around the first of the year we are going to offering a class called “My Mission” where we will go into much more depth in this plan but for now let me give you the highlights because that’s all you need to get started.
First “I” is Intercession. The first thing to do is to pray for the person. I want us to do that corporately and individually. Here’s what I want us to do as a church. I want you to take out that insert again and look at that field that is white for harvest. Would you take that insert and put it on your fridge? Then every time you go to get food or a drink just as you are getting some kind of sustenance, ask God to bless our efforts as a church to give these people spiritual sustenance. It doesn’t have to be anything real eloquent. Just something like, “God, burden my heart for these people, help us as a church to reach them.” In fact, I’d like to ask each of you to hold your insert right now and let’s pray over this paper as it represents this great group of spiritual cripples and carry them into God’s presence. (PRAYER)
Now, individually I need you first to identify the person you would like to carry into Jesus’ presence. Think about them right now. Do you know anyone who needs Jesus? Anyone who doesn’t have a church family? I want you to begin to pray for them every day. Pray that God would soften their hearts, pray that their life experiences would bring them to question the emptiness in their being and pray that you will have an opportunity to speak to them. And that brings us to the second I.
Invest. People don’t usually care how much you know until they know how much you care. We need to carry people into the presence of Jesus by living lives of love around them and to them. Do you think the four guys in Mark 2 loved their friend? Of course, their devotion to him is shown in their actions. And we need to invest our lives in these that God has put in our path. How? Well, just take opportunities to bring little touches into their lives. Do you know their birthday? Anniversary? Send them a card. Do you know what they like to do? Set up a time to do it with them. Guys, invite them over for the game, take them fishing, grab some lunch together. Girls, scrapbook with them or go shopping together or maybe just as a couple you could have them over for dinner or do something special for them. No agenda, no preaching, just invest in them. That’s what these four guys did! They knew Jesus was the answer for him and so they carried him, who know how far? And when they couldn’t get in they ripped the roof off! Now, we can invest our lives in the ones we know that are unchurched with the same conviction and determination. One study shows that each individual needs at least 7 touches (contacts, cards, being together) before they are ready to listen. Who can you begin to strategically touch for the purpose of carrying them into the presence of Jesus? For the purpose of the third “I.”
Invite. Carry them into the presence of Jesus by inviting them to your small group, to dinner with another Christian couple, and most easily, to church. Do you know that in one study by George Barna, that he found there are so many unchurched people in the U.S. that if you got them all together they would make up the 11th largest country in the world? And here’s the kicker.. 86% of them said they would come to church if someone would just invite them. Never, never underestimate the power of an invitation. INVITE VIDEO (3:00) (video of people invited to our church showing how their lives have been changed and it started with a simple invitation)
Our goal is to make this place and especially this service one where you know you can invite your unchurched friends and be confident they won’t be embarrassed, they won’t be bored and they will hear a relevant message that they can apply to their lives. We’ve done some things to do just that. It started with Dennis’ vision in creating the Preaching Team. Have you maybe wondered why he would hire two guys so different from himself? It was for a purpose.. To reach more people! Now, we are putting our team in a regular rotation. Our goal is to give you our best teaching, to let you have different styles and different ideas that will be relevant to you and the one you bring. In the last couple of weeks we’ve put together a Creative Team where for every series we meet together and have folks that can brainstorm ideas for music, drama, testimony, video, etc. all with the intention of helping people to connect to God. You see, it’s not rocket science, but then neither was it for those 4 guys. It’s just being determined and convicted that there is no better place to carry someone than into the presence of Jesus.
And maybe you’re here today and you’ve been invited or maybe you’ve walked in here and you’re wondering about this whole God thing, or whether or not you could fit in a church like this. Please hear this… If you’re seeking then you are the most important person in this room to us. We desperately want you to know that we were once where you are. That we have found something worth sharing. That’s not a building or programs, that’s a love that passes all understanding. It’s the love of a God that is passionately pursuing you! That’s why he went to the cross and said, “I love you this much!!”
And maybe whether you are a seeker or long term member or anywhere in between, you’re thinking.. “Not me, I’m not important to God. You don’t know what I’ve done. You don’t know how unfaithful I’ve been, how unmerciful, how unreachable, how unwise I’ve been. He couldn’t love me, not after what I’ve done.” Listen, if you get nothing else out of this message today will you get this… no matter where you’ve been, no matter how ungodly, or how unworthy you feel.. you have never been unloved.
Unloved video. 3:53 (found at www.sermonspice.com)
Invitation. “While we were still unable, Christ died for the ungodly.”(Rom. 5:8 SEB)
“Above All” - Like a Rose trampled on the ground, He took the fall... His value, He gave it up for you and me and in that moment put us above all.
