ACTS 2:41-47 “WHAT HINDERS CHURCH GROWTH?”
A) Church growth is normal ... Standing still and stagnation is not normal for the church!
* The first century church saw believers added daily! * The early church would have kept the
adding machines and the computers going to keep up with it’s growing numbers!
B) Let’s face it, most of our churches today are not growing!
* In fact, many of them are getting smaller! * There must be reasons why we’re not growing as we
should! * If it’s God’s will that none should perish, then what’s wrong?
C) Is it because we don’t have a beautiful, elaborate building, or is it our location?
* There are several reasons or hindering causes as to why we’re not growing as we should:
(1) LACK OF STEADFASTNESS - V.42! * Paul says it this way in 1 Cor. 15:58 “Therefore, ...”
A) Let’s break this verse down ... “Steadfast” means “firmly fixed, determined, purposed, faithful!”
* “Unmoveable,” means “Unyielding, unshaken, undisturbed.” * We are to stand solid as a rock!
* “Always abounding in the work ...” * Work in the work of the Lord with all your might ... Do
whatever He gives you to do, and do it with diligence!
B) There’s a difference between “work” and “labor!”
* Work pertains to what is done, it can be easy and pleasant.
* Labor has to do with the performing of the work, the pains taken, and the strength spent.
* The Greek word for “labor” means “Toiling to the point of exhaustion and fatigue, or collapse.”
* The word always means never cease, never stop, never slacken up, never quit!
C) Many times we know what to do, but when it comes to doing it, we abandon the ship!
* Gal. 6:9 “And let us not be weary .......” * I see too many who have become weary in well doing!
* And because of it, we are not reaping the harvest!
D) Why is it that it’s so hard in keeping people faithful to the cause of Christ and to the church?
* Is it me? * Are you getting tired of my preaching? * It’s like “people are getting so used to my
preaching that they seem to not be listening to me anymore.”
* That could be why many preachers don’t stay at one particular church for long.
* Or are we just living in the time that Paul wrote about in 2 Tim. 4:3-4 where people have itching
ears, and if you’re not scratching them, you’re out of luck!
E) Do we even want a church, and If we do, what are our goals?
* We should know what our goals are, and then we should press toward reaching these goals!
* Are we satisfied where we are?
F) There are many churches who are at ease in Zion! * Simpsonville Church .......
* The tragedy of quitting destroys our testimony, hinders others and finally leads to a manslaughter
of souls! * Murder and manslaughter we condemn .......
G) Why do people quit so easy? * There’s a lack of steadfastness in our churches .......
* Gal. 5:7 “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?”
(2) LACK OF PRAYER - V.42! * If the church is gonna advance, it must advance on her knees!
A) Every failure is a prayer failure! * We don’t pray as we should!
* James 4:2 “Ye have not .......” * The early church gave us many wonderful examples of prayer!
* Acts 2:42 (our text) * Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken .......”
* Phil. 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with .......”
* When Paul was writing to the church at Ephesus, he indicated in Eph. 6:18 that “praying always”
was God’s plan and pattern for the church!
B) Prayer that never gives up is taught by Jesus - Lk.18:1 “... men ought always to .......”
* Jesus is our example of the necessity of prayer and the power of real prayer!
* Lk. 5:16 “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed.”
* Lk. 9:18 “... he was alone praying.” * Lk. 11:1-4 “... as he was praying ... teach us to .......”
C) Prayer is necessary to build a church!
* But be sure you can say to every lost person that you’re talking to that you’ve been praying for
him ... Be honest, don’t lie!
* We must talk to God about sinners and a backslidden church, before we can talk to sinners and a
backslidden church about God! * 1 Thess. 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”
(3) LACK OF WITNESSING TO THE LOST - V.46! * “Breaking bread from house .......”
* There’s no doubt that this awful sin is because the church has failed in carrying out the great
commission! * What is the great commission?
A) Matt. 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is .......”
* Mk. 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach .......”
* Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive ... Jerusalem and in all Judea and in ... and unto .......”
B) Too long we have avoided and disobeyed this command of Jesus!
* Is it any wonder that our churches are not growing!
* We need to hold up our hands and see if we can say with Paul in Acts 20:26 “Wherefore I take
you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.”
* I fear that we have become a manslaughter of souls! * Eze. 33:8 “When I say unto the .......”
C) Would you sit idly by and let a blind man go over a cliff without warning him?
* I hope not! * There are times when silence is golden, but sometimes it’s just plain yellow!
* Failure to obey this command could be an indication of laziness!
D) Or it could be being afraid or just plain disobedience! * Either way, it needs to be repented of!
* We must put forth the effort of turning sinners from darkness to light!
(4) LACK OF STEWARDSHIP - V.45!
A) Some churches has failed teaching Christians to be good stewards!
* Stewardship involves all of the Christian’s life!
* 1 Cor. 4:2 “Moreover it is .......” * Stewardship is a solid biblical principle!
* Matt. 10:8 “... freely ye have received, freely give.” * Time, Talents, Treasures, Testimony.
* Prov. 3:27 “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand
to do it.” * 2 Cor. 9:6 “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also .......”
B) A safe foundation for all of life’s stewardship is found in the statement of Paul in 2 Cor. 8:5
* “And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us ...”
* When we teach people to be good stewards of their time, talent, treasure, and testimony, then we
have gone a long way toward “discipling” them!
C) The early church grew by leaps and bounds because they applied biblical truths involving
stewardship! * They didn’t do like many today ... Sit, soak and sour!
* They obeyed the Lord ... They tarried in prayer until endued with power!
D) They went everywhere teaching and preaching the gospel daily!
* They went from house to house! * Their lives were sold out to God in obeying and fulfilling the
great commission! * They were good stewards!
(5) LACK OF SHARING - V.45!
* Several things will teach us how the early church responded which I believe should be our pattern!
A) 1st: They Gladly Received His Word! Acts 2:41 “Then they that gladly received .......”
* Received means “to take fully, to welcome, to accept.” * It means they practiced what they heard!
* A body of believers don’t just hear and listen to the Word!
* They’re not just present to join the crowd and see what is going on!
B) They don’t just sit with wandering minds and closed hearts!
* No, they receive the Word of God! * They welcome it, believe it, take it in, practice it, experience
it, hold on to it, hunger for it, joy and rejoice in it, share it .......
* That’s what it means to gladly receive the Word of God!
C) Note the statement, “They that gladly received ...” * Not everyone present received it!
* Some were there for the wrong reasons and others were closed-minded and disinterested!
* Still others simply refused to believe and rejected the Word of God!
* But those who did believe became the first body of believers called the church!
D) 2nd: They Continued Steadfastly! Acts 2:42 “And they continued steadfastly .......”
* Continued means “to persevere, be constantly diligent, to adhere closely to, stick, persist!”
* A person does not quit, back off, fade away, or slip back ... He continues on steadfastly!
E) 3rd: They Continuing Daily From House To House! Acts 2:46 “And they, continuing .......”
* They all were in one accord, unity! * They were worshipping with gladness and singleness .......
* The word “singleness” means “sincere, without hardness!”
* Their hearts were soft and tender, easily touched and giving - v.45
* There was no selfishness or withholding on their part!
F) Where there was a need, they gave! * Note their attitude ... Gladness, joy and rejoicing!
* 2 Cor. 9:7 “... God loveth a cheerful giver.” * Cheerful - “merry, hilarious, willing, prompt.”
G) 4th: They Were Filled With The Holy Ghost! Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the ...”
* Things will happen when God’s people get filled with the Holy Ghost! * A shaking .......
* Far too many Christians are not filled with the Holy Spirit, and you can see it in their lives!
* There will be something visible in their lives that can be seen by others.
H) There is also too much negative talk among the church members nowadays!
* Brothers and sisters, some churches can’t grow because of the bad behavior of their members!
* Sometimes it’s the bad behavior outside the church that hurts it, but more often, it’s the bad
behavior inside the church that hurts it or hinders it from growing.
* Phil. 2:14-15 “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and
harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among
whom ye shine as lights in the world;”
I) A medical survey states that chronic complainers live longer than people who are always sweet
and serene ... It claims that their cantankerous spirit gives them a purpose for living!
* Each morning they get up with a fresh challenge to see how many things they can find to
grumble about, and they derive great satisfaction from making others miserable.
* Chronic complainers may live longer, but they don’t bless people with a good witness for Christ! * They don’t draw people, they push them away! * A sure way to not have friends is to be a
complainer and a sure way to kill a church is to complain all the time!
* The Lord wants crooners, not complainers! * Crooner is someone who hums all the time!
* Those who croon, those who sing praise to the Lord, and sing the praise of others cause the
church to grow!
J) 5th:They ceased not to teach and preach Jesus! Acts 5:42 “And daily in the temple, and .......”
* God help us to go and do likewise! * God help us to be like Isaiah and respond, “Here am .......”
* May we say with Paul, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
CLOSE
A) Turn to Luke 14:25-33 * We will grow if we apply these principles set forth here!
* If we apply them, we’ll have: Learners who will follow at any cost!
* We’ll have builders who will labor at any cost! * Soldiers who will battle at any cost!
* And witnesses who will witness at any cost!
B) Folk, we need to grow ... We’ve stood still long enough!
* The growth rate of most churches are less than 3 per year! * What a shame!
* My prayer is that we’ll get busy and work like they did in the early church!
* Then the Lord will add to the church daily such as should be saved!
