We have often times had alot of teachings about growth, sometimes this topic being handled by pastors, business men and in physical and biological studies. No wonder, the very topic shall be handled here, this may not seem too unique or different, but may be handled kinder different.
From our Bibilical study, we find that Growth is one another fundamental and elementary aspect of every Christian’s life. It’s not only about the church and Christianns growing physically and materially, but aswell, spiritual growth must mean much to every folloelwer of Christ.
It irritates me alot when I see this element of strength being driven out of many Christians’ lives.
To many pastors and church leaders of the leberial and modernistic churches, growth of the church in number and with meakness is too minor, their empansis being necessarily for wealth.
This isn’t the grouth!
Reaching out to others with the Gospel is our number one responsibility, actually this being the great COMMISSION.
It’s such a tear shedding fact that, this element of the church has been driven out of sight of many fundermental Bible – believing churches and Christians.
All through the Bible, we come to realize that God needs all peoples to worship Him.
How then can all people worship Him? The Bible gives us an answer. Here we read,
Matthew 28:19-20
[19]Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
[20]teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. The Bible says, Go make disciples. Then Baptize then Teach.
What comes into your mind when you think of the word MISSIONS?
Most of us are hard pressed to name more than the old faithful Great Commission. For years, our church culture has singled out this passage to be our mission and conference THEME to motivate those who go into the field. It’s no wonder that our obedience is low _who wants to hung their future on one verse?
The Bible has alot to say about this subject than just the Great Commission. We need to understand the concept of a Biblical basis for missions. Maybe saying, “Biblical basis _ is there one?”
Yes! In fact, God’s desire is to see His Glory covering the whole earth permeates. As a Christian, it’s vital that we see the world as God sees it. Let’s look at the Bible in light to God’s Heart for the world, and we will see that from Genesis to Revelation, He is backoning you, me and all of His people to join him in the mission field. The Bible is not a colletion of seperate books with no common theme or story, IT’S ONE BOOK WITH ONE THEME.
What do we learn from Jesus’ first words to his followers?
Matthew 4:19
[19]Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” We learn much from this scripture, Jesus wishing them to aswell be soul winners. Making Jesus known to others and bringing them to Christ is much more bigger than to you may think.
It’s everyone’s obligation and a fundermental element of growth.
Jesus telling the followers to make them fishers of men and the passions that they may aswell teach others about the kingdom of God reveals to us His basic mind to reach out to others. As we read the scriptures, we find that winning souls to Christ is not just your pastor’s ideas or your youth leader’s or your campus minister’s idea or even your personal ideas, it’s God founded.
Many Christians often neglect this, but we ought to see the world as God sees it.
Having a heart for the lost or unreached person, ought to be be everyone’s heart as followers of Christ.
Let’s have a simple study from these three men(Peter, John and the lame begger) , to discover how a heart and concern for others brings about growth.
Acts 3:2
[2]And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
The lame had many people, everyday they carried him to the Temple gate to beg for money and alms, but no one had a heart and consern to enter him into the Temple for a worship; neither did they share with him about Christ. Everyday, all the time, people passed him by, entering and coming out of the temple, but no one had a heart for him.
Exactly this is what most Christians behave today. Many are self minded Christians. This is not God’s wish to us,it contracts with the basics of Jesus’ coming and teachings in Luke 19:10 we see something, here we read,
[10]for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
In Acts 3:4,we see Peter and John rendering their time for a lame begger.
Here we read, Acts 3:4 “And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” The words” LOOK AT US” implifies something great.
This is how we must live as fellowers of Christ. These two men, Peter and John, had alot of things to handle, many people to teach and pray for. Infact, they wouldn’t take their time for this one lame begger, but because of a heart and consern for him, they spent their time for him.
Giving time to begger, freed and saved his life. His freedom made all people around to recognise the love of God through his servants.
This was a miracle as many teachers and preachers often say.
Yeah, it was a miracle, but this shouldn’t drive us from its cause; aconcen and a heart for the begger. This is growth. Everyday a member is relieved and added to Christ, Growth is said to have occurred.
We should keep away with overpious talk and teachings that God is not intrested in numbers as many say? Growth is about multiplication. Multiplication in what! In numbers of course!
In numbers, there are souls. Take an example, if you went out for a ministry trip and found no one, to whom would you preach. And whom would you convert to Christ? None of course.
On a function, every calling card with address, represents a person, likewise Church attendance. Everyone in a church is considered a soul, either righteous or wicked, in him/her is a Soul.
We need to critically notes here how the growth is explain by the Holy Spirit.
120 saved from the upper room…Acts 1:15, And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
3000 saved in a single survice…Acts 2:41
[41]Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
5000 taken only for the men… Acts 4:4
[4]However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand….
Multitude (singular)…Acts 4:32
[32]”Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul”…
Multitudes (plural)…Acts 5:14
[14]And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudesof both men and women.
This greatly affirms to us that our thought and ideas that God is not inrested in numbers is wrong, so such thought should be driven out of our minds. God is interested in numbers aswell. A Christian not intrested in numbers for God is always stunted, why? Because he/she will never mind of going out into the fields to share the the Word with others, he will never give time for the unreached, either in prayers, sending,welcoming and going. These are God’s works.
You ought to reach out to others and tell them to reach out to others too.
We love you ALL.