Essentials for Church Growth
There have been many books and articles analysing the features of those churches that have grown in numbers. Growth in Christlikeness is harder to analyse so is seldom discussed. Churches can grow numerically by supplying what people want. The difficulty churches face is to supply what people appreciate so as to draw the crowds yet to keep teaching what the Lord teaches and motivate people to be obedient. The Bible warns us,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Whatever criteria of success we use, one essential is to keep people living according to God’s truth – the truth given us in the Bible. We must never forget that the prime purpose of the church is to teach God’s truth and encourage people to live by it. Obedience to what Jesus teaches is the only way we can worship God and this must be all day and every day.
“If you love me you will obey what I command.” John 14:15
“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.” John 14:21
“If anyone loves me he will obey my teaching.” John 14:23
Notice the close link between loving Jesus, knowing what he teaches and obedience to him.
Tony Pokorny was involved in the Hitler Youth before World War II. He became a Christian when some Christians explained the gospel to him and he soon understood the radical nature of Christian discipleship. He had to escape from Nazi Germany just before the outbreak of war. He was later ordained and became known as Pastor Pokorny, an able Bible teacher and evangelist. On one visit to England, after the war, he was asked what he thought of Christian Youth in England,
“I am concerned with the casual quality of their faith. They don’t even give to Christ the same devotion that we gave to Hitler.”
Directions for Christian workers
Paul repeatedly sets himself up as a model for all Christians because he had modelled himself on Jesus. He wrote to the troubled church in Corinth, with its false leaders,
“ . . . for in Christ I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” 1 Corinthians 4:15-16
“For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1
Paul’s ambition was not just to fill up the churches but to make disciples of Christ.
“Whatever you do, do all for the glory of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
Paul’s ambitions are abundantly clear, he longed to win people for Christ by persuading them about who he is and what his death achieved.
“ . . so as to win those under the law . . . so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the gospel, that I might share in its blessings.” 1 Corinthians 9:21-23
But that was just the beginning, he then wanted to see them then mature in Christ.
“We proclaim him (Jesus), admonishing everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:28 ESV
Christian ministry is essentially sharing this message with as many as possible. Paul continued his letter to the Colossians,
“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly as I should.” Colossians 4:3-4
Evangelism and training others in godliness involves hard work
No-one should become a Christian or enter into a Christian ministry if they are not willing to commit themselves to hard work. Paul continued,
“To this end I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:29
Again, this teaching about hard work is for all Christians. Paul frequently refers to himself as a servant or slave of Christ. When writing to slaves he says,
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Jesus you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24
Making the gospel known to others was the priority in Paul’s life
“I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” 1 Corinthians 12:27-28
It was his Lord who had given him this determination to work hard. He is certainly not ashamed of the example he set.
“I am the least of the apostles . . . But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them.’ 1 Corinthians 15:9-10
Too many full time Christian workers today have forgotten this. For them serving Christ is simply a job sometimes with a restricted eight hours a day and fixed rules of employment! Instead we should ask how we can be most effective for Christ. ‘When can the young people get together?’ - that is when the leaders need to be available; ‘When can enquirers meet to go over the basics of the Christian faith?’ - that is where we should be. ‘When are people free to come for a meal’ - that is when we should try to make ourselves free. We are here to serve our Lord. This is why it is essential that a Christian marries someone who shares their commitment to serving Christ. If we, like Paul, work hard for our Lord, can’t we trust him to look after us? Didn’t Jesus say to his disciples,
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father nows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well.” Matthew 6:31-33
These are the two priorities for all Christians, the establishment of Christ’s kingdom and the training of myself and others in becoming righteous, like Jesus.
If we are not seeing much fruit, in that few if any outsiders are coming to faith through our ministry, the usual first problem is a lack of effort in making real friends and building up close relationships. A secondary problem can then be finding it difficult to talk with friends about their need for Christ or failing to invite them to come to a group or meeting where the gospel is explained. Paul, our teacher, said,
“I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the gospel, that I might share in its blessings.” 1 Corinthians 9:22
This urgency to make friends with non-Christians in order to help them understand the gospel is all too uncommon in many western churches, of all denominations. Paul was not like this when he visited Thessalonica to share the gospel with them. He recognised that he was a model for all Christians.
“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you . . . on the contrary, we worked night and day, labouring and toiling so we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.” 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9
A group of theological students were taken to see the Rev Llewellyn, the vicar of a parish that had a very successful young people’s work. He was popularly known as Uncle Lew. Uncle Lew found it hard to say his ‘h’s’. One of the students asked him the secret of his success. They were surprised at his seemingly unspiritual answer,
“Simple, it’s ‘ard work, just ‘ard work.’
Strain and struggle to be successful in your task
Some years ago there was a catchphrase going around some Christian groups, ‘Let go and let God.’ This may sound very spiritual and God-dependant but it is not Biblical teaching. We, God’s people have been chosen to be ambitious for Christ and to work for his glory.
“ . . . I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me. Brothers I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining forwards to what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
Our sights must not be like others around us whose eyes are fixed on this life and not on the heavenly prize.
“Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.” Philippians 3:19-20
This is a high calling. But it is the service we have been chosen for.
“Therefore my brothers, you whom I love and long, for my joy and my crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.” Philippians 4:1
This was Paul’s example that all could see,
“Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of Christ to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.” 1 Thessalonians 2:9-10
Hard work was also a characteristic of the church leaders at Thessalonica,
“Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12
Such leaders were simply following the Godly example Paul kept demonstrating,
“I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep . . .” 2 Corinthians 12:27
There is a future rest for God’s people, but at present we are here to work for our Saviour and Lord.
“There remains then, as Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for everyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work . . . Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no-one will fall by following their example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:10-11
The purpose of us being Christians is not simply to have a faith but to live by it. Faith is the way into God’s kingdom and faith is the motivation but we have been saved to work hard for Christ.
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
“And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.” Titus 3:8
If we are real Christians we have been saved by Christ in order that we might devote our lives to living for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Some years ago a young man became a communist and was taught what commitment to the cause meant. He took his new belief seriously and wrote a letter to his fiancée breaking off their engagement. This is what he wrote,
“We communists have a high casualty rate. We are the ones who get shot and hung and ridiculed and fired from our jobs and in every other way made as uncomfortable as possible. A certain percentage of us get killed or imprisoned. We live in virtual poverty. We turn back to the party every penny we make above what is absolutely necessary to keep us alive. We communists do not have the time or the money for many movies, or concerts, or T-bone steaks, or decent homes, or new cars. We have been described as fanatics. We are fanatics. Our lives are dominated by one great overshadowing factor: The struggle for world communism. We communists have a philosophy of life that no amount of money can buy. We have a cause to fight for, a definite purpose in life. We subordinate our petty personal selves to the great movement of humanity; and if our personal lives seem hard or our egos appear to suffer through subordination to the party, then we are adequately compensated by the thought that each of us in his small way is contributing to something new and true and better for mankind.
There is one thing in which I am in dead earnest about, and that is the communist cause. It is my life, my business, my religion, my hobby, my sweetheart, my wife, and my mistress, my breath and meat. I work at it in the daytime and dream of it at night. Its hold on me grows, not lessens, as time goes on; therefore, I cannot carry on a friendship, a love affair, or even a conversation without relating it to this force that both drives and guides my life. I evaluate people, books, ideas and actions according to how they affect the communist cause, and by their attitude toward it. I've already been in jail because of my ideals, and if necessary, I'm ready to go before a firing squad.”
What are the priorities we should be working at?
All Christians should have the ambition of becoming like Christ. Paul could say,
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
Again the Bible teaches that that should be the ambition for all Christians.
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3
A longing to please Christ and to become like him should be every Christians ambition. Both our characters and our ambitions should now merge with his. Our love for Jesus must remain the priority of our life. Didn’t Jesus warn us,
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:13
Paul Dehn recognised this problem when he rewrote the words of a hymn in his book of poetry, ‘Fern on the Rock’,
“Onward Christian soldiers,
Each to war resigned,
With the cross of Jesus
Vaguely kept in mind.”
This may be the thinking of many today but it is not that of a Christian,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
BVP
