If the sound system is a little different to
your ears this morning, there is a reason for
that. And I mentioned that not only for your
sake, but for the sake of those that happen to
be listening by way of the tape that we're making,
because I'm making the tape myself up here today.
Someone broke into the church this last week
and stole about $8 ,000 worth of sound equipment.
And we have not, of course, been able to see
that replaced yet. And thus, we are using borrowed
and rented equipment today. And you may notice
a little bit of difference. We're going to turn
together to Acts chapter 9, verse 31, for our
study. Acts 9, 31. So the church. throughout
all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace,
being built up, and going on in the fear of the
Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it
continued to increase. Luke, the beloved physician,
the author of these words humanly, seems to periodically
write a summary report on the condition of the
newborn church. He has done that twice, the first
time in chapter 2 verses 46 and 47, the second
time in chapter 6 verse 7, and now for the third
time in chapter 9 verse 31. It may be helpful
to keep in mind that we are at this point three
to four years after the cross work of our Lord
Jesus Christ and thus also after Pentecost. who
are three to four years after he rose from the
dead and went back to heaven after the church
began. This verse is a paragraph complete in
itself. It stands alone between two accounts
of conversion. The conversion of the person that
we call the Apostle Paul, then called Saul of
Tarsus, and the conversion of the first full
Gentile Cornelius. The most obvious characteristic
of the church at this point is that it is a growing
church. I believe that a healthy church is a
growing church. Stagnancy in a church is a prelude
to decline and symptomatic of ill health. A church
growth is a controversial subject among some.
There are some sincere believers who fear church
growth, who feel that it threatens relationships,
and who feel that smallness enhances those relationships.
There is some truth to that, but I think that
most of us would agree that attitudes affect
relationships far more than size. There are some
churches of 25 or 50 people that have very poor
personal relationships within them. Whereas there
are some churches of several thousand that have
very deep, meaningful relationships building
among the people. There are others who look at
church growth and think of it as something that
is man -made, or mechanical, or man -honoring.
And I suppose that growth could in fact be any
of those or all of them. But for that matter,
so can smallness or so can the status quo in
a church. I think it's important for us to see
church growth in a biblical perspective. It is
the natural produce of spiritual vibrancy and
health. A book I have very much enjoyed reading
in recent days. is the book Let It Grow by Marvin
Rickard. He tells the story of his ministry at
Los Gatos California Christian Church. I would
encourage you to pick up that book. We're going
to get a few copies eventually out here in our
bookstore to make them even more readily available.
An exciting, stimulating kind of a book for reading.
The kind of book that's easy to read, and a good
one, by the way, for your summer vacation, I
think. In one of the chapters early on in the
book, as he begins to explain how church growth
took place there, he writes, how does a young
couple with two very young children lead a church
to change its image, to desire growth, to face
the great unfinished task that Christ left us
while maintaining harmony and unity? So many
church growth books flood the market. Not many
ministers have the stamina or boldness of Jerry
Falwell. Not many of us are excellent Bible expositors
like John MacArthur. Few have the imagination
and flair of Bob Shuler. Most of us aren't able
to relate very well to the graphs and charts
and diagrams in the church -grown books. It goes
on to say, years ago, I heard Dr. Medford Jones
say, the church is a living organism. Just remove
the obstacles. And it will grow because of its
very nature. Since then, says Marvin Rickard,
for the past 20 some years, I have tried to figure
out just how to remove the obstacles so that
the church will truly be the church in the world.
And in this chapter, the third chapter of the
book, he explains what the first obstacle was
to church growth there. And it was the kind of
nursery they had at that time. And I'm not going
to tell you what they did to change it, but it's
a very interesting story. And it produced, they
changed the nursery, and that in itself removed
one obstacle to growth in that congregation.
And the church began to grow dramatically. Now
when we talk about church growth, we must not
make the mistake of measuring it only in statistics.
Statistics can prove helpful, but they sometimes
are misleading as well. I heard one wagged say
on an occasion that figures don't lie, but liars
figure. And so when you look at statistics, you
have to look at them carefully. We don't want
to make a mistake of looking at church growth
only in terms of statistics. Nor should we think
of church growth as the result of a certain formula.
As though it were a chemistry project where you
put together certain elements and poof, you've
got the result. because ultimately church growth
is God's work, whatever the means may have been
to bring it about. We also must realistically
see that growth in one place may mean a certain
kind of growth, while growth, church growth,
in another place may mean a different kind. I
think, for example, of a rural ministry. Church
growth there will be defined one way and in certain
terms. Whereas church growth in a metropolitan
area is measured a different way and defined
in different terms. Despite the confusion and
controversy that sometimes lingers over the subject,
I believe that God's plan for the church is that
it grow. As we focus on our text today of just
one verse, I think that we will learn that church
growth is, in fact, a biblical concept. And I
hope that we will see something of what it means
in a biblical context. First, I'd like to talk
about an important definition. I'd like to talk
about the church. What is it? You may have heard
the Greek term ekklesia, because whenever the
church is being taught, that is the term that
is often mentioned. It is the New Testament Greek
term for church. ekklesia, those who are called
out, is the real meaning of the word. We find
this word used in the book of Acts in chapter
7, verse 38. I made mention of this as we went
through the chapter, but look at it once again.
It says, this is the one who was in the congregation
in the wilderness. The word congregation in the
NASV is this same word, ecclesia, the word church.
It is used here in its common usage in the day
in which Luke wrote these words. It simply meant
an assembly of people who were called out from
another group. And the obvious reference is to
the children of Israel being called out from
Egypt as a separate entity from that other nation.
And so he uses this common term church, here
translated congregation, to refer to this assembly
of people. That's all that it means here. It
is not used in a technical sense. But if you'll
turn back a couple of more pages to chapter 5,
verse 11, you'll see the word used actually for
the first time in Acts, and here used in its
technical meaning. It says, and great fear came.
upon the whole church. That is the first time
it's used in the book. And here it refers to
that unique body of God -selected people. He
is referring here to those who are called out
to belong to Jesus Christ. But he has in mind
only one geographical location. Now the reason
for that would seem obvious. That is that...
Most of the believers in the whole world were
still in Jerusalem at this point. In fact, if
you'll turn over to chapter eight, verse one,
you'll see him refer to the church in Jerusalem.
On that day, a great persecution arose against
the church in Jerusalem. And so in both of those
places, it's used of the body of people meeting
in one limited geographical place. They all met
together at this time, for the most part, on
Solomon's porch in the temple area. But now as
we find the word used again in chapter 9, verse
31, it is taking upon itself a broader definition
beyond the boundaries of one geographical area.
Notice what it says. So the church singular.
There are some translations that have it plural,
but that is not the best reading of the Greek.
It is a singular term, so the church throughout
all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace.
Do you notice that? He's not talking here about
the church in Jerusalem, that one body of people
that met together. He's talking about God's called
out people through that whole region. So the
term church here is used to God's people in a
region as though we were perhaps to speak of
the church in all of Minneapolis, St. Paul in
Minnesota. Church singular. That is all of us
who belong to Jesus Christ in this broader geographical
sense. Now we have studied about the church in
Judea, that's where Jerusalem is. And we've studied
about the church as it was in Samaria. That's
where Philip went to preach. There is nothing
in the book of Acts to tell us about what happened
in Galilee. That is outside the scope of Luke's
purpose in writing. It does not take a great
deal of imagination to understand how the gospel
got there. Many of those who followed the Lord
Jesus Christ were from Galilee. And so after
his ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit
on the day of Pentecost, and the birth of the
church, they went back to Galilee and began to
preach the good news about the death and resurrection
of Jesus of Nazareth. So that's how the church
began in Galilee. What we have here in Acts 931
is the brushing aside of previously held distinctions,
prejudices, and bitterness. Remember that there
was in Judea great prejudice against the Galileans.
They were the country hicks. They were the people
who were from the farm. The Judeans looked upon
themselves as the sophisticated ones. And then
both the Galileans and the Judeans looked upon
the Samaritans as dogs. They were half -breed
Jews. and they had absolutely no use for them.
But now we see a wonderful thing take place.
All of these distinctions and ill feelings are
brushed aside by the Spirit of God as the Lord's
people are called the Church throughout Judea,
Galilee, and Samaria. Here we have an entirely
new company of people separated from the surrounding
society. They live within their own cultures,
yet but as a distinct group, and their common
bond is their faith in Jesus Christ. And so the
aspect of the church that is revealed here is
that which we call the universal aspect. Here
we see the Catholic Church, Catholic being used
in the right sense of universal church. It is
a very exciting idea. that you and I who are
part of this local church are also a part of
something that is much, much bigger than our
local assembly meeting here at B2 and Hamlin
in Roseville, Minnesota. We are a part of the
worldwide movement of the Spirit of God. Now
it is true that we normally concentrate most
of our energy and our focus on this local body
because that's where we live and that's where
we are. But while we're doing that we must not
lose sight of the fact that there is a larger
picture to the church. So that whether it is
here or across the street or across the city
or on the other side of the ocean, wherever the
Spirit of God is working. Calling people to faith
in Jesus Christ, we are a part of that. We can
rejoice in the victories that our brothers elsewhere
share. And for that matter, we can share in their
burdens. Isn't this what is illustrated in the
church at Corinth? When they were exhorted to
bring together an offering, for the poor saints
in Jerusalem? Of course it is. Paul was trying
to help them realize that though they were separated
geographically by several hundred miles, that
they were nonetheless a part of the same body,
the same organism, the same church. I believe
that we today need to broaden our perspective
on the work of God. Beyond what is happening
in our own small church, as important as that
may be. Beyond what is happening in a broader
sense in Grace Church Roosevelt. To encompass
what God is doing in the world. What we need
is the idea of being world Christians. I did
not say worldly Christians. God knows we have
enough of those. But I'm talking about world
Christians. That is... Believers who have a world
vision, who are able to see the big picture of
things. As a church, we do not have many missions
and purposes, but we have only one. Sometimes
folks, I think, get the idea that there is almost
competition between what we do here and what
we may do elsewhere in local missions. or in
foreign missions. Beloved, there is no competition
that exists. What we do here locally to build
up the work of God here only enables us to have
a stronger missions outreach in the future. And
in return, what we do over there in giving our
thousands of dollars to missions every year only
builds up the work of God here. They are not
in competition. I think it's legitimate to say
that missionaries are really a part -time part
of our staff, that they are staff members of
Grace Church on a part -time basis, though they
minister in a different culture elsewhere. Whether
we are building a building here in Roseville,
as we have done, But we're helping to build a
building in Africa or in Asia. It is all the
work of the Church of Jesus Christ. Whether we
pay for utilities here or we pay a missionary
salary so that the utilities there can be paid,
whether we buy Sunday school material for here,
or we buy materials for missionaries to use,
it is all one. It is the same purpose, the same
mission of the Church. that is involved. I've
heard people say, well, I don't believe in giving
the missions until we build a stronger base at
home. I thank God I have not heard that in our
church, but I've heard people say that. I don't
believe in missions until we build a stronger
base at home. Then I've heard people on the other
hand say, Well, I think we ought to give more
to missions. We spend too much on our local ministry,
too much on our building. Both of those statements
are wrong. Because whether we are spending the
money here or we're spending the money there,
it is the work of God building up the Church
of Jesus Christ that is in view. I think if we
could get a hold of this, it would revolutionize
our view. on our own ministry and the money we
give and how we spend our time and talents. If
we could see that what we are doing is not just
for here, but it's impacting the Church of Jesus
Christ worldwide. We're not doing our own little
thing in the corner somewhere, separated unto
ourselves, alone in the battle. But what we are
doing here by the will of God and by the Holy
Spirit complements what God is doing here in
this place and there in that place. So that as
all of us are doing what God is telling us to
do, the Church of Jesus Christ is being built.
It is a sad thing to see a church that is isolated
and separated from everything else that God is
doing. I know of a church that... for its first
15 or 20 years of ministry was taught that they
in that church and one other church in the city
of Dallas were the only faithful churches that
there were in the world. They were taught that
they and one other church were the only true
and faithful churches in the world. What's more,
they believed it. Sincerely, I do not fault the
people, I do fault the pastor who taught them
that. They were 11 miles from Dallas Theological
Seminary, the fourth largest Protestant seminary
in the world, and they had never heard of it.
Talk about an isolated, separated mentality.
It was a very sad thing to behold. I don't want
us to have that kind of a narrow tunnel vision.
Let's have a world vision. Let us be world Christians
who are aware of what God is doing throughout
the Church of Jesus Christ in our world today.
That is one reason I'm excited about this missions
trip, to have the opportunity to see at least
a little slice of what God is doing in a couple
of places and be able to come back and share
that with you. Now there is an important distinction
that I want to talk about secondly. It comes
out of our text. It says, so the church throughout
all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace,
being built up or edified. That's the first thing
I want you to notice. And going on in the fear
of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit,
it continued to increase. That's the second thing
I want you to notice. What we have here are two
phases of biblical church growth. The church
being edified, the church being multiplied. It
is important to distinguish between these two.
The first is what God is doing within the church.
The second, what God is doing outside of the
church and extending it. Both of these things
may not happen simultaneously in a ministry that
is suggested at least by the verbs that are used
here In fact there seem to be overlapping steps
involved in other words for a period of time
the church is built up within But then as a result
of that it extends itself And as a result of
that extension it needs to build up within again,
and so it goes through that phase And when that
basically is accomplished, then the Holy Spirit
leads it to extend itself even further. And so
in these overlapping steps, the phases of church
growth take place. Let's talk about them briefly.
Within, what does that mean? Church growth within
refers to the intra -body structure of the church
being built up. That is, something being put
on the skeleton of the church. Muscle being added,
in other words. It is the edification of the
Church that the verb here being built up literally
means to build up a house. It refers to the house
of God continuously being built up by the Holy
Spirit. W .E. Vine in his dictionary says that
metaphorically it means promoting spiritual growth.
and development of character, spiritual progress
due to teaching and example. And so here is the
building up of the church inwardly. It is the
body coming together. It is the body beginning
to relate to each other, members of the body
beginning to relate to each other. It is the
effecting of ministry to one another in the church.
It is individuals in the church beginning to
exercise their spiritual gifts in the power of
the Holy Spirit. That is church growth within.
You'll notice that it was in the atmosphere of
peace that this was being done. They enjoyed
peace. And of course, one reason for that is
that their chief persecutor had been converted.
Saul was now a Christian. But during this time,
there was peace. This lack of turbulence was
not necessary for this growth. Structural strengthening
within the church is not dependent upon outward
circumstances. You got that? A church can be
in the midst of turmoil outwardly, under intense
persecution, and yet be built up. I think a marvelous
example of this. This seems to have happened
over the last 30 years in China. When the Western
missionaries were forced out and the church was
left on its own, there were many who thought
that the church had died, it had been squelched
in China, but in fact it is beginning now to
be realized that the church today, 30 years later,
is twice as large as the church was 30 years
ago when the missionaries left. Why is that?
Well, even during that time of intense persecution,
there was this building up within the body, resulting
in the next phase, extension. Let's talk about
that second phase. The growth without, outward
growth, the extension of the body, evangelism.
It says it continued to increase. The idea here
is multiplication, not merely addition. The word
does not refer only to numbers. Please understand
that. It's talking about fullness, fullness.
The church continued to increase. Perhaps we
can draw the distinction between numbers and
fullness by talking about how we add weight to
our bodies. There are at least two kinds of weight
we can add. We can add fat, which is a lot of
fun. But that is not going to really help us,
is it? In fact, it could make us unhealthy. That
would be simply adding numbers. Or we can work
out. We can do exercises and build up our bodies
in muscle. That's fullness. And that is the kind
of multiplication that's in view here. The Church
continued to increase... in muscles, in its strength,
in its extension. This was not flabbiness in
mere numbers being added to the church. This
was healthy addition or multiplication to the
church. Should we get the picture? Church growth
takes place in two phases. The inward phase,
followed by the outward. Coming back to the inward,
then to the outward. And that is the way that
healthy church growth While these two phases
are distinct, they are not separate. Why did
the Church continue to increase? I think we find
the secret in the last part of verse 31. It is
because the extension of the Church was directed...
toward a singular purpose. It was not aimless.
Do you notice what it says? It says, going on
in the fear of the Lord. That is a significant
phrase, going on. It suggests a goal or a purpose
in view. It is not aimless wondering. Indeed,
the verb go here is the same one that's used
in Matthew 28 and 19 when Jesus said that we
were to go into all the world, or literally going
into all the world, make disciples. In other
words, the church had a purpose in mind. It had
a goal. It knew what it was doing. And that's
why it continued to increase as it did. I believe
it's possible for any church. to get bogged down
in doing too many good things. There's a wide
variety of good things that we could get involved
in. But in trying to spread ourselves too thinly,
we would become powerless. What is needed is
a unifying mission, a clear statement of purpose
to keep us on track. And very frankly, our staff
and our elders have been working on that. We
worked on it rather intensely back in the winter.
We have kind of set it aside for a period of
time to let that settle down. We're going to
pick it up again and present it to you as a statement
of purpose in a couple of months as we start
the fall season. But I believe that statement
of purpose should identify to us what our main
focus is. that will tell us what our track of
ministry ought to be. Seems to me the early church
had that. It's possible for us to be like the
cowboy who had a stick of dynamite in his pocket,
jumped on his horse, and went off in all directions.
There are some churches that have done the same
thing, and you'd rather lose your impact doing
that. Now as you head in that direction that
God gives you, as you understand the mission,
what is it that keeps you motivated, that keeps
you moving? Well, again, he tells us in verse
31, it is the fear of the Lord and the comfort
of the Holy Spirit. So I know what my target
is. I know the goal of our church. I know our
mission. What is it that's going to keep me moving
that direction? In the first place, the Lordship
of Jesus Christ. the fear of the Lord, recognizing
who He is and living in light of that, knowing
that He has given us a commission to obey, not
to choose, but to obey. He is Lord of all and
He is Lord of our lives. He is Lord of the Church.
Because the Church is yielded to His dominion,
is given to His disposal, He is able to keep
it increasing as it stays on track. people we
are placed into a weary, wounded world to bring
the healing touch of Jesus Christ, the gift of
life and of love to people who are empty and
lost and perishing. As we understand what the
commission is the Lord has given us and who He
is as the Lord of the Church. that we're going
to keep on target, keep doing what God's told
us to do. And then the ministry of the Holy Spirit
cannot be overlooked. The church was going on
in the direction God gave it, in the fear of
the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
The word comfort means that, but it also embraces
the idea of exhortation. I think here he's talking
about the stimulation of the Holy Spirit. are
human beings. And those of us who are saved by
grace nonetheless still have sin in these mortal
bodies. Sin still indwells us as a power to be
dealt with. Consequently, it is easy for us to
become discouraged. It is easy for us to become
cold or insensitive, or shall we say, hard -hearted.
What deliverance is there for us? What help is
there for us? It is the Holy Spirit whom God
has given us. The Holy Spirit is able to bring
the victory of Jesus Christ against the sin within
us to subdue it. And He is as well able to keep
us stimulated inside. Keep us stimulated. so
that the person of Jesus is real to us, so that
our love is rekindled and refreshed and renewed.
Jesus said before he left, I will not leave you
alone. I will not leave you like orphans, but
I will come to you. And he did come, in the person
of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is in
us to stimulate us, to keep us moving, to following
the will. of our head, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
That's how we keep doing what God's told us to
do, by understanding who Jesus is as our Lord,
and by yielding and submitting to the ministry
of the Holy Spirit who indwells us. It's not
enough for us to state the mission. It is not
enough for us to believe in church growth, or
even to get excited about the worldwide picture.
of it all. But we have to bring it down to that
personal point, for we ask ourselves where we
individually are in all of this. Where does one
start to get involved in this matter of a growing
church having a world vision? It starts right
where we've left off. by being sure that you're
in a right relationship to Jesus Christ, first
of all. Is He your Savior from your sin? Have
you trusted Him? If He is your Savior, is He
truly your Lord? Are you living your life under
His Lordship? And then, are you sensitive to
the ministry of God's Holy Spirit? or have you
become hard -hearted? Has sin robbed you of that
sensitivity to God? Let me tell you, God today
wants you to be a part of this. There's no question
about that. That is His desire. The question
is, are you a part of it? Are you a part of biblical
church growth? Are you a Christian with a world
vision of what God is doing? Is Jesus Christ
your Lord? Are you yielded to the ministry of
his Holy Spirit? I Remind you of what dr. Medford
Jones was quoted as saying The church is a living
organism Just remove the obstacles and it will
grow Because of its very nature My life Your
life is either a channel, a channel for what
God wants to do, or it's an obstacle to what
God wants to do. Marvin Rickard tells about his
call to the Los Gatos Christian Church. Listen
to these words he explains about that. The Little
Las Gatas Church had 83 members, at least that
was the number who voted. 65 wanted us. 18 thought
that they should keep looking. They had come
up with four possibilities and had met with their
first three choices. Law and a college professor
declined the offer, so did another choice. Number
three couldn't live on $105 a week, so they invited
me to try out. On a warm June evening, I had
spoken for a Friday night potluck dinner. My
subject was the ideal church. And in 25 minutes,
I described the kind of church that would meet
the needs of many people and would grow. A lot
of scattered Christian church had experienced
little growth. Attendance was presently averaging
120 in Sunday school and 150 for worship, about
45 faithfully gathered on Sunday evenings. That
night in June, after the dinner and my message,
the six elders had asked me to meet with them
for the first time. They discussed my youth and
wondered if I had the maturity they needed. My
wife's piano playing ability was a real plus.
That's a lot for your ego, doesn't it? Since
my father was a minister and respected by them,
one of them said, well, as a preacher's kid,
you must have gained some experience by observing.
I had. The electric moment came when I answered
what seemed to be a reasonable question, especially
in view of my speech an hour or so before. If
we call you to this church as our pastor, what
size do you think the congregation might number
someday? Innocently enough, I answered his question,
not aware that I was stumbling into the small
churches are better and purer than large churches
debate. So I began. Well, If the church doesn't
bicker and meets the needs of all types of people,
I can imagine as many as a thousand people in
worship on Sunday morning. By the way, now I
have six or seven thousand. If I was a little
embarrassed by my own remark, it was nothing
compared to what happened next. One elder jumped
to his feet and proclaimed to the rest of us,
if and when this church reaches 200 people, I'll
leave. That's as large as any local church should
ever be. Rickard says, that was his honest opinion.
In all fairness, I'll have to acknowledge that
when the time came, he graciously went elsewhere
to a small fellowship with almost no growth.
Then he concludes the chapter by saying, it was
never our intention to build a large church.
Joyce and I had grown up in very small congregations
and knew almost nothing of the way large churches
function. We had no idea what the future held.
All we wanted to do was reach people for Christ
and be available to fit into God's plan for our
lives. As we look at the ministry here, our intention
is not to build a larger church, but what we
do desire to do by the will and grace of God
is to win people to Jesus Christ. and to fit
our lives into God's plan. I believe that's your
desire. I trust it to be today. O friend, if
not, will today you get in line with what God
says? Let's pray. How God loves you and how patient
and loving He is to all of us. There may be some
areas of your life where you're struggling with
His Lordship today. wherein you have said to
him, no, I will not do that. And he is saying
to you, yes, if I am Lord, you will. Now the
decision is yours. Will you do what he's telling
you to do? Has your heart grown cold and hardened?
due to one thing or another, so that the voice
of the Holy Spirit, that gentle persuasion, that
stimulating touch of God's Spirit is not felt
like it used to be. God wants to call you back,
my friend, to that place where you walk in the
comfort of the Holy Spirit. Let him have his
way today. Have thine own way, Lord, have thine
own way. Thou art the cutter, I am the clay.
Load me and make me happy. Lord, we do quite
our hearts. We are still before you. Have your
way in every part of our lives today. Be the
Lord. Be the Lord in truth, not just in word,
but in action. As a result of that, I pray that
we as individuals, then we as a local church
and the church in its broader context may be
edified and multiplied. God, you put us here
to accomplish a mission in a weary, sin -torn
humanity from which you called us to be your
own. God, give us hearts of love and compassion
to go back. Go back to those friends and relatives,
coworkers, and to bring the touch of your love,
your forgiveness to those lives. In Jesus' name,
amen. Let's stand together and we will sing again
a cappella without accompaniment. He is Lord,
he is Lord, he is risen from the dead. and he
is Lord. Let's stand and sing it together. He
is Lord. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead
and he is Lord. Every knee shall bow. And to
the glory of God the Father, may that be lived
in our lives, really lived in our lives this
week. God bless you and your dismissed.