In Matthew 16:18 Jesus promised to establish His Church. This glorious event took place on the Day of Pentecost. Acts tells us that God of Heaven launched His Church that day. In the first few chapters of Acts we are told that early church centered their ministries in the city of Jerusalem. They had ventured out as Jesus had commanded. The narrative centers our attention on the work of Peter and John.
In the 3rd Chapter they had healed the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple.
We would like to spend some time on each of the five reasons for Church Growth.
They are as follows:
- The Early Church Preached the Right Message.
- The Early Church Preached the Right Name.
- The Early Church had Boldness In Defense of the Truth.
- The Early Church Was a Praying Church.
- The Early Church Was One In Christ.
If we are willing to see how the early Church existed among the Jewish, Roman, and Greek cultures, and implement their techniques, we, too, can experience church growth. It will help us work for the unity of all believers in Christ.
- The Early Church Preached the Right Message
In Acts 4:2 we read the following, “Being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people, and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead…” As the Apostles were teaching, opposition arose from the Sadducees. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection from the dead. There are many today who deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today, like in the apostolic age, it takes boldness to proclaim the resurrection. But we must proclaim it from our pulpits and in our conversations. The early church stressed the importance of proclaiming the resurrection of the Lord of Glory.
The resurrection is the driving force behind the gospel. It should be the basis for our message. Jesus proved Himself to be the Christ through the resurrection. It makes the church and her mission strong. We should declare it as the bedrock of the Christian faith. If Christ was not raised then there is no hope for us. If He did not rise from the dead He is not our Savior and we are destined for a devil’s hell.
The resurrection demonstrated that the power of Jesus was stronger than that of Satan. The resurrection is the most essential element of the Christian faith. We must be found proclaiming it to the world, and to the assembly. This is why we can die with the hope of the resurrection from the dead.
Larry Miles is Co-Editor of Word and Work and attends Cherry St. Church of Christ in New Albany, IN.