The truth is, if you have a healthy church, you have a Growing Church. Many times in Acts we read statements like “…the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47) or “…more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number” (Acts 5:14) or “…the Word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of the priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7) and “…the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers” (Acts 16:5). We see statements time and again affirming that growth occurred, and this totally lines up with Jesus’ vision of Creating A Church That Can Change The World in Matthew 16:18-19:
“18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
In the early church, growth occurred under all kinds of conditions:
A) The Church Grew Out Of
B) The Church Grew In The Midst Of
C) The Church Grew Despite The
The starting place of Creating A Church That Can Change The World is
2 Samuel 9:1-10:
“1 One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked. “Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied. 3 The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.” Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.” 4 “Where is he?” the king asked. “In Lo-debar,” Ziba told him, “at the home of Makir son of Ammiel.” 5 So David sent for him and brought him…”
“6 His name was Mephibosheth; he was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.” Mephibosheth replied, “I am your servant.” 7 “Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!” 8 Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?” 9 Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and servants are to farm the land for him to produce food for your master’s household. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will eat here at my table.”
David’s entire message to Mephibosheth can be summed up in 6 words (v.7): “…I will show kindness to you…” This is the same GRACE that Churches That Change The World provide.
Churches That Change The World Give GRACE:
1) We
Romans 5:1-8; I John 4:9-10.
When we freely receive love, we freely give – Matthew 10:8; Luke 7:36-50; I John 4:19.
2) We
When grace is in your heart, your hope is to release others from fear, not create it. Jesus repeatedly said, “Do not be afraid”. Actually, the expression or idea of “Fear not!” is in the Bible at least 365 times, one for every day of the year!
Romans 8:15-17 - “15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…”
I John 4:17-18 “…perfect love drives out fear…”
3) We
Our Worth In Christ…
Ephesians 2:10… Every single person is a work of art.
Psalm 139:13-18… Every single person is purpose-built, with a “book” written about them.
Job 7:17-18… Every single person is exalted by God, with His heart set on them.
John 3:16… Every single person is so loved by God that He gave His only Son.
4) We Create
The best strategy that the enemy has employed to destroy the church in general has been to get us caught up in judgment and exclusion of others we don’t approve of. The Church has done so much damage with its exclusion and judgment…
Churches That Change The World Are All About GRACE:
LOVE – We Freely Receive and Freely Give Love,
ACCEPTANCE – We Cast Out Fear With That Perfect Love,
DIGNITY – We Acknowledge The Infinite Worth Of Each Person,
BELONGING – We Welcome People Into Our Family.