CHURCH GROWTH SERIES #1 Acts 2:36-41 I want to give some ideas of what it will take to make the church grow.
- WE MUST HAVE A GROWTH MENTALITY
SOME CHURCHES DO EXHIBIT POOR MENTALITY! “As a man thinketh, so is he.” Prov. 23:7 Our thinking controls our actions. Our thinking controls our lives. Where we go, what we do. We must think right to do right. We must think church growth in order to go after it and experience it. WE MUST HAVE A CHURCH GROWTH MENTALITY IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE IT! The early church had it and we need to get it. THE BIBLE SAYS: Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” What happened after Peter preached those words to the people? Do you remember? Acts 2:41 “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” They were added to what? To the church! Acts 4:4 “But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.” In Acts 2 we read about 3,000 people being baptized. Now there are 5,000. What happened? CHURCH GROWTH! The people were thinking in terms of growth, outreach and it was happening! Acts 5:14 “More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.” MORE AND MORE people. That’s church growth. Acts 6:7 “So the Word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly…” Acts 8:1, 4 “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered…. V. 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”
- WE MUST HAVE SOME DEFINITE GOALS IN MIND
Men hit only what they aim at. Phil. 3:14 Paul said, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Paul had heaven as a goal in his life. Rom. 10:1 “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”