Church Growing

"So the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied." Acts 9:31 (American Standard Version)

City On A Hill Church hasn't even officially launched, so why in the world am I thinking about growing the church at this point? Well, it's never too early to think about building and growing the Body of Christ: the Church!!

There are a lot of ideas and gimmicks out there to attract people to a church or grow membership as the cartoon above shows. But the Scripture reference from Acts 9:31 really gives us some insight into the Lord's plan for growing His Church. Here are the key components to church growth from this one verse:

1) Peace - When there is peace, there is encouragement and growth - not growth in numbers necessarily, but growth in wisdom and maturity in Christ. The word we see used is edified. The original language indicates that there was construction going on in the heart of the Church. A church that is growing in wisdom and maturity in Christ is a church that is growing in numbers - no doubt!

2) Walking in the fear of the Lord - This expression doesn't refer to a traveling church. Rather it means that the Body was continuing a journey of faith where the people left behind a self-centered philosophy of life and began to focus on God, their relationship with God and obedience to God's will in their lives.

3) (Walking) in the comfort of the Holy Spirit - The original language of the text really gives a much better picture than the English language does. Imagine the Holy Spirit beckoning you nearer; and when you respond, He comforts you, consoles you and inspires you. This is the image that we should get from this phrase. Hearing His voice is where this begins. When was the last time you heard the Holy Spirit's voice?

This one verse alone is the God's recipe for the growth of His Church. Yes, there are many factors that go into "doing church", etc. I understand that. But I also believe we can get distracted with a lot of logistics and details that ultimately don't have anything to do with what God's Word says in Acts 9:31.

Lord, may City On A Hill Church always follow your will for Church growth. May we experience Your peace. May we journey towards a closer relationship with You. May we hear Your voice calling us nearer to You for encouragement and inspiration and may we have the courage to respond.