A lack of church growth in the first church I served prompted my study of the book of Acts. The purpose of this chapter is to prove and verify why I hold this view and to establish the beginnings of the church in the Old Testament. From this we can conclude that Christ is the Center of the Old Testament and the Divine Interpreter (La Rondelle, 1983:5).
This is an important word that demonstrates the church's coherence and continuity in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. This concept of the remnant points to a twofold aspect of the church: the true and the apostate. In the parable of the vineyard (see Mark 12:1-9) it is suggested that because of the Jewish rejection of Jesus, the owner (God) will give the vineyard (His property) to others.
Over two hundred times God is the subject of the verb in the Old Testament.
TOWARDS AN INTERPRETATION OF ACTS
I maintain that one can understand the concept of the kingdom of God only after understanding the mission of Christ. It is the mission of Christ that heralds the notion of the kingdom of God. The coming of the kingdom in the person of Christ brings the year of jubilee.
Of course, the promise of the Spirit in Acts is fulfilled with the power of God. As already stated, one cannot understand the mission of Christ without the notion of the kingdom of God. My contribution to this discussion would be that the reality of the kingdom of God is an assurance for the growth of the church.
The Bible testifies that the coming of Christ's ministry was the coming of God's kingdom.
DEFINITION OF CHURCH GROWTH
These people came from probably sixteen different language areas, as Luke tells us that the gospel was preached to sixteen different groups of people that day. In naming them, he begins with Palestine as the center and moves eastward, then goes north, west, and south in that order. The reason we do not hear of any evangelism in other areas is that Luke is only interested in the gospel movement according to Acts 1:8 (Fee and Stuart, 100).
He opens the chapter discussing the arrest of the apostles and continues the next morning with the trial before the Sanhedrin. This points to Luke's concern in documenting the numerical growth of the church and as a means of encouraging his readers with the continued progress of the gospel despite persecution. A third consideration that arises from what I have said is that Luke may reflect both the qualitative and quantitative growth of the church.
He records the qualitative growth in passages that depict the spiritual growth of the church (see Acts 4:31) and the quantitative growth in passages that show the numerical growth of the church (see Acts 4:4). The definition I would then give, which is consistent with my conclusions from Acts, is the following: "Church growth is the effective evangelization of lost men and women, effectively incorporating them into the body of Christ and enabling them to become mature, reproductive Christians. to become." . Conversion Growth occurred when pagans were converted to Christ and accepted Him as Lord and Savior (see Acts.
Expansion growth is the numerical growth that Luke mentioned as the gospel moved from its borders to Jerusalem and new churches were planted and established (see Acts 9:31). Conversion Growth occurred when Gentiles were converted to Christ and accepted Him as Lord and Savior (see the Acts of the Apostles. Expansion growth is the numerical growth that Luke mentioned as the gospel moved from its Jerusalem borders and new churches were planted and established ( see Acts 9:31).
How were they incorporated into the body of Christ – the church, and ultimately discipled into mature, healthy Christians? In an attempt to answer these questions, I will now outline, from a missiological perspective, the key principles that emerge from the text of Acts.
MISSIOLOGICAL GUIDELINES FOR CHURCH GROWTH
By designating the Holy Spirit as "another paraclete," Christ was referring to the office and function of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). From the earliest days of the church in Acts (Acts 2:42) to the last verse of the book (28:31), teaching was an essential part of the Christian ministry. During this time those who call upon the name of the Lord would be saved.
Certainly no guilt can be greater than having a hand in the crucifixion of the Messiah. Peter promised the people two gifts, one is the forgiveness of their sins and the other the gift of the Holy Spirit. The testimony of personal experience is an irrefutable argument of the power and love of Christ.
When Luke referred to the members of the church in Jerusalem, he called them disciples. Christ specified that people should be baptized in "the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". The phrase "preach the gospel of the kingdom" also referred to a future outpouring to the Gentiles.
These commands refer to the Father's will, which in Matthew's context is the Sermon on the Mount (Bosch, 66, 67). What was the nature of the work to which the Holy Spirit had called them. The Holy Spirit spoke to one of the prophets while the church was fasting and praying.
It was not an external voice, but rather an internal testimony of the Holy Spirit to the prophet. In this sense, it was the Holy Spirit who empowered the disciples for this church-planting venture, through the intermediary of the church. It is clear that it was the word of the Lord that brought the people back the following Sabbath.
Without explanation, the word is used of the elders of the church in Jerusalem in Acts 11:30.
MISSIOLOGICAL AND PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR THE CHURCH
This prayer meeting was a direct result of Christ's command to wait for the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:6). The Gospels repeatedly depict the struggles of the disciples regarding the desire for the top position in Christ's kingdom. The Word was the source of power in the disciples' evangelistic ministry, and it was for this Word that the people longed.
This was possible because the disciples had a high respect for the ministry of the Word. Preaching is a major factor in the proclamation of the gospel and occupies a central place in Acts to a great extent. Christ is exalted at the right hand of God as Lord of the church.
An address to the Jews in Acts 15. Paul spoke of the works of God among the Gentiles. Since the Word is centralized in the life of the congregation, growth will be helped in the church through study and preaching. The apostles seemed to provide leadership in the very early growth of the church with Peter seemingly in charge.
The point I want to make is that Luke saw the leadership of the individual at key times in the growth of the church. Stephen and Philip appear together in the ministry, while not physically, but certainly in the forward movement of the gospel. The word "devotion" in the Greek is the same word used in connection with the disciples' constant devotion to prayer in Acts 1:14 (translated "constantly" there).
34; and to the prayers." This shows the dynamic spiritual growth that took place in the life of the early Christian community. I have found this helpful in understanding the ministry of Christ and the growth of the church that took place in the Acts of the Apostles. I believe that the health, strength and growth of the church is directly proportional to her obedience to God's mission in the world.
The power source of the group is the Word, prayer and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
CONCLUSION
One of the biggest keys is to think in terms of multiplying leaders and not multiplying groups. If the focus is on the multiplication of leaders, groups will also multiply as a simple byproduct. The triumphant movement of the gospel from Jerusalem could not be stopped by the Sanhedrin, persecution or division and resulted in the growth of the church.
Recognizing that the church is the Body of Christ makes one realize that the church cannot fail because Christ cannot fail. The bride, His church, is depicted in Revelation 19 in apocalyptic language as present at the marriage supper of the Lamb in triumph and victory. I have accomplished the purpose of this dissertation, which was to develop a theological framework for church growth accompanied by missiological and practical guidance from the text of Acts.
In my exposition I have only gone as far as the text allows and I believe this is an essential part of the contribution of this thesis. Many of the concepts I have shared have come from my own beliefs as a minister and I have really outlined my own philosophy of ministry in this dissertation. A critical question I must ask is whether the principles and guidelines I shared from the book of Acts are still relevant today.
Functional Structures - The combination of life in the church with systems, goals and planning to move forward. Needs Oriented Evangelism - Connect with existing friendships by listening, meeting needs and connecting the gospel to personal situations. If one examines my study of Acts, you will find all eight characteristics in the book of Acts.
The Book of Acts will therefore continue to provide clarity and guidance on the subject of Church growth. How to Read the Bible for All Its Value, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1993.
