God's Word to God's People

“And the Lord added to their numbers day by day…” (Acts 2:47).

Every time I read the above passage, I am reminded of the power of the word of God, and for this reason. The early church had no understanding of or gimmicks for church growth. They did not have a library of church growth books or materials. They did not have church health or church growth seminars to attend, no church growth experts to consult, no DVD’s on how to grow a church. They had no such things. In light of that, how do we best understand Luke’s words, “And the Lord added to their numbers”? I see two things that account for their growth.

First, note the phrase, “the Lord added.” The right type of church growth is always of God, never of men. O yes, men can design programs, produce music, schedule activities, and in general, make growth happen. The right person, gimmick, location and music will generally result in growth. But is such growth of the Lord? In many instances the answer to that question is no.

Frankly, as a pastor, I am not interested in growing simply for the sake of growing or growing as a result of what men can do. Not interested now nor ever have been. So the first thing to understand as it relates to the growth of the early church is contained in the phrase, “And the Lord added to their numbers.” But there’s more to observe.

Earlier in the chapter we read, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…” Later in chapter six, as their numbers grew and the work load on the apostles became quite heavy, they said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.” Those two passages contain the second reason for their growth. Simply put, they grew because the word of God has power. As the apostles preached and the people devoted themselves to their teaching, many people came to faith in Christ, Christians grew in their faith, and the church became healthy and a powerful witness to the reality of Jesus Christ.

There is a simple principle in this. Not all growing churches are healthy; yet all healthy churches grow. That’s how God honors the faithful teaching of his word. There has never been a single instance in church history when God has not honored his word by bringing health and growth to his church. Never!

Our goal at Wausau Alliance Church is to bring God’s word to God’s people. Growth and health is his business. Our mandate is to stay committed to the faithful communication of His word. Pray for your pastors and leaders in this regard. Hold us accountable. That way, as God brings health and growth, he gets all the glory. That’s the way it’s supposed to be!