How can you grow the church? Well, I admit that’s sort of a trick question. You can’t. The historian Luke writes about the church in the first century and reports, “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”[i] The Scriptures say that only one person can grow the church, and that is the Lord. He alone saves and adds souls to the body of Christ; the invisible church. He alone sovereignly oversees any and every person associated with the visible church. This makes sense because Christ is both Lord and Head of the church.[ii]
But many people today think they can grow the church. Innovation and pragmatism mark our period of church history. Confessional theology and church practice based on Scripture is often considered outdated. Many who chant the mantra Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone) hardly apply this central Reformation principle.
But church growth gurus have not merely overlooked one part of one verse in the Bible, simply missing the bit about the Lord sovereingly adding to the number of the church, they have also jettisoned the framework in which the Lord normally brings people into the church. The verses surrounding Luke’s statement in Acts 2:47 (quoted above) are profoundly simple, yet simply profound. They do not offer pragmatic tips on how to grow a church, draw a large crowd, or be effective in garnering “decisions”. Rather, the focus of the early first century church was on what theologians often call the means of grace.
For example, Acts 2:42 says, “And they [the apostles and church] devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Westminster Shorter Catechism question 88 asks, “What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption?” It answers as follows:
The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are his ordinances, especially the word, sacraments and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.
In answering this question, the Catechism virtually pulls out several pieces of Acts 2:42 and lays them on the table of the church for them to feast upon. What are they? Well, first lets define means of grace. According to the Catechism, they are “the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption”. So that’s simple enough. In other words, the way God normally works to save and sanctify His elect comes through various activities the church emphasizes. Or, as the catechism suggests, these means of grace are, by Christ, “made effectual to the elect for salvation”. To be sure, one is not saved by the church or through the church. One is only saved upon hearing the gospel and responding in faith and repentance- a faith in Christ and repentance from sin which is sovereignly given by the Holy Spirit. Christ is seen and heard in the means of grace. So what are they? What are these means of grace? The Catechism mentions three primary ones.
The Word of God
First, God’s Word is absolutley foundational to the church. A church that reads, prays, teaches, and preaches Scripture is a church participating in one of the chief activities that the apostles and their fellow Christians in the first century “devoted themselves” to. A church that only gives lip service to the Word of God, or places music, small groups, or other activities above the Bible is an example of an aberrant congregation who has gone astray from apostolic norms.
The Sacraments
Second, Christ instituted certain sacraments for the church to observe regularly. If you prefer the word ordinances, that’s fine too. The Protestant Reformation narrowed the long list of sacraments that traditionalism added to the church down to two: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism signifies one’s entry into the church fellowship and the Lord’s Supper signifies continued fellowship at the table of the Lord with Him and His people. Both fellowship and the breaking of bread are mentioned in Acts 2:42.
Prayer
Third, prayer is a vital means of grace along with the Word and the sacraments. Most people underestimate the power of prayer. But the Bible elevates it as one of the primary emphases of the church. A praying church is blessed by God because it shows dependence upon God.
So what exactly do we do to ensure church growth?
Now it’s not exactly accurate to say the church in Acts did nothing. They did several things. They studied God’s Word together, baptized, shared the Lord’s Supper together, and prayed when assembled. But though it’s not accurate to say they did nothing, at the same time it’s hardly accurate to say they did it all. It’s more accurate to say the Lord did everything in terms of who was added to their number through the God-ordained activites He established and the church obediently, and no doubt imperfectly, observing them.
The church was simply being the church. Their love for Christ and one another served as a monumental testimony to the watching world. In fact, Luke says, “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.”[iii] It’s then, and only then, that Luke says in verse 47, “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
We read nothing about the apostles forming a committee to see why they weren’t reaching the community like they knew they could. We hear nothing about how they systematically arranged the Sunday services to appeal to the watching world. Obviously, there was no Monday morning meeting led by a worship leader with his team problem solving how to make the music louder or softer, or whether to use more lights or less lights in order to put on a better show.
It was the ordinary, simple means of grace that God used to grow His church. What does God require of His church in order for it to grow? Not anything done in the power of the flesh. He desires obedience, faithfulness, conviction, love of God, love for truth, love for one another, and fervent prayer. The rest takes care of itself...or we should say, the Lord takes care of it.
Ray Ortlund puts it best when he says:
“God does not limit Himself to His wonderful means of grace. Jesus said that the wind of the Spirit “blows where it wishes” (John 3:8). But if we are wondering where we can be sure to find the Lord, the answer is His standard means of grace, made effective by His own living presence. His chosen means are not intended to restrict His availability, but the opposite. His chosen means identify where He has concentrated His availability, like a gushing fountain of mercy for sinners who are so desperate that they are finally coming to Christ on His terms.”[iv]
Conclusion
The place lost people can find the presence of God is at church. So invite them. Show them God’s people. Let them feel like an outsider because they’ve never been baptized and aren’t allowed to eat from the Lord’s Table. Don’t apologize for their discomfort in not knowing the liturgy or hymns. Help them. Love them. Show them Christ. Help them see they are outside of the kingdom and that there is nothing you or anyone else can do to open the door for them. The Spirit must move. God must open the door. The Lord must add to the number of the church. And rest assured, He will.
[i] Acts 2:47
[ii] Eph 1:22; 5:3; Col 2:10
[iii] Acts 2:46-47a
[iv] Ray Ortland. The Ordinary Means of Grace (https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/ordinary-means-of-grace/).
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