If
one were to type in “church growth” into the search engine of his choice on the
Internet or any bookstore, he would find a wide variety of websites, links to
programs, blogs, videos, books, articles, and opinions of how to affect
increase in the church. The modern philosophy seems to be that the church
should adapt to the world, though the Bible declares that Christians are not to
be conformed to the world but transformed by the word (Romans 12:1,2). As
Christians, we should be concerned about the growth of the church. We love the
souls of mankind and desire for all men to hear the word and obey the gospel
(Matthew 28:19,20). The question that we must answer is this: how can we help
the church to grow?
The
answer to the problem of church growth is found in the example of husbandry. In
Luke 8:5-18, Jesus told the parable of the sower and explained the parable to
the disciples. The job of the Christian is to plant seed, which is the word of
God (v.11). In James 1:21, the implanted word (NKJV) is able to save the soul.
The farmer who plants few seeds in the field will not reap a harvest. He must
sow the proper amount of grain in order to produce a crop. The field must also
be cultivated and watered. In the most basic sense, if a farmer properly
prepares the soil and sows the proper amount of seed, he will produce a crop
(unless weather, livestock or other outside forces destroys the crop).
Brethren,
if we want the De Leon congregation specifically and the church of Jesus Christ
in general, to grow, then we must follow the simple pattern of God’s word:
plant and water. If we do our job, God will give the increase.
Presently,
we are involved in viewing the series Searching
for Truth. We can pass out these DVDs for our friends and family to watch
(of course it is best if we watch it together). WVBS also has a video lesson on
What Must I Do to Be Saved, which is
a one lesson video that we can pass out. There are other video resources of
course, but there is also print media. I recommend a book to you that is a narrative
about how one man and his wife became Christians. The book is titled Muscle and Shovel. It is very popular in
our current culture to use this narrative style in teaching sales, business,
and time management. You may prefer a more straight forward approach but what
this book does is walk through the growth process, deals with the objections,
and overcomes obstacles that many face in study of the Bible and how one can
know the truth and be saved. There are other methods such as Bobby Bates Back to the Bible or the Fisher’s of Men
series. Whatever you choose to do, one thing is certain: we will never get a
harvest if we don’t plan seeds!
Are
you planting? Are you watering? Do you really think an increase will come if we
just sit in the pews or stay in the comfort of our homes? Think about it. Are
you planting and watering? Oh, you don’t have to knock every door in town, but
have you talked to your best friend…and I mean seriously sat down with Bible in
hand and talked about salvation and the church that Christ purchased with His
own blood? I hope you think about it as we come to the end of the year. Make it
a point to talk to your family and friends about Christ in 2014.
You can get your copy of Muscle and Shovel at Michael Shank’s website for $14.95. I recommend you get several: http://www.michaelshankministries.com/
You can get your copy of Searching for Truth or What Must I Do To Be Saved? at wvbs.org (along with many other great resources for study).
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