ACCEPTABLE CHURCH GROWTH...( PART 3)
The Acts Of The Apostles Serves Not Only As A Testimony But Also As A Guiding Light For The Church, Steering It From Inception To Completion.
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| Apostle Tolu Agboola |
In Alignment With Every Other Book In The Bible, The Book Of Acts Isn't A Solitary Report To An Individual; It's An Inspired Script Directed Towards The Church.
When Engaging In Discussions About The Church, It's Crucial To Understand That We're Not Merely Pointing To The Visible Structures We Recognize As Churches Today.
While The Term "Church" Has Evolved To Signify A Building Or Organization, The Original Greek Term "Ekklesia" Meant "A Gathering, Assembly." This Forms The Foundation For Our Word "Congregation," Emphasizing That God Designed The Church As A Collective Of People, Not Merely A Physical Structure. The Early Believers, Meeting In Homes, Would Find The Notion Of A Separate Building For Worship Foreign. References To Buildings In The New Testament Are Consistently Tied To The Church That Gathered There (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2). The Essence Of The Church Resides In Its People. With The Establishment And Prosperity Of Christianity Over Time, The Term "Church" Shifted To Signify The Place Where People Assembled And, More Recently, Specific Denominations. However, The Truest Meaning Of "Church" Remains The Collective Of Believers.
As Our Lord Articulated, The Church Is Neither A Place Nor An Organization; It's A Gathering Of Believers Coming Together In The Name Of The Lord Jesus Christ: "Where Two Or Three Are Gathered Together In My Name, There Am I In The Midst Of Them" (Matthew 18:20).
This Signifies That A Local Church Building, Bustling With People But Lacking The Presence Of "Two Or Three" Believers, Fails To Align With The Genuine Church The Bible Speaks Of.
Acts 2:47 Underscores The Importance That New Additions To The Church Should Be Individuals Earnestly Seeking Salvation. The Church Serves As A Sacred Space Where People Congregate To Seek God For Complete Salvation. If Individuals Are Drawn To The Church For Reasons Other Than The Salvation Of Their Souls, It Serves As A Clarion Call For Leaders To Reflect On Their Methods.
Among Ministers, There's Often An Assumption That The Growth Of Churches Results From Numerous Meetings And Activities.
However, It's Imperative To Recognize That Activities Alone Do Not Inherently Foster Church Growth; Relying Solely On Them Risks Harming The Essence Of The Church.
The Strangeness Observed In Churches Today Stems From An Unhealthy Addition To The Church. If Our Exclusive Focus Is On Numbers, We Run The Risk Of Betraying Jesus And Setting A Misguided Example, Contrary To The Actions Of The Apostles.
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