What do you think?

Recently I was challenged by someone telling me something to the effect that it is better to have church growth through multiplication than through addition. They mentioned the early church in Acts chapter 2 as the example.

Is that really true? An even better questions is this: are we supposed to be growing the church, or is that God’s job?

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said that He would build His church. In 1 Corinthians 3:6 Paul write that God was the one who made the church grow.

In Acts 2:41, 4:4, 5:14, 6:1, 6:7, 9:31, 9:35, 9:42, 11:21, 11:24, 14:1, 14:21, 16:5, and 17:12 we find people were added, people believed, the church increased, the church grew in number, people turned to the Lord. It seems that in each case people were added. Nowhere do we find any mention of multiplication.

In Acts 4:31, 8:25, 11:19, 13:5, and 13:44 we find the disciples preaching the word. Actually, we don’t find them doing anything else.

So here is the real question: Are we attempting to do what Jesus said He would do? Are we attempting to grow the church, instead of letting Jesus grow the church? Are we coming up with our methods, (such as saying we prefer multiplication over addition) instead of simply following God’s methods?

Have we become ineffective and frustrated because we are attempting what our Lord never intended for us to do? Should we focus on preaching God’s truth and letting Him grow His church?

What do you think? I’d love to hear from you on this one.

Until next time,

Pastor Jim