Title The Growing Church (Ephesians 4:13)
Contents
growing church
Ephesians 4:13
We will all become one in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, to the point of becoming a perfect man, to the stature of the stature of the stature of Christ.
When an organism stops growing, it doesn't stay that way. Stopping growth means entering the path of old age and heading towards death. This is also true of the church. A church that does not grow is destined to go toward corruption, so a desirable church must grow continuously.
1. The necessity of church growth (Matthew 13:31, 32)
He also gave a parable, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is grown it is greater than the grass and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.
1) An imperfect earthly church
The visible type Church is in an imperfect state. Although the members are newly transformed beings in Christ, it is because they have not yet completely cast off their sins. From a spiritual point of view, not only the wheat but also the weeds are growing together in the church. Such an imperfect church will inevitably continue until the day the Lord returns. However, in the midst of imperfection, the church must constantly grow and develop. This also means that the church must be constantly reformed.
2) We must grow up to the fullness of the measure of the maturity of Christ.
When a baby is born, it feeds and grows. However, if your baby is older and past the age of solid food and is still breastfed, he or she will have digestive problems. The child's growth will also be hindered. As children grow, they must eat foods that are appropriate for their growth process, and when they eat those foods properly, they will grow into a healthy body.
The same is true of the religious life. New believers who come to church for the first time have a heart to continue living a life of faith when they receive warm reception and consideration. However, as your faith gradually grows, you must now change from the position of being served to the position of serving. While we may face trials and tribulations in our dedicated service, we mature through enduring all difficulties. Then the church should set its growth goal in Christ.
The church is the body of Christ, and Christ is the head of the church. The church, the body of Christ, must be born again with the goal of being perfect, holy, beautiful, and lovely like Christ. That goal will not be fully achieved until the day of the new heavens and new earth.
2. Quantitative and qualitative growth (Acts 6:7)
And the word of God continued to prosper, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased exceedingly, and a great multitude of priests obeyed this way.
1) Quantitative growth
Quantitative growth of the church refers to an increase in the number of members. This is also a word related to evangelism, one of the foremost missions of the church. The church must be diligent in evangelism to save even one more soul. Therefore, the number of believers must increase day by day. However, this quantitative growth should not be based on the narrow thinking of ‘focusing on my church’, and the growth of the entire church should be considered first.
The Korean church has experienced remarkable quantitative growth that is hard to find. There are very few places all over the country that do not have a chapel. However, there are still few believers who faithfully profess their faith in Jesus Christ around us. Then, the mission of the church for quantitative growth is still urgent.
2) Qualitative Growth
If the terms church revival or church growth are mainly understood in quantitative terms, serious problems are bound to arise. No matter how large the number of members appears, if the faith of the members is distorted or of low quality, then the church cannot be said to be a growing church.
That is why the qualitative growth of the church is so important. Indifference to qualitative growth and the church may be rebuked for going all over the world and grabbing its members, but rather creating a ship or a child of hell.
So, what should be done for qualitative growth? There are many ways to do that. Above all, the Word of God must be correctly proclaimed. We must strive to pray, fellowship with one another in love, and serve sacrificially. And we should strive to be renewed day by day toward the most desirable model of the church.
3. Factors hindering church growth (Rev 2:4)
But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
1) Factional consciousness
When their passionate love for the Lord cools down, they envy and gossip with each other, forming factions. This is the devil's favorite thing to do. The devil works hard to cause strife among the saints and lead them away from the faith.
Each saint is a member of one body in Christ. When one member suffers, it is right for all the other members to share the pain and try to help that member. But when our love for Christ grows cold, we become aloof toward His body, the Church. Rather than serving the members of the church with love, they become engrossed in criticizing and condemning others. In order for the church to grow, there must be no sectarian consciousness amongst each other.
2) The influence of secularism
When Christianity first came to Korea, Christianity played a leading role in society. Leaders who put the Christian spirit at the forefront were active in politics, economics, cultural education, and other fields. But what about now? On the contrary, the church is being condemned by the world. When the church fails to fulfill the role of light and salt to the world, but rather becomes tainted with secularistic values, the church loses its ground for existence. A church that exhibits an inconsistent attitude in its value judgment, which is neither this nor that, will only be thrown out. A church that has lost the holy spirit can no longer grow and cannot take on the role of a spiritual watchman. Therefore, although the church exists in the world, it should focus on realizing God's will on earth without being of the world or being stained with it.
If you don't keep going forward, your bike will fall over. Is the church we belong to spiritually advancing day by day? It needs nourishment for growth. There are many spiritual nutrients such as the Word, prayer, and service. I sincerely hope that you will do your best to become a church that is full of vitality and grows every day by consuming these nutrients evenly.
------------------------------------------------
Heavenly Father, thank you so much for giving us the church and providing a spiritual foundation for us. Help me to become the saints who work hard to cultivate this precious ground more and more abundantly. Please help us with your great grace so that we can become a church that grows toward the goal of Christ without looking back. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.