A Growing Church (Part 8)
For a church to be a growing church the members must be convinced that everyone needs what they have in Christ.(Acts 26:28,29) Another way of saying that is they must have something worth sharing. The life they have as believers must be fulfilling to the point that they are passionate about Christ being the answer for everyone. Let me explain this a little.
If a church does not disciple it's members to the point that they live victorious Christian lives, they will not want to give away what they have. A defeated Christian has very little motivation to share the gospel with another person. They are not excited about worship, studying the Bible, or praying, so why would they invite others to join them. They may think they are going to heaven, but that is the only positive thing they can say about being a Christian, so they keep their mouths shut.
On the other hand, a victorious Christian knows that "to live is Christ, and to die is gain."(Philippians 1:21) They are experiencing the abundant life, and they see everyone around them merely existing. Their hearts go out to them, because they want them to experience real life. This gives them every reason to engage people around them in conversations about the Lord, share their testimony with people, and invite them to worship with them. Those are the people who cause a church to grow, because they can't help but tell others how great it is to know the Lord and walk with Him.
This leads to a question, "Is your Christian life worth duplicating? Would it truly benefit others to have the same type of relationship with Jesus that you have?" If you can answer these questions in the affirmative, you are probably sharing this with others. If you can't answer that question with an enthusiastic "yes," then, you probably will not help your church to grow. Let's all make sure that we are good examples of what Jesus can do for others. Then, we can confidently speak to others about what they need to make their lives complete.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Acts 27-28 and Romans 1.
If a church does not disciple it's members to the point that they live victorious Christian lives, they will not want to give away what they have. A defeated Christian has very little motivation to share the gospel with another person. They are not excited about worship, studying the Bible, or praying, so why would they invite others to join them. They may think they are going to heaven, but that is the only positive thing they can say about being a Christian, so they keep their mouths shut.
On the other hand, a victorious Christian knows that "to live is Christ, and to die is gain."(Philippians 1:21) They are experiencing the abundant life, and they see everyone around them merely existing. Their hearts go out to them, because they want them to experience real life. This gives them every reason to engage people around them in conversations about the Lord, share their testimony with people, and invite them to worship with them. Those are the people who cause a church to grow, because they can't help but tell others how great it is to know the Lord and walk with Him.
This leads to a question, "Is your Christian life worth duplicating? Would it truly benefit others to have the same type of relationship with Jesus that you have?" If you can answer these questions in the affirmative, you are probably sharing this with others. If you can't answer that question with an enthusiastic "yes," then, you probably will not help your church to grow. Let's all make sure that we are good examples of what Jesus can do for others. Then, we can confidently speak to others about what they need to make their lives complete.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Acts 27-28 and Romans 1.