Born of the Spirit, the early church grew rapidly: from thirty at the cross; to 120 in the upper room; to more than 3,000 on the day of Pentecost; from a lonely, provincial nation to the boundaries of civilization in 300 years.
Charging full strength on the world, with unprecedented power, believers confronted pagan people and government and religious resistance. And their faith literally turned the world upside-down.
As they swept from Jerusalem to Rome—and beyond—they projected the varied and total ministry of their Lord: healing of the sick and lame; comforting the sorrowing; discipling the newly converted; establishing and developing churches; evangelizing the lost; and crossing all barriers—racial, economic, and social—to worship, fellowship, evangelize, disciple, and minister in the name of Jesus Christ.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit indwelling in them to be on mission, the New Testament church reached out from a base grounded in God’s love, as disclosed supremely in the cross. The church’s mandate was the Great Commission; its message was triumphant: hope, joy, love, peace, and abundant life.
Both the mandate and the message are ours today.
Applying them in the confrontation and penetration of society by the church of the twenty-first century stands as our responsibility.
We must discover afresh the wonder and glory and power of the gospel—therein lies the church’s most important reason or purpose for existence. The church must grow in numbers, in maturity, and in ability to influence the society around us.
The church wasn’t created to be stagnant. Nor was the church created to be secure or indifferent. When any activity—traditional, practical, materialistic, or denominational—undercuts the church’s ability or willingness to risk, to push itself toward its Biblical demand; we have ceased being what God created us to be.
COVID-19 could be an opportunity for the church to “wake up.” We must embrace the prospect that some things are different, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Let’s look to see where God is working so we can join Him in His work.
Christ Above All,
Pastor Mark
Hogue, C. B. I Want My Church to Grow. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1977.
