Is it okay for only the church numbers are growing?
[Acts 9:31]
At 8:00 last night, something unexpected happened during the English Ministry Bible Study. The first thing I didn't expect was that I expected only two people to come. Nevertheless, I preached last Sunday's worship service and suggested that we stop the Friday Bible Study meeting by the end of the year as I spoke with two leaders of English Ministry. After that, we had not been gathering on Friday for a few weeks and I thought that I should not do this. So I told the English Ministry people that at 8 o'clock Friday evening, I should do the Bible Study and share what I learned with that person even only one person come. So I thought only one high school student would come on that Friday night Bible Study. Or maybe one of our leaders, a college student, might come. But there were seven people. Second, what I did not expect was to have a sincere conversation in the Lord after a Bible study with one of those seven members. I was grateful and happy to know him more through that heart-to-heart conversation. After the Bible study, as other members practiced praise, I talked more with him. What was so grateful in the conversation was that he said that he had peace in his heart, even in the most difficult circumstances he was experiencing. After studying the Bible with seven people, I dropped couple of them home and returned to my home with my beloved first daughter.
Before I went to sleep that day, I was reading in Acts 9, which I supposed to read in the next day Morning Prayer meeting, and my eyes stopped at verse 31. The reason is because even in that verse 31 the phrase “it grew in numbers” came out like Acts 6:1, “when the number of disciples was increasing,” that I meditated in yesterday Morning Prayer meeting. So I decided to meditate on Acts 9:31 and I read Acts 9:1-30 again. The reason is because I wondered how the Lord made the Early Church grow in number. The reason I think the Lord increased the number of believers in the Early Church is because of Acts 2:47 – “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” As I was reading Acts 9:1-30, I found the answer in verses 19-20 and 28 how the Lord increased the number of believers in the Early Church: “… Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. … And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.” In this passage, the way the Lord increased the number of believers in the Early Church was that the Lord converted and commissioned Saul on Damascus, who persecuted Jesus (vv. 4-5) and who was “a chosen instrument of Mine” (v. 15), and Saul (Paul) immediately began to proclaim Jesus “in the synagogues” (v. 20) and “in Jerusalem” (v. 28) that “He is the Son of God” (v. 20), “speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord” (v. 28). In other words, the Lord increased the number of believers by keep Saul increasing in strength (v. 22). The Jews who were confounded and who lived at Damascus (v. 22) conspired to kill Saul (v. 23), even the Grecian Jews tried to kill him (v. 29). In the midst of this persecution and tribulation, Saul fearlessly (v. 27) and boldly (v. 28) spoke (vv. 22, 28) “in the name of the Lord” (v. 28) that “Jesus is the Christ” (v. 22) so that the number of believers increased in the Early Church.
But was it all? Did the number of believers increase in the early church because Saul only spoke boldly in the name of Jesus? Is it worthy in the Lord’s eyes that only the church numbers are growing? I don’t think so. The basis of my thought is Acts 9:31 – “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.” When we look at this verse, there are at least three things that the Lord did to establish the Early Church as a church worthy of the Lord's eyes:
First, the Early Church was at peace.
Look at Acts 9:31 – “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. ….” Isn't it amazing? How did the early church find peace during tribulation and persecution? It was peace from the Lord. God the Holy Spirit united the Early Church saints through the bond of peace. And the Early Church saints made every effort keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).
Second, the Early Church was built up.
Look at Acts 9:31 – “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; ….” How did the Early Church believers build up? It was through the word of God’s grace that built them up (20:32). Therefore, in the midst of trouble and persecution, the Early Church saints made level paths for their feet and took only ways that were firm (Prov. 4:26).
Third, the Early Church went on in the fear if the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Look at Acts 9:31 – “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, ….” The Early Church saints were persecuted because they lived in obedience to the Word in fear of the Lord and hated evil. But in the midst of it, the Holy Spirit comforted them.
In the midst of that, the number of believers increased in the Early Church (v. 31). But the Early Church was not a church with only the number of believers increased. It was the church that enjoyed peace, was built up and went on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit (v. 31). May our church be such church.
Praying for it to become a victorious community,
James Kim
(Dreaming of church members being true to their faith and the church being true to its purpose)