Subject: Church Growth

Title: The Healthy Dynamic Church Acts 2:41 -47

This article is written with reference to Pastor Sonny Arguinzoni preaching to his congregation.

Scripture reference: Acts 2:41 – 47 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ [doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Our goal as a church is to see someone come to Christ and see them stay. The question is what is our responsibility to them? What is the mission, mandate of the church? We can see the model of the early church in the book of Acts. They were effectively fulfilling the great commission (Matthew 28:19) We can also see the work of the Holy Spirit taking place. When we as a church are being responsible and obedient to the call, we will see results. There is a pattern a model in the word of God that we can follow. What are some of these dynamics? The early church modeled these principles and dynamics that brought results. By looking at our scripture we can find the following dynamics.

First, there must be Conversions. A healthy church is a church where people are being born into the Kingdom of God. New blood always brings new life! It is exciting to see people being birthed into the church verse 41 tells us “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added to them”

 The second dynamic that is found is Identification. Not only were people making a profession of their faith, but they were following in water baptism. In the New Testament, they came publicly and declared themselves. The great commission tells us to follow through in water baptism. Water baptism seals their conversion. The importance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. We cannot minimize the work of the Holy Spirit in our churches. We are in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit.

We can continue with the next dynamic, Incorporation. The bible says they were added to the church. God has never intended for us to be loners as Christians, or isolated. Once we give our lives to Jesus Christ it is important to be part of the church. We as church members must help the new Christians become part of the church family. The church ushers and greeters must be fully aware of the new family members coming into Victory Outreach. It is our responsibility to take care of our spiritual babies! And then it is their responsibility for them to stay connected.

When we look at verse 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ [doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.  We can find the following dynamic.  

The early church was plugged in they were connected to each other and received Instruction. That is why we have small groups in our church. It is very important to get connected to a small group. It is in the small group where there is an opportunity to minister to each other. God can use you there, where personal relationships are grown throughout the week.

Next, we find in verse 42 to 46 that there was Involvement. The New Testament church was committed to their giving and ministry. How is your involvement in your church? Help your pastor to minister to the people in the church. God has designed something for every person to fulfill, joy and excitement is evident when people are involved.

We can also see the Propagation of the gospel by the early church showing that they were reaching out to there community. We can start by reaching out to our family members, then move out to make an impact in our community. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). We as a church should be making a positive impact in our community and throughout the world. We have a vision for our community and to go throughout the world by planting churches.

The last dynamic we find of the early church is the Reproduction of themselves. In verse 47 we can read, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

As the early church grew, they were reproducing themselves individually and as a church. This is why we are called to send out churches. We have launched out so many churches from the Mother church. The early church spread out throughout the world! They met their responsibility. The heart of God is to take the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout all the world. Can you find these dynamics we spoke about in your church today? The challenge the early church received in Acts 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Still stands today. It is our responsibility to fulfill this great command. “Pastor Sonny Arguinzoni”