The Growth of the Church in Jerusalem
by Dudley R. Spears
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 4, December 31, 1990
No period in the history of the Lord’s church records a greater numerical growth than the first century. There are repeated references to the reason why such phenomenal growth occurred. Men of faith claim the reason was the preaching of the apostles. "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ’Men and brethren, what shall we do’?" Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and this resulted in the addition of "about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:37-41). Chapter two ends with describing the Jerusalem church as, "praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47). The growth continued and Luke reports, "However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand" (Acts 4:4). He also revealed the cause. "And the word of God increased; and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of priests were obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7).
The above represents what men of faith say about church growth. On the other hand, there are other views on why the infant church in Jerusalem grew so large. Here’s one example from the pen of a prominent writer. "One good example is worth more than ten enthusiastic exhortations. The early church grew because of what the world saw in its members, more than what it heard from the apostles. [This church] will grow, or fail to grow, for the very same reason." The thrust of Luke’s report in the inspired record is that the preaching of the apostles caused the church to grow numerically. The thrust of this modern view is that "good examples" in the lives of members of the church plays a more important role and is more effective in causing the church to grow than is the preaching of the apostolic message. The view that what the world sees in Christians is the principal factor in church growth does a great disservice to true New Testament Christianity.
No one can deny that consistent behavior and exemplary conduct by Christians are important and attract the attention of the lost. To say, however, that it, more than hearing the preaching of the gospel, causes the numerical increase of the church is simply false. Numbers seem to be more on the minds of some among us than truth, which is sad. It is likewise sad to read anything from anyone that puts anything above and ahead of the preaching done by the apostles in the first century. Just think for a moment. A typical Jew, seeing the Sanhedrin Court become vehemently antagonistic against this new kind of life among these converted Jews, without first having been deeply convinced by the preaching of the apostles, would normally have rejected any connection with the early church—and rightly so. Who wants to join something unpopular and that is the object of hatred? The answer is simple—only those with deep convictions.
While stressing the need to conform daily to the regimen of Christian living, the New Testament never places a higher premium on performance than it does on preaching. A case in point: Acts 6 begins with notice of the continued numerical growth of the church. What caused it? Certainly not Christian behavior, more than hearing the apostles. It was not the benevolent work done by the early church that caused the growth. The apostles took full credit for the growth and called on the congregation to take care of less important matters lest they find it necessary to "leave the word of God and serve tables" (Acts 6:1-6). Read the selection carefully. Now determine in your own mind—just what was causing the numerical growth? Was it Christian behavior, or gospel preaching?
Every time God’s people prioritize numerical growth, they move toward appealing to the world. This is natural. If we were of the world, the world would own and love us. But we are not to be "of the world." Many years ago, an eloquent man wrote,
"We hear a great deal nowadays about forward movements, ’and I sympathise with all that is said in favour of them. But I would remind you that the precursor of every genuine forward movement is a Godward movement, and that it is worse than useless to talk about lengthening the cords unless you begin with strengthening the stakes. The little prop that holds up the bell-tent that will contain half-a-dozen soldiers will be all too weak for the great one that will cover a company. And the fault of some Christian people is that they set themselves to work upon others without remembering that the first requisite is a deepened and growing godliness and devotion in their own souls. Dear friends, begin at home, and remember that whilst oddities will draw them, and all sorts of lower attractions will gather multitudes for a little while, the one exercise for the numerical increase of the Church is rooted in, and only tenable through, their own personal increase day by day in consecration and likeness to the Savior, in possession of the Spirit and in loving fear of the Lord." [Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of the Holy Scripture, Baker Book House, page 267].
God has given His church the only real strengthening element, the gospel (Romans 1:16). To rely on what we can accomplish, how outwardly pious we may appear, or how "active" we are, is like cheap veneer. A sturdy table, solidly built from strong materials, may not be as attractive as the flashy and luxuriously decorated ones, but it certainly is more enduring. There is very little, if any, difference in the disposition of brethren who appeal to the masses through parties, games, and recreation, and those who make the same appeal by the "look at us-see what a real church of Christ is."
Faithful brethren will never abandon allegiance to the preaching of the ancient and accepted apostolic message. Sadly, many make a weak claim to some adherence to the old ways, but when exposure of blatant errors is needed, lest they run people off, they will desperately seek ways to avoid preaching the truth and opposing the errors. Some gardener once wrote, "You can tell how much you love roses by how much you hate weeds." You can tell how much you love the truth by how much you hate "every false way." Hatred of the false ways, even among brethren, is best manifested in forthright opposition to error. However, when numbers and the "look at us" disposition take control of our thinking, we are unlikely to do anything that might detract from the "we are great" syndrome.
What many call growth is better likened to a thumb smashed soundly by a hammer. The thumb increases in size, but through internal swelling. Competition among local churches in any given city or community is detrimental to real growth, and everyone knows it. Local churches should cooperate, but they seem to enjoy competition more. H. Leo Boles once wrote, "When churches operate, they cooperate, and that is the only cooperation taught in the New Testament." What brother Boles was trying to stress was that all churches of Christ, in any given locality, should operate alike. And, when they do, there is hardly a more productive, pleasant, and peaceful growth.
So, let’s never think that anything is more effective in bringing numbers into the body of Christ than first-century preaching, and let us also individually seek to live consistently with that preaching. Unless and until we do, the approaching errors that threaten the true identity of the Lord’s people will come into clearer focus with each passing hour.
