Church growing pains

Church Growing Pains

Twenty lessons from the New Testament's book of Acts. Contents Chapter 1 Putting first things first Acts 1:1-26 Chapter 2 Taking...

1. Putting first things first

Acts 1vs1-26. Church Growing Pains. Too many Christians try to do something before they really know what they should be doing! ...

2. Taking all the help you can get

Acts 2vs1-21. Church Growing Pains. One of the most exciting things about being involved in God's work is that we know the work...

3. Meetings and more meetings

Acts 2vs42-47. Church Growing Pains. I recently worked out the number of meetings the averagely committed person would attend in...

4. Preaching relevant sermons

Acts 2vs14-41. Church Growing Pains. I calculated that during my seven years and eight months as pastor of Redruth Baptist Church...

5. Showing Christ's power

Acts 3vs1-26; 4vs1-4. Church Growing Pains. Christians in a small church often say: "If only we had the resources of a large...

6. Overcoming opposition

Acts4:1-31; 5:1-11; 6:1-7. Church Growing Pains. According to the dictionary, to oppose means 'to resist, to strive to defeat, to...

7. Pooling resources

Acts4vs32-37; 11vs27-30. Church Growing Pains. In the familiar passage at the end of the day of Pentecost several characteristics...

8. Allowing God to purify

Acts 5vs1-11. Church Growing Pains. Church discipline involves the maintenance of order and obedience, the acceptance of...

9. Changing church structure

Acts 6vs1-7. Church Growing Pains. In our terraced house in Redruth the only bathroom and toilet we have is downstairs. When...

10. Knowing what is of God

Acts 8vs9-25; 16vs6-10. Church Growing Pains. One of Paul's prayers for the church is stated in Philippians 1vs9-11. "And this is...

11. Speaking personally for Christ

Acts 8vs26-40. Church Growing Pains. In witnessing for the Lord Jesus Christ two things are of paramount importance. The first is...

12. Meeting people Christ has changed

Acts 9vs10-28; 22vs12-16. Church Growing Pains. When a baby joins a family the family changes. The parents in particular and any...

13. Accepting God's work for you to do

Acts 10. Church Growing Pains. The New Testament church had problems with bringing new converts from different races into their...

14. Seeing beyond your own work

Acts11vs19-29; 13vs1-3. Church Growing Pains Jesus Christ always encouraged his disciples to have a vision for the whole world and...

15. Sorting out tradition

Acts 15vs1-35. Church Growing Pains. Every human being likes the comfort of tradition. There can be great blessing in good...

16. Working as a team

Acts13vs1-3; 18vs1-4, 18. Church Growing Pains. Jesus sent His own disciples out "two by two", Luke 10vs1. The Great Commission of...

17. Encouraging others into the ministry

Acts 15vs36-40; 16vs1-5. Church Growing Pains. A friend of mine once wrote an article in a missionary magazine about the immense...

18. Planting new churches (congregations)

Acts 14vs21-28; 16vs11-40. Church Growing Pains. There is one sense in which the title of this chapter is not true. There is only...

19. Preserving spiritual fruit

Acts 20vs17-31. Church Growing Pains. I am well aware that God is able to look after His own children. The Ethiopian eunuch...

20. Remaining faithful to the end

Acts 28vs11-31. Church Growing Pains. No-one could ever accuse Paul of being a quitter. Right at the very beginning of his...