A Formula for Spiritual Growth
Robert Walker
Acts 1:13
I was reading about a teenager named Hudson Taylor. One day, he had the afternoon off from school. And the whole house to himself. He decided to read something to pass the time. He found a pamphlet on his father's desk that said, ''It is Finished.''
Wondering what it was about, he started reading it. And he realized that Christ had finished the work that needed to be done for our salvation when he died on the cross for our sins.
And then Hudson Taylor said, ''At that moment, I realized that there was nothing left for me to do but to fall down on my knees and accept this Savior and His salvation and to love Him forever.''
Later on, his mother came home. And he greeted her at the door. And said, ''Mom, I want you to be the first to know that I accepted Christ as my Savior.''
Then his mom gave him a hug. And she said, ''You've been on my heart lately. And I told the Lord that I wasn't going to stop praying for you until I heard you say those very words. You, my son, are the answer to my prayers.''
After describing what the earliest Christians did, Luke adds a comment about what God did: ''And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.''
After Peter's first sermon 3,000 new believers joined Jesus' disciples to form the earliest church. Yet this wasn't the end of its growth, but just the beginning. Acts 4 reports that not long after Pentecost, the early church numbered about 5,000 (4:4).
Now that's some impressive church growth, don't you think? Let's take time and look at this Pattern Church this morning.
I. THE CHURCH WAITING- verse 14
Four things marked the infant Church. It was marked by truth: they ''continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine. It was marked by a tie, that blessed ''tie that bind our hearts together in Christian love. They were marked by a table. They continue in ''breaking of bread.'' ''They were marked by a throne.'' They c ...
Robert Walker
Acts 1:13
I was reading about a teenager named Hudson Taylor. One day, he had the afternoon off from school. And the whole house to himself. He decided to read something to pass the time. He found a pamphlet on his father's desk that said, ''It is Finished.''
Wondering what it was about, he started reading it. And he realized that Christ had finished the work that needed to be done for our salvation when he died on the cross for our sins.
And then Hudson Taylor said, ''At that moment, I realized that there was nothing left for me to do but to fall down on my knees and accept this Savior and His salvation and to love Him forever.''
Later on, his mother came home. And he greeted her at the door. And said, ''Mom, I want you to be the first to know that I accepted Christ as my Savior.''
Then his mom gave him a hug. And she said, ''You've been on my heart lately. And I told the Lord that I wasn't going to stop praying for you until I heard you say those very words. You, my son, are the answer to my prayers.''
After describing what the earliest Christians did, Luke adds a comment about what God did: ''And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.''
After Peter's first sermon 3,000 new believers joined Jesus' disciples to form the earliest church. Yet this wasn't the end of its growth, but just the beginning. Acts 4 reports that not long after Pentecost, the early church numbered about 5,000 (4:4).
Now that's some impressive church growth, don't you think? Let's take time and look at this Pattern Church this morning.
I. THE CHURCH WAITING- verse 14
Four things marked the infant Church. It was marked by truth: they ''continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine. It was marked by a tie, that blessed ''tie that bind our hearts together in Christian love. They were marked by a table. They continue in ''breaking of bread.'' ''They were marked by a throne.'' They c ...
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