TREASURY OF SERMONS
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God's Principle for Church Growth
By Rev (Dr) Timothy Tow
(Preached at Life BPC, 8am service, 18 Feb 2001)
Text: Matt 28:18-20
God’s principles of church growth are found both
in the Gospels and in Acts of the Apostles. First, from direct
commands in what is known as The Great Commission, and second, from
patterns set by the Apostles, which the Church is to follow. Paul
says, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (I Cor
11:1).
From the Great Commission, see how the Lord
introduces us to the word Gospel. Put the Go in the Gospel which is
the first emphasis, the missions emphasis. Missions is the Gospel on
the go. This is followed by "teach all nations," the evangelism
emphasis. Then "baptising them," the church planting emphasis.
Finally, "teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you," the "indoctrination emphasis." A four-point
programme with the out-going missions emphasis as No. 1. It goes
into the whole world, a horizontal programme.
Therefore it is not the vertical emphasis of
modern churches today. Church growth is not of the Cho Yonggi style!
This Korean Church is the biggest in the world with half a million
members, an auditorium seating over 10,000, and a regiment of 100
pastors under Cho Yonggi the super pastor. This is man’s pattern,
not God’s pattern.
Proof: Peter converted 3,000 in one day and
5,000 on another occasion. But he did not build a super church to
seat his thousands. He and the Apostles did minister to the early
church as a big family, sharing their food together, but this
pattern soon broke up when a persecution arose. The disciples were
scattered, but they went everywhere preaching the Word (Acts 8:4).
Soon the apostles also went everywhere preaching, first to Samaria
(Philip, Peter, John), then to Gaza and Caesarea (Philip) and to
Lydda, Joppa and Caesarea (Peter).
From Caesarea Peter found his way to Asia Minor
(Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia). Then we read of Peter
being in Corinth (I Cor 1:12), in Babylon (I Peter 5:13) and by
tradition in Rome.
Peter was the chief Apostle and he did not
centralise his work in Jerusalem but decentralised to the ends of
the earth. That is Missions par excellence.
I believe every pastor, while he has a pastorate
to take care, must evangelise beyond his Jerusalem to all Judea,
even to Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And he
must aim to plant churches outside and beyond his domain with the
support of his church.
Believing not in vertical but horizontal growth,
believing not in centralisation but in decentralisation, God has
blessed Life Church with at least one branch church a year. These
churches have extended to Malaysia (West and East), Indonesia,
Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia through graduates of Far Eastern
Bible College. This brings us to the fourth emphasis on
"Indoctrination." The running of a Bible College is patterned after
the Bible School taught by Paul in Ephesus for two years, "so that
all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both
Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10).
We have called the Great Commission the First
Commandment to the church. The whole congregation should therefore
heartily support Missions. Praise the Lord, Life Church has always
stood behind the efforts of the Pastor in missions, so the Lord has
blessed our Church with power from on high.
There is a church in America that restricts her
pastor from taking any trip abroad for the cause of missions. This
church says to her pastor, "If you want to go, you can take your
annual leave, that’s all and pay your own way." This church being so
selfish as to restrict her pastor to tend only his own flock, lost
out. They lost their pastor.
But if they would let their pastor go, in
compliance with the King’s command, they would not only be blessed
with power from on high, they would be attended with the personal
presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, who says, "And, lo, I am with you
always, even unto the end of the world." There can be no doubt that
every church that obeys the command to put the Go in the Gospel will
increase in membership and spiritual and financial power. A
missionary church is a vibrant church, an ever-growing church.
In view of the soon return of our Lord Jesus
Christ, in these very last days, Jesus further exhorts us to
accelerate missions to the ends of the earth. In Matthew 24:14 he
says, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the
world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
Therefore there shall be no curtailment of the outgoing Gospel
because of greater needs at home, such as the building of the New
Beulah House. If we continue to exert for the cause of missions
without let up, God will not fail to bless us with adequate funds to
take care of our local needs. Church growth and missions must
advance side by side, both at home and abroad.
Take heed once again to what I would call, "The
First Commandment to the Church." "And Jesus came and spake unto
them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matt
28:18-20).
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