Church growth and evangelism in the book of acts commentary

How did the church grow so quickly and effectively in the book of acts. This study concludes there because the remainder of the book of acts is devoted to the work and journeys of the apostle paul and that will be a covered in a separate study. In fact, three times luke underscores the large numbers 11. Northern caribbean university school of religion and theology the relevance of the biblical book of acts to the contemporary church. Evangelism in the book of acts walnut street church of. Provides an overview of acts and two outlines for the book of acts as well as an index for bff acts articles, powerpoints and audiovideo podcasts. We must continue to teach and seek those who are looking for god. The book of acts tells the story of the beginning of the church of jesus christ. The book of acts, sometimes called the fifth gospel, is a continuation of the gospel of luke. Comm is the campus ministrys core bible study content. He has written numerous articles and a widely acclaimed commentary on acts in the new american commentary. Church growth and evangelism in the book of acts, ts. Many of the ideas come from out of the salt shaker and into the world by pippet and becoming a contagious christian by bill hybels.

It opens with a greeting to theophilus, who was also the intended recipient of lukes gospel. But reading the book of acts, one finds that paul used many methods to share the gospel with people. Church growth writers refer to acts rather consistently to support their theology and practice, but no detailed work has come from the movement. Church growth in the book of acts a church of christ can and will grow spiritually and numerically when it is faithful to the word of god. In addition, there are topical studies on issues such as spiritual leadership, gods redemptive plan, and old testament character studies. By juxtaposing evangelism and church growth in that era of the church to evangelism and church growth in the contemporary church. Acts begins with jesus teaching the apostles about the kingdom of god outside jerusalem, and ends, about thirty years later, with paul teaching gentile christians about the kingdom of god in rome. A return to the principles and practices unfolded in the book of acts. To cover the subject of evangelism in the book of acts is a. Again it requires hard work but the results have proved to be worth it. Jesus addresses and shares the gospel with large crowds of people.

Evangelism in acts is the communication of the good news of jesus christ through verbal proclamation and lifestyle witness, with the intent of leading a person or group to salvation in christ. New testament church growth is fascinating and all too foreign to our modern church experience. Men were only slowly accepting and growing into the truth of the gospel. Abstract tiie biblical approach to church growth through personal evangelism hokyung kim liberty baptist theological seminary, 2000 mentor. An expositional commentary this chapter describes gods flinging open the door of his church to gentile believers and thus marking a key transition point in the spread of the gospel in the book of acts. The acts of the apostles is the historical account of the initiation of this process. From a small group of persecuted refugees, the church in antioch saw large numbers of people come to christ. This versebyverse bible study and commentary of the acts of the apostles the book of acts or simply acts is indepth but uses plain language that everyone can understand, as well as a format that will engage you. The church can and should measure the receptivity of those whom it hopes to evangelize. Luke is the writer, as he states in his introduction v. A good study bible we recommend the following features.

Its narrative supplies a bridge connecting the life and ministry of jesus to the life of the church and the witness of the earliest believers. Finally, in acts 1819 we will learn about different strategies and means for sharing our faith with others. Most can be obtained from a good religious bookstore. The book of acts is a record of the growth of the early church, started by jesuss disciples and then expanded by the apostle paul. A history of the early church gene taylor2an outline of the book i. We do not recommend loose translations or oneman translations. Read the 6 top factors in growing churches by the good book blog on christian blogs. As we look at acts 17 we will learn how to answer objections and how to make a case for the truth of christianity. The book of acts is a key historical record of what the early church believed and practiced. Commission there will be a tremendous increase in church growth. Whitcomb at the independent fundamental bible conference hosted by the middletown bible church.

Church growth and evangelism in the book of acts doc. Acts is a fastmoving historical account of the first three decades of the church. Ludlow whereas the gospel of luke focuses on the life and ministry of jesus christ, the acts of the apostles builds upon what jesus did and taught see acts 1. To prove this point, let us take a quick look at church growth in the book of acts, with a special view to the church in jerusalem. The book of acts provides a detailed, orderly, eyewitness account of the birth and growth of the early church and the spread of the gospel immediately after the resurrection of jesus christ. The book of acts details the spread of the gospel and the growth of the church from. In this passage, luke is restating the great commission challenge jesus gave in luke 24. Church growth literature indicates that the homogeneous unit principle remains one of the most controversial elements of the church growth movement, but it is generally recognized that this principle is still one of the most useful and valuable contributions of church growth to world evangelism.

Lukeacts, theology of bakers evangelical dictionary of biblical. Church growth and evangelism in acts 61 the principle of spiritual warfare prayer was the primary weapon of the early church because the followers knew their battle was not against flesh and blood but. The 6 top factors in growing churches the good book blog. While i am excited about the growth we have seen here and every sunday morning has a full feeling in the pews, we are not done with the work. Pdf evangelism and church growth in the book of acts. Evangelism is certainly taking place, but most of this seems to occur through the.

Very few churches have even come close to achieving this. But the reason this church experienced such remarkable growth was not that the leaders employed the latest church growth principles. Jesus said, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. The book of acts is an eyewitness account of the birth and growth of the church. The book of acts tells us how his church began in jerusalem and spread to the ends of the earth. This was the start, and the rest of the book of acts tells the story of an exciting, expanding fellowship of men and women who witnessed to jesus christ with power and abandon. Thou shalt not steal and other sermon points i didnt make up. Its initial chapters describe the church s founding and early years.

A study on evangelism core group study guide by the chi alpha staff at uva this study is a study on evangelism we will focus on the what, why, and how of evangelism. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. This article presents the concept of church growth alongside evangelism mainly in the book of acts. These studies are based on a series of 35 messages on the book of acts delivered by dr. We have a pastor system among our preachers and a passive symptom among our members. When we read of the early church growing in number, it is stated. The book of acts is like that judaism is going out and the church is coming in. Evangelism the teaching and promotion of the good news of jesus christ for the purpose of conversion. Longenecker, the expositors bible commentary zondervan, p. Its an exciting ride, from the coming of the holy spirit at pentecost, to shipwrecks and imprisonments, to life.

Twothirds of everyone who has written about what makes churches grow agree on just six factors. The biblical approach to church growth through personal. Content includes book studies on luke, ephesians, thessalonians, james, 1 samuel, john, and acts. Evangelism in the book of acts the church of christ in the book of acts was an evangelist church. Frank schmitt the greatest commandment of the lord is preaching the gospel all over the world. Principles of church growth second edition paul young publications of paul young. Verse 42 lists four of the activities to which the church devoted itself. Studies in the book of acts previous page next page. Phil sanders, instructor 4 nsop church growth, fall 2003 a study of the growth of the church in early church history acts 2. Evangelism and church growth are inexorably linked by a directly proportional relationship in the book of acts, so that, as evangelism was practiced, the church grew.

With bible gateway plus, you gain instant access to a digital bible study library, including complete notes from the niv cultural backgrounds study bible and the new bible commentary. This covers the church in jerusalem acts 17 and the church in judea and samaria acts 812. Jesus had shown himself alive by many proofs for 40 days. Acts shows what the early church believed and practiced. The workshop for evangelism is a combination of methods that have proved useful in the bill graham and other evangelistic churches. When you read through the book of acts, you see numerical growth. Church growth and evangelism in the book of acts monergism.

Acts refers to the numerical growth of the young movement in the face of external and internal problems. But the gospels and the book of acts speak of other kinds of evangelism as well. The book of acts records the amazing growth in spite of huge obstacles after the disciples were filled. In the sermon on the mount, jesus condemned charity, prayer, and. As we study acts 812 we will learn how people come to christ and are changed through conversion. Whereas the old testament depicts evangelism as people coming to god, the lucan perspective demonstrates that gods servants will go to his people. Soon the followers of christ reached five thousand 4. And today the life blood of the church is evangelism. The key to church growth lies in our ability to motivate and activate the general membership to reach the lost in an avenue in which each feels comfortable. Is it merely that we live in a generation of hard hearted and stiffnecked people, or are there strategies or methods that we are. The record from the book of acts couldnt be clearer.