What makes a great church? Rick Warren wrote, “A great commitment to the great commission and the great commandment make a great church!” In Jerusalem, the first Christians devoted themselves to the best things. They continued steadfastly in worship, instruction, sharing of life, and evangelism.
We have seen this week how the disciples loved God with awe, adoration, and action. The apostles taught them the things that Jesus did and said. They shared their lives together in true koinonia. This love for each other flowed out into the community. Luke tells us the disciples enjoyed the favor of all the people. In the beginning, these early believers lived winsome lives, loving their neighbors well. These positive relationships with others allowed them to fulfill the great commission of making disciples.
How did people join the church in Jerusalem? Did they walk down an aisle in a building? Likely not. The invitation to walk forward came from the revivals in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Lord added the people. Only Christ can build his church. He does it by adding them first to himself and then to the other believers in a local church.
The early church grew every day. A few times, I have been privileged to serve churches that averaged more than one new member a day for a whole year. The church grew as the Lord added new members daily. Whom does he add? Those who are being saved. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. He saved us from sin. Not only have we been justified by grace through faith. We are being saved as God makes us holy in sanctification.
Today, I read that the fastest-growing religious affiliation in the United States is the “nones,” those who have no church affiliation at all. Pray for your church to become great. Pray that we will love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Pray that we will make disciples of all nations. Pray that the Lord will add more and more people to his church.
