An Analysis of the Church's Growth
Rapid growth
From its inception the church grew rapidly. Acts 2:41 says that on the Day of Pentecost "there were added unto them about three thousand souls." Acts 2:47 says, "The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." In Acts 4:4 we discover that "the number of the men [Gk., an[ma]er, "adult male"] was about five thousand." Acts 5:14 says, "Believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women." In Acts 6:7 Luke records that "the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly." Acts 8:6 notes that in response to Philip's ministry "the people with one accord gave heed." Acts 9:31 says, "Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, were multiplied." In Acts 11:21 Luke says that "a great number believed," and verse 24 reiterates that "many people were added to the Lord." The church was growing so quickly that within weeks, thousands had joined. Believers were actively evangelizing--the church was reaching the world.
Real growth
That tremendous growth continued, although being a Christian back then wasn't easy. The price was high, the demands were extreme, and total commitment was essential. But after having counted the cost, many were still coming to Christ. There's nothing wrong with tremendous growth if it's the result of evangelism--that's the only kind of growth that is real. Those Christians wanted to win others to Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, they did. Their only motive was God's glory, so the Holy Spirit magnified their work. Later in Acts when Paul and Barnabas reported the conversion of Gentiles, "they caused great joy unto all the brethren" (15:3). There's nothing more exciting to the people of God than being used by God to draw others to Himself.
Regular growth
Today some would suggest that when a church reaches 600, 1,400, or 2,000 it should stop reaching out. The early church in Jerusalem had 3,000 the first day--and had just begun! It's tragic for a church to become satisfied with its growth. Regardless of how many believers there are, there need to be more. Those who know Christ can't be content just to attend their churches, feast on the Word, and excuse themselves from reaching others, thinking there are so many here already. Everything we learn should make us more effective in winning others to Christ because evangelism is our mission.
The Annals of the Church's Growth
In Acts 1 we see our Lord equipping the future church, as it still remained in the womb of God's promise. Then in chapter 2 the church was born. Immediately it began to grow and was nurtured in "the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (2:42). Naturally with growth came opposition, and its infant muscles were tested. But it became stronger as a result. The church's task was simple: to reach the world. And it was totally committed to it. In chapter 4 they prayed, "Lord, behold their threatenings; and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child, Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (vv. 29-31). These members of the early church were committed to evangelism.
They were committed not only to evangelism, but also to each other. Acts 4:32-37 stresses that there was unity and sharing. That text describes two essentials for effective evangelism: individuals proclaiming the Word and a collective unity. Jesus emphasized the importance of unity when He prayed that His followers might be one so the world would believe that the Father sent the Son (John 17:21). In John 13:35 He tells His disciples, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." So their evangelism flowed naturally from personal communication and collective unity. But at that point Satan struck. In chapter 5 a great sin, which threatened to be a blight on the church, surfaced. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit in an effort to be considered spiritual. God disciplined them before the whole church by taking their lives, illustrating the severity of sin in the church. Thus God immediately cut out the cancer that had crept into the church. So when we get to verse 12, the church is pure again, and evangelism is ready to flourish.
HT: John MacArthur
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