Chapter 64 - Practical Church Growth

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The organic, spiritual, progressive, cooperative growth of the New Testament church through the collaborative teamwork of intimate, shared life community can be summarized by four words: know, grow, go, and overflow. Knowing and growing are relevant to the fulfillment of the purpose of the ecclesia while going and overflowing are related to the accomplishment of its corresponding mission.

Know and Grow

In the Bible, to “know” God means more than just knowing about God or possessing a second-hand knowledge of God. Contextually speaking, the usage of the word “know” in the New Testament is often indicative of knowing God personally and experientially.

In the intimate, shared life (zoe) community of the New Testament church, knowing God personally and experientially is normative. It is a gracious work of God for the benefit of His ecclesia.

Growing deeper in the experiential knowledge of Christ occurs by faith alone. It is facilitated by the pursuit of conditions favorable, including, but not limited to, personal time spent with God in fervent prayer, worship, and His word.

The collective growth of the New Testament church in the personal, experiential knowledge of God occurs as its individual members of the ecclesia learn to spend time together in the presence of the Lord. Over time, cultivating a deeper sensitivity to the guidance of the Spirit of God, the New Testament church community progressively grows in its understanding of what it means to keep being filled with His fullness and consequently, live and walk together by the incomparable power of His indwelling life (zoe). (Ephesians 5:18-21)

Growth in the experiential knowledge of God through the faithful application of His word serves to conform the New Testament church into the image of Christ. (Romans 8:29) Gradually becoming ever more like Him, it is utterly privileged to experience Him in a progressively deeper fashion.

Go

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Making disciples of all the nations during the Church Age is not static but dynamic. Therefore, the New Testament church must “go,” actively seeking, moving, and expanding to allow the indwelling life (zoe) of God the freedom to influence the world in proximity.

Indwelt by the living (zoe) God, the New Testament church has been entrusted with the purpose and mission of practicing, protecting, and cultivating intimate fellowship with God. Consequently, it is privileged to serve as a representational witness of the living (zoe) God on earth.

Although it is unlikely to occur, God can lead the unbelieving world to His ecclesia. However, there is no command in the New Testament for the church to stay and await their arrival.

Commissioned to go into the world as shared life ambassadors by faith alone, the intimate, shared life community teams of the New Testament church provide a loving, supportive environment for the reproduction of eternal life (zoe). Through the indwelling presence of God in His ecclesia, the lost in immediate proximity are allowed the privileged opportunity to experience and interact with the living (zoe) church community and thus, the living (zoe) God within His community.

When the ecclesia refuses to go into the world and serve as a representational witness of God, His chosen means of reaching the world is constrained. In effect, it serves to quench His Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

Going into the world to “make” disciples is not a law-based work to be fulfilled by mankind for God. Instead, it is a gracious work of God that is satisfied by the faithful cooperation of the New Testament church community.

Making disciples is an endeavor both initiated and fulfilled by God. The ecclesia cooperates by faith. Consequently, going into the world to make disciples is not a work accomplished for Christ by His body. Instead, it is a cooperative work with Christ by faith alone.

Knowing when and where to go into the world and serve as a representational witness of God is not initiated by the will of man. It is a gracious gift unveiled by the living (zoe), indwelling Spirit of God.

Consistently yielding to the Spirit by grace through faith alone, the New Testament church progressively learns to cast aside self-dependent fear. As a result, it can discern the gracious, inward prompting of God, submit to His will, and faithfully and confidently go into the world. Consequently, its confidence is not in self but in the indwelling Christ.

Going and representing God to the world in Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, shared life community does not require street corner preaching or door to door cold calling. It simply demands a willingness to faithfully live in Spirit-filled community and allow God the opportunity to share His indwelling life (zoe) and love in the presence of those who have not yet received it.

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Overflow

As indicated, the purpose and mission of New Testament church community is to practice, cultivate and guard its privilege of shared life fellowship with God. As a blessed benefit, the fullness of the indwelling, life (zoe) giving Spirit of God is preordained to overflow organically to others in proximity. (cf. John 5:21; Romans 8:2; 1 Corinthians 15:45) It is a divine act of grace through cooperation of human faith alone.

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’.” (John 7:38)

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Each intimate, shared life (zoe) community of the New Testament church serves as a loving sanctuary for divine life (zoe) in a sin-deadened world. “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” (John 1:4)

By eternal design, the reproduction of divine life (zoe) on earth is an act of the Spirit of Christ fulfilled through instrumentation of shared life community. The Spirit is the life (zoe) giving presence and power that influences the unbelieving world in proximity. Again, the ecclesia cooperates by faith alone.

When the ecclesia mistakenly assumes responsibility for reproducing divine life (zoe) on earth it becomes ineffective. Its ineffectiveness is related to the ensuing paralysis of self-introspection, a corresponding recognition of self-inadequacy, and as a result, the fear of going into the world. Therefore, rather than assuming responsibility for reproducing eternal life (zoe) on earth, the New Testament church is obligated by faith alone to serve as the vehicle chosen by God through which to reproduce His life (zoe).

It is the presence of God manifested through His life (zoe) giving Spirit that distinguishes the New Testament church from the religions of the world. When the ecclesia is gathered in the fullness of the Spirit, His manifestation is evidenced by the flow of life (zoe) to the immediate shared life community. By means of cooperative faith it is privileged to allow the indwelling life (zoe) of God to overflow into the world.

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Oikos-Based

Both Christ and the early church utilized a strategy that provided for the overflow of divine life (zoe) into the world. It did not target individuals but entire oikos.’ The Greek word oikos is translated into English as “house.” By implication, it refers to an entire “household.”

The concept of oikos has been referred to in modern terms as “personal community.”[1] Every individual in the early church had a personal community consisting of relatives, friends, and neighbors. They related to them through family, work, recreation, etc. Invitation and acceptance into a new oikos or personal community by a friendly “man of peace” provided a privileged opportunity to reach an entire household with the Good News of eternal life (zoe) in Jesus Christ.

Jesus instructed His disciples to go from city to city in teams seeking to establish a friendship with an unbeliever who was a “man of peace” or one who is “worthy.” (Matthew 10:5-15; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6) In other words, they were to seek a man that would be friendly toward them and favorable to their message. As the friendship developed, it was likely that the team would gain the opportunity to share the love (agape) and life (zoe) of Christ with the man of peace and eventually, his entire oikos or household.

It is clear from the Scriptural record that the early New Testament church also utilized an oikos-based strategy for growth. (Acts 5:42; 8:3; 16:14-15; 31-34) Through their strategy it was common for entire households to collectively receive Christ. (Acts 11:14; 16:14-15; 16:31-34; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:16; Titus 1:11)

Through teamwork, the intimate communities of the early New Testament church were able to effectively penetrate the oikos’ of the ancient world. It provided them with mutual encouragement, support, and accountability to reach groups of people rather than individuals.

The teamwork of the intimate New Testament church communities presented a supportive, balanced representational witness of the indwelling Christ to the ancient world. It allowed for a multifaceted approach that was inclusive of the contribution of the resources of an entire team.

Much like the early church, the intimate community of the modern New Testament church, characterized by joyful, loving teamwork, represents the living (zoe) God by being a good neighbor. Therefore, it seeks to always be available, ready to listen, and willing to share the life (zoe) and love (agape) of God through sacrificial acts of kindness.

In neighborly fashion, the ecclesia graciously attempts to establish common ground with members of a new oikos. Therefore, at least one member of every team of the New Testament church community will either already have a mutual interest with a member of the new oikos or desire to develop common ground through work, hobbies, sports, etc.

The common ground, however, is not cultivated by the insincerity of ulterior motive. Rather than merely seeking to share a testimony, the goal of the ecclesia amongst its neighbors is to introduce and share the presence of Christ in the fullness of His life (zoe) and love. Therefore, oikos-based outreach is not a work of the church for Christ; it is the work of Christ in and with His body. By faith in Christ, the only obligation of the New Testament church body is to love its neighbor.

All neighborly representation of God on earth is not equally fruitful. Jesus warned, “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6). When Jesus sent out His disciples, He instructed them first to seek those who expressed interest in the message of the kingdom. He taught them to distinguish between the one who is worthy or peaceful toward the Gospel message with the unreceptive. Concerning the unreceptive, Jesus said, “Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” (Mark 6:11; cf. Luke 9:5)

Jesus did not tell His disciples to ignore those who might be difficult. He previously instructed them to love their enemies and pray for them. (Matthew 5:44) Rather than ignore, Jesus merely warned His disciples to make wise use of their time by discerning whether it might be more fruitful to spend it with someone more receptive to their message.

Making disciples is most fruitful when the recipient responds peacefully to the message. Making wise use of time means knowing when to move on and seek a more fruitful mission field, as revealed by the presence of a “man of peace.”

The early ecclesia recognized that once an oikos was penetrated by a shared life community, it could provide introduction to other oikos.’ Thus, it could serve as a “lighthouse” or springboard to multiply shared life and create additional small group communities.[2] In such fashion, from house to house, oikos to oikos, it has been calculated that the shared life community of the early ecclesia quickly spread around the Mediterranean world, growing at an amazing rate of nearly 40% per decade.

© 2023 James Hiatt

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