True Church Growth!

Hebrews 5:11-14 "Warning Against Falling Away"

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

The author has deep concerns about these Jewish Christians. As he was expounding about Jesus being a high priest in the line of Melchizedek, he realized that these Christians weren't even schooled in the basics of the Christian faith to go any further.  Though they had been Christians for a while, they hadn't grown in their understanding of what they believed.  

He says that at this point in their lives they should have been teachers.  This didn't mean that they all should be public teachers in the church, but they should be able to explain their faith in some kind of coherent manner.  We only master something when we can teach it to someone else. And, of course, this is the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations teaching them to obey I have commanded.  Disciple means "learner".  You become a disciple by following Jesus and learning to do what He has commanded.  It is as much heart knowledge as head knowledge.  Heart knowledge meaning knowledge gained by personal experience.  Experience is the best teacher and leads to transformation of the heart.

The great need in the church is not for more charismatic preachers or teachers, incredible worship leaders, or better facilities; it is Christians who have grown in their faith and are able to disciple others.  This was the method Jesus used to start the church and has been proven to be the only effective way of growing the church.  And the important part is that everyone of you reading this right now are called to do this as part of your Christian faith.  We all need to be learning from someone more mature in the faith than us, and then teaching someone less mature in the faith.  This is not about pride, but about what stage we are in our spiritual life.  We call this growing to Christ-like maturity.  It is the goal of every Christian to become more like Christ.  As we learn about Jesus and apply it in our lives we grow in obedience and faith.  

So then church growth is not just about numbers, but about spiritual depth.  A congregation of 100 may be way more mature than a church of 1,000.  Why? Because the 1,000 may be relying on one person for all their teaching and never growing to become teachers of anyone else.  Whereas the 100 person church might be full of 100 Christ like disciples, who are growing in their faith and discipling others.  

Let's not be like the church of the Hebrews who was in danger of drifting away from the faith.  Let's be like the church of Acts where they gathered together, ate together, learned together and gave to all those in need.  And the text says, "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."  That is real church growth!