Seeing Growth in the Church

(2 Thessalonians 1:1-3)

The start of this second letter of Paul to the church of the Thessalonians tells us that he was seeing growth in the church.

His opening statements speak of this growth and it is something we can all learn from. Seeing growth in the church is evidence that they were on the right track and moving closer to the Lord.

If we consider what Paul said to the church, we can gain an insight into those things that promote growth and what we can do to be seeing growth in the Church too.

Seeing growth in the Church through faith

Before we get deeper into this topic, let us consider what the scripture says.

1 Paul, Silva’nus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalo’nians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. (2 Thessalonians 1:1-3)

The chapter begins with greetings to the church and wishing them grace and peace from the Father and Jesus Christ.

Then the third verse opens the letter proper with Paul giving thanks for seeing growth in the Church.

The beginning of this growth we see is through faith. In Christ, faith underpins everything.

Faith is the beginning and end of all things in the Lord. Everything rests upon faith, so it is important that our faith is strong and resilient if we are to walk with Christ.

And the scriptures tell us over and over that without faith there can be no Christianity. Consider this:

And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

There is no hope of seeing growth in the church unless there is faith in the church. Without faith it is not possible to please God. And without faith we cannot grow as Christians because you need faith to receive the gifts and promises of God that will enable us to grow.

The promises of God rest upon faith, especially the promise of righteousness.

No man can stand righteous before God through anything that he does. We cannot do anything to become righteous or make ourselves righteous without God.

But God in His grace has said that He will declare us righteous when we believe what He has accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Christ, God reconciles us to Himself, forgiving us all of our sins, taking away the law, and accepting us as new creations and as His children.

In this process He gives us the free gift of righteousness, which we receive by faith.

That is why faith is the key to everything in Christ. And it is why faith in Jesus Christ is the very foundation upon which the Church is built because Jesus is the foundation and cornerstone of our faith.

Seeing Growth in the Church through Love

But the story does not end with faith.

Faith is the mechanism that drives us forward towards the love of God. Our aim is to grow in love and to be transformed into the image of the love of God. As the scripture says:

”…the aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5)

The aim of Christianity is to learn to walk in love and to grow in love.

If you recall the words of Jesus, when He was asked which were the greatest of the commandments, He quoted these two:

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

The two commandments Jesus quoted were both about love.

Under the law people were instructed to love one another. It was something they had to learn and try to become.

But in Christ, we can receive the Holy Spirit who is transforming us slowly into the image of Christ and the image of His love and the love of the Father. We do not have to try to act in love, as they did under the law. Instead, we can and will be like Christ and BE love, always walking in love and having all of our thoughts and actions based upon the love of God, just as Jesus did.

Such a level of growth does not happen overnight, but while we walk with Christ and learn His ways, it is slowly changing us into His image.

And this was what Paul was seeing in the church of the Thessalonians. He was seeing this maturity blossoming in the people and the church, which is why he was seeing growth in the church.

Seek to grow in this faith and love today. Look to the Lord in everything. Study His words in the Bible and learn to grow stronger in faith and love.

How to begin seeing growth in the Church

One thing I often mention in my posts is that if we are going to please the Lord, we need to do it His way. We need to follow the Lord according to the methods and processes that He prescribes in the scriptures.

You cannot please God if you are not following Christ according to what He wants. You cannot please God by doing it YOUR way. If you wish to please God then you must do it HIS way.

If we as individuals or a church as a whole try to follow God and Jesus Christ any other way than that which He gave us, then we will fail. You only need to look at Revelation chapters 2 and 3, where the Lord is writing to seven different churches in Asia, which are types that also exist today, to see how things can go wrong in the church.

Two of those churches in particular, the church in Sardis and the church in Laodicea had the most extreme problems imaginable. Look at these words and consider them.

1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead. 2 Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. (Revelation 3:1-2)

And;

14 “And to the angel of the church in La-odice’a write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. (Revelation 3:14-17)

These two churches were in serious trouble. Sardis was dead. Laodicea was proud and arrogant, thinking they had it all, but in the Lord’s eyes had nothing.

And the worst of it was they didn’t even realise how bad they were.

If you consider these churches, you would certainly NOT be seeing growth in the church. Sardis was dead, so how could it grow? And likewise Laodicea had so many problems thinking they had already arrived that they might as well have been dead too.

There are churches today that fit these same categories, as well as the others described in these two chapters of Revelation.

If you think about it for a few minutes you might be able to identify some churches and ministries today that are like these. Especially like Laodicea who claimed, “…I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” There are some EXTREMELY wealthy churches today whose primary focus seems to be on money. The prosperity gospel preachers may fit into this category, claiming that wealth is an indicator of God’s blessings.

Nothing could be further from the truth because God cares nothing about money. Money is the invention of man, not God. Money promotes greed, and as the scripture tells us:

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

When the church promotes money over faith and love of the Lord, they are falling into these same traps. This is Laodicean teaching and it leads to the abhorrence of the Lord.

The true blessings of the Lord are not financial. They are the blessings of the fruits of the Spirit and the transformation of lives through faith, by which we gain the victory over the flesh in Christ Jesus.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-23)

These are the things that build up and promote growth in the Church. Not financial wealth or seeking the things of this world.

To be seeing growth in the Church we need to follow the path of the Lord, not the false doctrines of man that have infiltrated the church. Seek the Lord through faith and love and ask Him to show you the path to maturity.

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