In the first chapters of the book of Acts, we can read about the enormous growth of the Church at Jerusalem. Many new members are added daily (Acts 2:47). There seems to be almost no end to this growth. Even a "great many of the priests" break away from the false worship and are incorporated into the Christian church.

These are, indeed, impressive developments. When even many of the priests withdraw from the temple service and place themselves under the discipline of the apostles, there must be much that attracts in the Christian congregation. The brothers and sisters in Jerusalem will have been very happy with this ever-growing membership. Are we, too, not extremely grateful when outsiders come to join the Church of the Lord?

With us, however, it is an exception; in Jerusalem it was common: new members were added every day. The question is, how can we explain this difference? Why is there no such enormous growth in our time? Is this because of our "preaching," our "image" or our "lifestyle"? Do we lack the spiritual power which the Church at Jerusalem apparently did have? It may be necessary that on these points we must examine ourselves to be sure that we do not hinder others by wrong attitudes.

The question remains how we must explain the tremendous growth of the first Christian church. Shall we ascribe this "success" to the members of the congregation? Certainly, the apostles and the other members of the church were filled with the Holy Spirit and witnessed joyfully and faithfully of the Risen Lord. But this growth is not out of people! Shall we ascribe this growth, then, to special gifts and miracles which were evident at that time? Indeed, these gifts were given to the church with a view to its up building and increase, and the many miraculous signs will have contributed to the growth of the church. Yet the Bible teaches us that the church does not live by miracles; signs and miracles can even cause people to turn away and to harden themselves. Our Lord Himself did many signs and miracles, but they nailed Him to a cross. In the final analysis, we cannot ascribe the growth of the church to the powers and signs exhibited and shown by the apostles and other members.

The Bible itself gives us an answer to our question. The growth of the congregation, of any congregation, is to be understood and explained only from out of the growth of the Word. In the above mentioned text, where we read of the number of disciples being multiplied and many priests being added, we read first, "And the Word of God increased … " The Word of God increases, and that is the only reason why the church increases. The growth of the congregation is a direct result of the increase of the Word! Church growth has to do more with the Word than with signs or miracles. The greatest gift of God to His Church is the Word and its growth.

There are other places in the book of Acts where we read the same. In Acts 12:24 we read:

But the Word of God grew and multiplied.

In Acts 19:20 we read,

So the Word of God grew and prevailed mightily.

The Word grows! The word that is used here for "to grow" or "to increase" means actually "to grow in power or effect" and so "to become powerful." When the Word of God grows or increases, it shows its power and begins to gain authority over people. This is a characteristic of the Word of God: it is never without effect, but fulfills the purpose of God. The "growing Word" indicates that the apostolic preaching begins to take effect and reaps results among the hearers. The Word penetrates deep into the hearts and brings about faith and repentance. Only then are new members brought to the church. The growth of the church is ALWAYS the result of the growth of the Word, the harvest of the powerful preaching of the gospel. It is no wonder, then, that we confess the preaching of the true doctrine to be a mark of the Church of Christ!

We should not forget that especially in Jerusalem the people had for many centuries been subjected to a false, legalistic preaching which made them captives of the Law and destroyed true faith. This unholy bond is now broken by the living preaching of the true gospel. The growing Word liberates many captives. That Word of God must be powerfully maintained and boldly proclaimed, and only then will the Church of Christ see real growth.

So it is in Jerusalem and everywhere. Where the true gospel is repressed and the Word is rejected, the growth stops and people lose interest also in the church. The sad situation in many unfaithful churches is exactly that the Word no longer grows or increases in strength but is losing its effect. The Word is not heard anymore; therefore many churches are going empty. Many huge church buildings are for sale because the membership dwindled away.

Our Western World and its many churches are by and large turning away from the Word of God. Christianity is clearly on the decline. Often those churches which no longer preach the Word of God faithfully must search for other means to get people's attention. Instead of preaching the Word, the emphasis is on liturgy and (personal) testimony. The services are spruced up with choirs and (Christian) rock groups. This is to be expected, for wherever people reject God's revelation; they must turn to their own imagination. Then, despite all efforts, there is a decline in membership.

And there appears to be little interest in churches who still faithfully proclaim the Word of God.

But wherever the Word is preached faithfully, there is growth. It may perhaps not always be as spectacular as in Jerusalem, but there the church does grow and the communion of saints functions. We may as churches today still experience that the Word of God is indeed a power which binds together and grants increase. Therefore it is imperative that the Word of God continues to grow among us. That we do not begin to stagnate. We must all continue to grow through the Word of God to full maturity in Christ. The Word must grow among us so that God is everything to everyone.

The promise of Pentecost is that the church will grow wherever the Word grows, until the last one has been brought in and full maturity has been achieved.