E XPANDING T HE K INGDOM

1968, the Swiss made 65% of ALL watches sold in the world They laid claim to as much as 90% of ALL the watchmaking profits. In 1980 they laid off thousands of watchmakers and controlled less than 10% of the world market WHAT HAPPENED?

B UT P ETER SAID, “I DO NOT POSSESS SILVER AND GOLD, BUT WHAT I DO HAVE I GIVE TO YOU : I N THE NAME OF J ESUS C HRIST THE N AZARENE — WALK !” A ND SEIZING HIM BY THE RIGHT HAND, HE RAISED HIM UP ; AND IMMEDIATELY HIS FEET AND HIS ANKLES WERE STRENGTHENED. W ITH A LEAP HE STOOD UPRIGHT AND BEGAN TO WALK ; AND HE ENTERED THE TEMPLE WITH THEM, WALKING AND LEAPING AND PRAISING G OD. (A CTS 3:6-8) (A CTS 3:6-8)

CHURCH GROWTH IS A RESULT OF OUR BEING A PEOPLE AND PERSON OF RIGHT MOTIVE. ACTS 3:12 B UT WHEN P ETER SAW THIS, HE REPLIED TO THE PEOPLE, “M EN OF I SRAEL, WHY ARE YOU AMAZED AT THIS, OR WHY DO YOU GAZE AT US, AS IF BY OUR OWN POWER OR PIETY WE HAD MADE HIM WALK ? ACTS 3:16 A ND ON THE BASIS OF FAITH IN H IS NAME, IT IS THE NAME OF J ESUS WHICH HAS STRENGTHENED THIS MAN WHOM YOU SEE AND KNOW ; AND THE FAITH WHICH COMES THROUGH H IM HAS GIVEN HIM THIS PERFECT HEALTH IN THE PRESENCE OF YOU ALL. OUR FOCUS IS TO BECOME GOD’S PEOPLE AND PERSON BY LIVING OUT OUR FAITH DAILY. BY LIVING FOR JESUS WITH RIGHT MOTIVE AND LEAVE THE INCREASE TO GOD.

CHURCH GROWTH OCCURS WHEN WE UNDERSTAND CHRISTIANITY IS MORE THAN A SUNDAY MORNING RITUAL. TITUS 3:4-8 B UT WHEN THE KINDNESS OF G OD OUR S AVIOR AND H IS LOVE FOR MANKIND APPEARED, H E SAVED US, NOT ON THE BASIS OF DEEDS WHICH WE HAVE DONE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, BUT ACCORDING TO H IS MERCY, BY THE WASHING OF REGENERATION AND RENEWING BY THE H OLY S PIRIT, WHOM H E POURED OUT UPON US RICHLY THROUGH J ESUS C HRIST OUR S AVIOR, SO THAT BEING JUSTIFIED BY H IS GRACE WE WOULD BE MADE HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE. T HIS IS A TRUSTWORTHY STATEMENT ; AND CONCERNING THESE THINGS I WANT YOU TO SPEAK CONFIDENTLY, SO THAT THOSE WHO HAVE BELIEVED G OD WILL BE CAREFUL TO ENGAGE IN GOOD DEEDS. T HESE THINGS ARE GOOD AND PROFITABLE FOR MEN.

CHURCH GROWTH OCCURS WHEN WE UNDERSTAND CHRISTIANITY IS MORE THAN A SUNDAY MORNING RITUAL. CONGREGATIONS WE SEE GROWING TODAY ARE THOSE INVOLVED IN SERVING JESUS IN OTHERS WITH A ZEALOUS SPIRIT! “ ACTUALLY, OUR MOST DEBILITATING HANDICAP IS A LACK OF ZEAL. ONCE ZEAL IS STIRRED, LOVE WILL FIND A WAY TO OVERCOME ALL OBSTACLES.” – SEWELL HALL

CHURCH GROWTH OCCURS WHEN WE ARE WILLING TO BE INTERRUPTED OF THE 60 EVANGELISTIC ENCOUNTERS RECORDED IN THE BOOK OF ACTS 1/3 OF THEM WERE… UNPLANNED… IMPROMPTU MOMENTS! JESUS SERVES AS OUR EXAMPLE J ACOBS W ELL … LONGEST CONVERSATION WITH ANYONE RECORDED A FTER A BUSY DAY … J ESUS TOOK TIME FOR N ICODEMUS J ESUS WAS WILLING TO BE INTERRUPTED BY CHILDREN H E INTERRUPTED H IS MINISTRY TO … ATTEND A FUNERAL IN B ETHANY ARE WE TOO BUSY TO BE GOD’S INSTRUMENTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS?

CHURCH GROWTH OCCURS WHEN WE ARE WILLING TO BE INTERRUPTED WE MUST BE WILLING TO SEE WHAT OTHERS CHOOSE TO IGNORE! J OHN 9:1-7 H E PASSED BY, H E SAW A MAN BLIND FROM BIRTH. A ND H IS DISCIPLES ASKED H IM, “R ABBI, WHO SINNED, THIS MAN OR HIS PARENTS, THAT HE WOULD BE BORN BLIND ?” J ESUS ANSWERED, “I T WAS NEITHER THAT THIS MAN SINNED, NOR HIS PARENTS ; BUT IT WAS SO THAT THE WORKS OF G OD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED IN HIM. W E MUST WORK THE WORKS OF H IM WHO SENT M E AS LONG AS IT IS DAY ; NIGHT IS COMING WHEN NO ONE CAN WORK. W HILE I AM IN THE WORLD, I AM THE L IGHT OF THE WORLD.” W HEN H E HAD SAID THIS, H E SPAT ON THE GROUND, AND MADE CLAY OF THE SPITTLE, AND APPLIED THE CLAY TO HIS EYES, AND SAID TO HIM, “G O, WASH IN THE POOL OF S ILOAM ” ( WHICH IS TRANSLATED, S ENT ). S O HE WENT AWAY AND WASHED, AND CAME BACK SEEING.

GROWING CHURCHES ARE THOSE THAT KEEP THEIR EYES AND HEARTS FOCUSED ON JESUS. HOW CAN WE SERVE HIM BY SERVING OTHERS? IF… IF… IF M OSES … AT THE BURNING BUSH “I CAN ' T ” T HE D ISCIPLES … “ WE DON ’ T HAVE ENOUGH FOOD ” P ETER … “I DO NOT POSSESS SILVER AND GOLD, BUT WHAT I DO HAVE I GIVE TO YOU : I N THE NAME OF J ESUS C HRIST THE N AZARENE — WALK !” WE DON’T QUALIFY OURSELVES... GOD QUALIFIES THOSE HE CALLS!

CHURCH GROWTH OCCURS WHEN WE REALIZE GOD WILL WORK THROUGH OUR FAITH IN HIM E PHESIANS 3:20 N OW TO H IM WHO IS ABLE TO DO FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY BEYOND ALL THAT WE ASK OR THINK, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKS WITHIN US... H EBREWS 13:20-21 N OW THE G OD OF PEACE, WHO BROUGHT UP FROM THE DEAD THE GREAT S HEPHERD OF THE SHEEP THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE ETERNAL COVENANT, EVEN J ESUS OUR L ORD, EQUIP YOU IN EVERY GOOD THING TO DO H IS WILL, WORKING IN US THAT WHICH IS PLEASING IN H IS SIGHT, THROUGH J ESUS C HRIST, TO WHOM BE THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER. A MEN. P HILIPPIANS 1:6 F OR I AM CONFIDENT OF THIS VERY THING, THAT H E WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL PERFECT IT UNTIL THE DAY OF C HRIST J ESUS.

CHURCH GROWTH OCCURS WHEN WE REALIZE GOD USES ORDINARY MEN AND WOMEN A CTS 4:13 N OW AS THEY OBSERVED THE CONFIDENCE OF P ETER AND J OHN AND UNDERSTOOD THAT THEY WERE UNEDUCATED AND UNTRAINED MEN, THEY WERE AMAZED, AND BEGAN TO RECOGNIZE THEM AS HAVING BEEN WITH J ESUS. GOD WILL NOT FORCE YOU TO SERVE HIM! D ESIRE C OMES F ROM W ITHIN B ASED O N W HAT W E K NOW W E M UST D O T O G LORIFY G OD ! A CTS 4:4 B UT MANY OF THOSE WHO HAD HEARD THE MESSAGE BELIEVED ; AND THE NUMBER OF THE MEN CAME TO BE ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND.