CHURCH GROWTH 05

 Factors in Church Growth (2)

“The Times We Are Living In”

Mike Johnson

There are many factors, which can affect church growth. Sometimes, we explain the lack of growth in a congregation by the “times we are living in.” The moral and religious climate of today can have a negative bearing on the growth of a group.

We do live in a very ungodly society, in which people do what they want and ignore Biblical principles, caring only about pleasing their fleshly desires.

But many people in our country are very religious. However, false doctrines are common and are taught and believed. Furthermore, many people do not understand the concept of Bible authority, choosing instead to follow their feelings, the beliefs of their parents, denominational dogmas, and creeds. Many people are so confused religiously it is challenging to teach them. We face the “up-hill” task of unteaching them before we can successfully instruct them regarding the truth of God’s Word.

However, the New Testament shows that many accepted Christ, even though previously, they lived very sinful lives. Consider the kind of lives many of the Corinthians lived before their conversion. Paul said in I Corinthians 6:9-11, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (NKJV). The Corinthians, before their conversion, had been involved in much immorality and sin. However, the key is they received teaching, became Christians, and thus they were described as “sanctified” and “justified” in the name of Christ. Immoral people, indeed, can be converted to Christ

One big problem Paul and others had in teaching the Gentiles is that they, generally, did not believe in the true God. In Athens, for example, the city was full of idolatry, so Paul had to preach to them about God (Acts 17:22-31) and had to preach against their idols. When he talked to them about the resurrection (v. 31-32), they apparently interrupted his sermon. Some mocked him, and others said that they would hear him again. Yet, even among these idolaters, some became believers (v. 34). Idolatry was prevalent throughout the Roman world, but in spite of this, the early Christians preached the gospel, many people became believers, and churches existed throughout the Roman world (Col. 1:23).

Another major obstacle in the days of the early church was the task of trying to change the Jewish people from the religion of the Old Law (which they had always known) to Christianity. This task would not have been easy. Even during the ministry of Christ, many of the Jews rejected Him (Jn. 6:41-42, 59-60, 66). Thus, the teachers in the early church had a challenging task of convincing the Jews that the old law was no longer was in effect as it was nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14-17). The Law of Christ (the perfect law of liberty — Jas. 1:25) replaced the Law of Moses. The Jews, many of whom were very religious, would need to turn away from the religion they had grown up in and would have had to start serving Christ. In spite of these obstacles, thousands of Jews were converted to Christ, and the early church grew.

Yes, we do live in very immoral times, and there is much confusion in the religious world. This situation might be a factor in people not being converted and a factor in the lack of growth of a particular congregation. Yet, this situation existed in the days of the early church, but, in spite of it, the Word was still taught, and they grew! While the times we live in might be a factor in a congregation not increasing as we would like, it is clear people can be converted amid wicked times.