Somebody once said ‘healthy things grow. The 19th century theologian Charles H Spurgeon said ‘a church that does not evangelise will fossilize.’ The creation story tells us that God likes growth. It seems everything that God created, was created with the ability to self replicate. Animals and plants were designed to reproduce in kind. Human beings made in God’s image were told to increase and grow and fill the earth. Jesus told his disciples a parable about talents and the master in the story was disappointed with the servant that did not grow its talent. Jesus’ mission to his church was ‘go and make disciples of all nations.’ The church was birth and designed to grow. It was never designed to become like the dead sea, full of water but no outlet and no life.
In order to see God’s church grow, we should use the means God has given to us… Preaching the Gospel is the normal way God grows His church. Added to this there is also prayer. Again and again in the book of Acts we find the early Christians in prayer. And as we beseech God for conversion and for maturity, we find God granting our prayers. The more we pray the more we acknowledge that God is the reason for any growth that comes. We acknowledge, in humility, that any growth that comes does not ultimately come from us – Mark Denver
In this last session of our prayer we want to pray for growth in the church of God. We want growth to become the norm and we want to have hearts that long for it, expect it, plan and pray for it and welcome it when it arrives. Our prayer is not just for numerical growth that happens because people move church, we want the growth that comes from salvation and also the return of the prodigal’s. Pray for an awakening around you and around the body of Christ and the courage to make Jesus known.
‘Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” Genesis 1:28 What does fruitfulness and multiplying look like for you?
Our vision is to be a church where people flourish, growing in the knowledge and love of God and reaching out in the spirit of generosity.