JUNE 8 "STOP YOUR COMPLAINING"

  Well I could learn a lesson here from the early Apostles and from a church that we read "was growing in numbers daily".  Churches today are not growing in numbers daily, but shrinking in numbers daily! Why? Because for all the work we do to get them in, it seems like once they are in we are satisfied with that and do not serve them. Everything that comes out of their mouths is "whining" and we don't want to hear it, we don't want to deal with, we just want numbers, not problems here.  Add to our numbers but don't add to our problems. Sound like your church? Sound like you? In my own opinion and probably the opinion of 99.999% of those that have read this story would consider these woman a bunch of whiners. I don't know how the disciples thought about them and I'm glad we are not told, we are simply told that they took the matter seriously and took care of the situation, rectified the matter, made them feel like their concerns were valued by them. Hmmmm, could this be "a key" to the growing church in Jerusalem?"  No, it was the Holy Spirit, No, it was supernatural, okay........I can understand why you want to believe that because then it takes the responsibility off of you and places it all on God. How convenient! So I guess if your church is growing than it's God's fault. We can all learn a lesson from Peter and his men. They took seriously and valued the concerns of those that were in the church. Didn't matter who they were, what their social status was and the fact that they were a bunch of women who probably contributed little, but complained much, yet Peter and the leaders took to heart their grievance and made changes to rectify the situation and that is quite impressive! Read and learn, is all I can say, read and learn.....and then your church will grow too! We don't like to hear about the practical side to church growth, we just want to focus on the supernatural. Yes we need to believe in the supernatural for church growth,  but there is a very practical side of church growth, that the "non-growing" church never wants to face up to; and that is.... "maybe we are not growing because of us", not the devil, not because people are too bad to be saved, but we are not growing because of us!" 

     That's a hard pill to swallow, but the sooner will swallow it, the sooner the medicine can begin to work.


 For more insight on church growth, google "The Mystery or not, of the church that grows" 

by Richard P Swift.

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