I am Not Ashamed of the Gospel: Why Only God Can Grow the Church
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Growing up as a Christian in the United Methodist Church, I noticed a common practice that is ingrained in many of us. If you want to know what it is, place us in a room with people from various denominations. After reading the scripture, say these words, "The word of God for the people of God." Most people of other denominations will remain quiet, but United Methodists and possibly Presbyterians will say, "Thanks be to God."
It is comforting to know these words after the reading of scripture have become a part of our liturgy, but let it not become mindless chatter with no meaning.
Walter Bruggeman writes, "When we say, 'The word of God for the people of God,' after scripture, we affirm that the scripture is our story text. It is the text which helps define and identify us as a community and a people." Today, as a community of believers, how do we permit the word of God to define us?
In my twenty-two years of ministry, I have witnessed various ways the United Methodist Church has implemented creative ideas for how to "do church." We experienced the seasons of Vision 2000; Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors; Rethink Church; Impact Day; Fresh Expressions; and much more. We launch expensive campaigns, including commercials, billboard signs, t-shirts, pens, cups, and other means of spreading the news and a little Good News. Throughout my years experiencing the variety of ways our denomination has tried to stay on the cutting edge of "doing church," I have attended countless seminars on leadership, ethics, and church growth. In the church growth seminars, they will often bring in megachurch pastors to share their stories of how they grew their churches to thousands. Many pastors would leave wondering, "How do I take this back to rural North Carolina? My setting is entirely different.”
We can be the church in so many ways. One model does not work for everyone. But I want to take us back to the first-century church. They did not have the big stages of some of our megachurches we see on television. The early Christians would not hand out coffee mugs at their latest convention. There were no catchy slogans or hip pastors with skinny jeans and spiked hair. There were no church planting workshops, but church growth was unprecedented.
So, what did they have? They had the power of the Holy Spirit and the gospel. Before Jesus ascended, the disciples asked if this is the time for the kingdom to be restored to Israel. Jesus told the disciples, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:7, NKJV). Then Jesus informed them of their delegated authority: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (1:8).
After the Holy Spirit filled the disciples, Peter preached. Peter did not preach a self-help seminar or twelve steps to success. Peter gave testimony to Jesus Christ's life and ministry, death, resurrection, and exaltation.
Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it (Acts 2:22-24)
Peter called for repentance and baptism. The people gathered were convicted, "cut to the heart." It is recorded in Acts three thousand souls were added to them. We see a picture of how a vital church grew.
Following church growth is discipleship: "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:46-47).
Sometimes in Christian circles I hear, "We are competing with the world. We must have the latest, or they will pass us by." But we are the body of the living God. We are not competing with the world; we have something better than the world. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also the Greek" (Romans 1:16).
Some think, "If we talk too much at the beginning about Jesus, they will not come." The first-century church growth was unprecedented because, filled with the Holy Spirit, they preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. They did not become like the world to appeal to the world. Nor did they stop preaching in the name of Jesus. The religious authorities summoned Peter and John. They interrogated them and became afraid that this new teaching would spread. "So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard'" (Acts 4:18-20).
I often share words of wisdom from my friend who lives in Chicago. He is unchurched, but I learn much from him and his awareness of God. He said, "Angela, we in the world don't want all the gimmicks, big bands, and productions the church tries to give us to get us in. Just tell me about Jesus. We just want Jesus."
If I go to Culinary school, I will hear about cooking. If I go to law school, I will listen to teachings about the law. I will not attend a law school and tell the students and professors, "I don't want to hear about torts and contracts." If people come to the body of Christ, we should not be silent about Jesus. "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him, the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's and of the holy angels" (Luke 9:26).
We should not be timid to proclaim to the world that Jesus is Lord. Nor should we dilute the message to resemble the world in order to draw the world. The gospel we preach is the divinely appointed means to bring salvation to the world. As a marketing major, I am not opposed to new marketing advances or creative ideas to launch ministries. But we must remember what is primary and foundational, the word of God.
Through persecution, they proclaimed the gospel. Through beatings and imprisonment, they preached the word of God. "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ," and the church grew” (Acts 5:42). "Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem," the church continued to grow (Acts 6:7). Paul spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. "Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied" (Acts 9:31). It is therefore with urgency we continue to preach the gospel with boldness and compassion. "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops" (Matthew 10:27).
Rev. Angela A. Pleasants is pastor of South Tryon Community Church, a United Methodist Missional Congregation, and a Senior Chaplain with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.