THE NEW CHURCH AND HOW IT CAN GROW
ward to accept Him. It’s only when each of us allows the Holy Spirit to fill us and use us that we see results. We must be burdened for souls dy ing in their sins. We’re not called to be involved in things outside the church such as contests. The life of dedication can not be over-emphasized. Otherwise we lose concern for the souls of men. When the church grows spiritually, it will grow numerically as well. We must sense the need for a Spirit- filled life. God burdened my heart for this neglected area of Northern Califor nia. I had no idea it would grow to what we have seen today. Thirty peo ple, with dedication and love for the Lord, have made the vision a reality. They were willing to move out by faith, trusting God to do the im possible. They remind me of the early church. They didn’t stand idly by, twiddling their thumbs. The Bi ble says in Acts 1:14 that “They were of one accord in prayer and supplication.” What a blessedness! No wonder the Holy Spirit of God could fill them. Too often today do we lean too much on our intellec tual ability to promote God’s pro gram. Man wants wonders without the Word. God will still bless any local born-again body of believers if they will wait upon Him in obedi ence to His Word. Our Lord wants to do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to His power that works in us.” Christ is the same eysterday, today, and forever. He wants to do today just what He did in the early church. That’s why God used those early be lievers. They waited upon the Lord. Are we willing to do the same today ? My life as a worker is the way I say "thank you” to God for His unspeakable salvation. —Oswald Chambers The hallmark of Christianity is action, not words.
by Royal Blue, pastor of N o r t h V a l l e y B a p t i s t Church, Redding, Calif.
T he early church realized the im portance of personal fellowship with their risen Lord. Do we have the desire today? These followers of the Lord didn’t question His resur rection. They had personally experi enced His presence. They were peo ple of differing passions and prob lems. Yet God brought them together into one accord. It was not an easy task, for there were doubters, pessi mists, and those who were impetuous and fearful. Incidentally, a pessi mist is one who sees a problem in every opportunity. An optimist, how ever, is one who sees an opportunity in every problem. We need more of the latter. The unifying force was that the group had seen the risen Saviour. The same need is apparent today if a church is to grow. After people are saved, we endeavor to get them grounded in the Word. In ad dition to basic Bible classes, we con duct home Bible study fellowships throughout the area. Teaching and fellowship go together, along with prayer both private and public. Since we started the church nearly eight years ago, we’ve been meeting together every Tuesday morning with a group of men for prayer at about 6:30 A.M. Our high school ers meet at the same time. College young people gather on Wednesday morning, and there are other groups as well. These people have learned the power of prayer. How this has
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