Page 16 - Ecclesiology Textbook Masters

5. Expand your facility to meet the needs.

Though Charles Spurgeon pre-dated the church growth movement, he was well aware of the temptation
to allow the world to influence the church. He said, “I believe that one reason why the church of God at
this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence
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over the church.” And again, “The very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God
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abhors.”

Here is a cartoon that is somewhat funny, but the problem is it is also rather truthful of the attitudes of
church goers today.

Later we will discuss church finances and budgeting. We will look at the way the early New Testament
churches focused on evangelism and discipleship and spent the majority of their income in meeting the
needs of those in their community as well as sharing the gospel to the lost. Church growth in the first
century was a result of evangelism. In 250, after over 200 years of evangelistic effort, Christians still
made up only 1.9 percent of the empire. By the middle of the next century, though, about 56 percent of
the population claimed to be Christians.
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Characteristics of the Early Church

The first Christians lived under a completely different set of principles and values than the rest of
mankind. They rejected the world's entertainment, honors, and riches. They were already citizens of

8 https://www.challies.com/articles/whats-the-purpose-of-the-church
9 Ibid.
10 https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/evangelism-in-early-church-did-you-know

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