By Not Known
This is the third and final part of this series of reflection on Growing ORPC. I pray that this may enable us to reflect on how we may grow together as a church dedicated to obey God passionately.
10. Serving God in ministry. In many growing churches, one of the clear signs of growth is when members make career sacrifices to serve in full-time pastoral ministry or to be involved in church ministry with sustained and purposeful devotion. Members are willing to put their own advancement on hold so that church ministry comes first, whether full-time or voluntary.
11. Growth of families. Growth not in terms of new additions to families but rather spiritual growth within families. Husbands and wives are more devoted to one another and children are led to develop and grow in the Lord’s discipline. There are clear signs of families submitting themselves to the Lord’s discipline and growing in maturity
.
12. Corporate discipline. This is an issue that many churches tend to sweep under the carpet. Growing churches are often churches who are willing to discipline unrepentant and public sin. This is what it really means to have a biblical understanding of church membership. A growing church teaches its members on living right biblically and does not hesitate to discipline unrepentant and repetitive sinners. There is a heightened sense of corporate responsibility one to another within the Body of Christ.
13. Love for one another. In tandem with corporate church discipline, the church is also strong on love and restoration. There will always be people who need time to repent. A growing church is loving, patient, and persevering in restoring such people back to the faith. God loves us and never gives up on us and He expects us to love and patiently restore those whom He loves.
As a church there is much to understand and to do. We need to stay true and faithful to God and His Word as we live out His calling in a broken and fallen world. We need to practice compassion and passionately live out God’s word in our lives. As a church, we come before God in perpetual worship of a God worthy of our honour and praise every moment of our lives. Hence, our action is what Paul exhorts us in Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” It is only when we are able to do this that we may see these characteristics of growth in our congregation.
Let us grow together!
Peter Poon