One of the things about All Christians Fellowship Mission [ACFM] is that we preach the whole counsel of God; we discourage the idea of being attracted to one portion of the scripture while neglecting other portions. The Bible says; “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God…” [2 Timothy 3: 16]. And all scriptures are meant to do something positive in our lives. Some people like some portions of the scripture and dislike others; some prefer the Old Testament to the New Testament but they forget that the foundation of the New Testament is the Old Testament.

Some say we are not under the law but under grace and so everything is about grace. Grace is wonderful because we are saved by grace through faith not by our works. Although we are saved by grace, we are saved to do good works; because if you say you are saved by grace and there is nothing to show for it, it is a fake grace. Jesus said, “By their fruits you shall know them” [Matthew 7: 16]. When we think of growth in our church, we are not thinking of only numerical growth, we are also thinking of growth holistically. The message therefore is on “The five dimensions of church growth.” Of course, ACFM is a purpose-driven church and the heart of a purpose – driven living church is “Balance.”

The five dimensions of Church growth includes:

1. Churches grow warmer through fellowship: What does this mean? Without the church emphasizing the purpose of fellowship and the need for relationship with one another, the church would be cold. In other words, although we gather together, everybody is alone. But the scripture says ‘’So then, you Gentiles are not foreigners or strangers any longer; you are now citizens together with God’s people and members of the family of God.’’ [Ephesians 2: 19]. Rick Warren, pastor and author, puts it as, “Being a Christian is not just a matter of believing but also a matter of belonging.” Because the moment you receive Christ, you not only become a Christian [Child of God], you also become a member of God’s own family. There are also benefits to this; fellowship helps solve life’s problems; relationship with other Christian brothers and sisters provides you the support you need to overcome life’s challenges. As a Christian, you are not saved to live lone-ranger kind of life. The purpose of becoming a member of God’s spiritual family is for you to receive care and support from other members of the family. Follow up is also a part of the ministry of showing support to members of the family. As we believe in God for growth each one of us must commit to fellowship

1. Churches grow deeper through discipleship: We not only want to grow through fellowship but also deeper through discipleship. [Colossians 1: 28, Ephesians 4: 11 – 12]. When we repent and receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, God does not want us to remain as children. Every plan of God in your life cannot come to fulfillment if you remain a child. Just like Paul told the Galatian Christians; as a child of God, everything God owns is yours but it cannot be enjoyed as long as you are a baby. But when you mature, you will know what is rightfully yours and take spiritual actions that will make them materialize and become real in your life. So the purpose of maturity is for you to be fruitful and productive; because only matured Christians produce. After receiving Christ as your Lord and personal saviour, one of the lifestyles you must cultivate is reading the Bible. The Bible is like baby’s milk – as you study the Bible, you will be able to understand the God that you share a personal relationship with and grow in knowledge. The more you grow, the more you access all the blessings He has for you and the more you’ll advance God’s interests on earth.

God uses not only His Word but also people. No matter how grounded you are in the Word of God but lack relationship with people; there are contributions that God has meant for other Christians to make in your life to help you grow that you may miss. It is easy to claim holiness, because you lack relationship with other people that have different ideals/views. Have respect for one another because everyone is a vessel that can be used. Stop being a child and mature by accommodating people. God also uses circumstances; challenges sharpen us and help fortify our faith.

3. Churches grow stronger through worship: Worship helps us to focus on God. [Revelation 4: 11]. Bringing pleasure to God is an act of Worship. Growth can only occur when we worship. Worship is not just about gathering together but developing relationship with God in such a way that, when alone in our homes, we can worship God and express our love to Him. Anything you do that brings honour and glory to God is “Worship.” The heart of worship is “Surrender.” Worship is when you are totally surrendered, abandoned, yielded to God and ask Him to have His way in any area of your life. When you are totally surrendered to God, He will find joy and pleasure in your life and that is what positions you to be a true worshipper of Christ [Romans 6: 13; 12: 1, Genesis 6: 5 – 10]. We are created to bring pleasure to God. We are to be like the only man in the Bible that pleased God – “Noah.”

4. Churches grow broader through ministry: “It is only God that gave us this new life through Christ Jesus and He planned that we spend this life in helping others” [Ephesians 2: 10]. When God saved us, He did it for us to be members of His family where we can provide support for each other [1 Peter 4: 10 – 11]. He also saved us to worship Him, to discover the areas He has gifted us, the passions He has given us and the experiences He has exposed us to – so that we can use them to help others through service [ministry]. We must develop our gifts and talents to use it and help build the church. We can grow in ministry when we understand that there are things He has put in you that He wants you to use to be a blessing to other Christian brothers and sisters. Do not just be a consumer/receiver from other people but be involved – start from somewhere and it can help you discover your God’s given gifts and talents

4. Churches grow larger through Evangelism: Everyone has been given a life – message by God. We are to deploy and use them to bring men and women to the saving knowledge of Christ. God’s highest priority is soul winning; if you do every other thing but do not win souls for Christ, you have not done much. We know this because God came in Christ and died in order to save us from our sins and make us His family [John 3: 16]. Whatever you do, know that once you die, the only things that will matter is the souls you won for Christ and the reward you will receive from Christ for what you have done for the Kingdom of Christ

So we must live our lives in such a way that makes the gospel attractive by the way we speak, live or dress. Become an instrument in God’s hands and attract people to the Kingdom of God.