That the church grew rapidly in the first century is clear from reading the book of Acts (Acts 2:47; 4:1-4; 5:12-14; 6:1; etc.). The question is why did the early church have so much success in the area of growth? I believe I know at least part of the reason. They practiced a daily religion. There are many reasons that we set forth to explain why the church is not growing as rapidly today. Some of the reasons are valid, some of the reasons are nothing more than excuses to cover up our shortcomings. The fact is, if we would practice religion daily, as the first century Christians did, we, too, would see results. People used to talk about their Sunday clothes in contrast to their everyday clothes. Too many of us have a Sunday religion. When we take off our Sunday clothes (at least those who wear them anymore), we take off our Sunday religion as well. That kind of mentality is not conducive to growth. We must learn to practice our religion everyday (John 15:1-7; 1 Corinthians 15:58). Let’s look at some of the things we should do daily.
Serve God Daily
Under the law of Moses, there were daily services and sacrifices to be performed (Exodus 29:38, 39; 30:7, 8). Paul said that the things written aforetime were written for our learning (Romans 15:4). If God expected daily services from His servants in the Old Testament, why would He expect anything less from us today? We are now God’s priests, and we should act like it (1 Peter 2:5; Romans 12:1). We must, as Jesus once said, be about our Father’s business. In another place Jesus said, “I must do the works of Him that sent me while it is day, for the night is coming when no man can work” (John 9:4). Is that your attitude? It should be! It should be the attitude of us all. We should strive to serve God everyday of our lives. There is always something to do?
Pray Daily
Do you believe in the power of prayer? I am sure that you do. Through prayer we have access to God (Hebrew 10:19-22; Ephesians 2:18; 3:10-12). Through prayer we can cast our cares upon Him and receive help (Hebrews 4:16). Through prayer we can escape temptation (Matthew 26:40, 41). Faithful people of God have always been active in prayer. Abraham and Moses are often found in the posture of prayer on the pages of inspiration. David and Daniel made a habit of petitioning the throne of grace during their earthly pilgrimage. Paul’s prayer life is heavily substantiated in his epistles. These great Bible characters are not ones who prayed once in a while; they prayed regularly, even daily (Psalms 55:16, 17; 88:9; Daniel 6:10, 11). Prayer makes us stronger. It often takes our mind off of the physical things of this life and puts it on a higher plain. You cannot pray without thinking about God, and the more you think about Him, the stronger you will be in the spiritual realm. No wonder Paul said, “Pray without ceasing.” It sends us in the right direction. Prayer is conducive to spiritual growth.
Study Daily
Bible study is another thing that leads to spiritual growth. In fact, one cannot grow spiritually without a regular diet of God’s Word (1 Peter 2:1, 2). How often do you study the Word of God? Paul said, “Study to show thyself approved of God; a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly diving the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The Bereans gave us a good pattern to follow. After hearing Paul preach, they searched the scriptures daily to see if the things he taught were so (Acts 17:10, 11). Our children attend school five days each week for nine months of the year to learn math, grammar, geography, etc. Yet, we seem to think they can go to Bible study for one hour each week and learn enough about the Word of God to become Christians and remain faithful. Furthermore, many of us think that is all the study we need in regard to God’s Word. A lack of Bible study produces weak Christians who are not committed to the Lord. It produces Christians who do not attend Bible class like they should, or who forget about God during the week. Let us all study our Bibles everyday. Let’s keep in constant contact with God through daily prayer and Bible study.
What kind of religion do you have? Is it a Sunday religion that you leave at the door of the church building? Is it a kind of religion that you take off with your Sunday clothes? Or is it an everyday religion? If the church wants to see more results in the area of numerical growth, we must remember that the religion of our Lord is a daily religion. Daily religion leads to spiritual growth, and spiritual growth often leads to numerical growth. Let’s grow together daily.