The local churches are the grassroot expression of the Body of Lord Jesus Christ. How should the churches in the local level function or perform.
1) Grow: The Jerusalem church was a dynamic movement in which 3000 and 5000 new believers were added to the church. (Acts 2:41; 4:4) Every day new believers were added to the Church. (Acts 2:47) Growing in numbers and growing in spiritual maturity are essential for all churches. Growing church believers are witnesses, seekers of truth are attracted, and God adds them to the church. Today, there are churches that grow numerically, but stagnant in terms of spiritual life.
2) Go: The church that was in the city of Antioch, far away from Jerusalem was a dynamic outgoing church. The five leaders of the church were from different backgrounds, representing three known continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. God spoke to the leaders to separate Barnabas and Paul to be sent out as missionaries to new areas in the Roman Empire. (Acts 13:1,2) A growing church is also a ‘going’ church. It is not enough to be just to be involved in evangelism in a local geographical region but to be involved in the regions beyond. When the light is brighter, it goes further. A healthy church reaches out further. Antioch church exemplified Christ by their impressive witness in the community. (Acts 11: 26) Many churches today are not like the Antioch church involved in missions.
3) Give: The special quality of Macedonian church was their generosity. Macedonia was the northern part of Greece where cities such as Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea are located. The Romans took all the wealth of the region when they conquered the homeland of Alexander the Great. Corinth was in the Southern part of Greece called Achaia. The believers in that church were poor but excelled in giving that Paul boasts about their generosity to the believers in Corinth. (II Corinthians 8:1-15) Their generosity was indeed worship from their grateful hearts for the Lord.
Is my church a growing, going and giving church?