Acts 8 and Church Strategies

Acts 8 (Click to read)

"Ch _ _ ch - What’s missing? U R.” I can’t recall how many times I’ve seen this corny message displayed on a church sign. I’ve even come across a beautiful wooden church sign with this message permanently carved into it. It makes you wonder whether churches really think that a passerby is going to read the sign and think, “Oh that’s rich! Didn’t see that one coming at all. And yet it’s so true. I should be in church. I’m going to that church this Sunday.” Of course, many churches and church growth experts are much more sophisticated in their endeavors. They speak of the marketability of the church, run publicity campaigns, and even tailor their services to appeal to a certain slice of the surrounding population. But how biblical are all of these approaches? What is the role of human strategy, publicity, and human initiative in the spread of the gospel? And what does it have to do with Acts 8?

One thing is certainly clear in Acts 8. The advancement of the kingdom of God is foremost God’s initiative. In this chapter, the gospel expands rapidly into all Judea and even Samaria. An influential official of the Ethiopian government is converted and no doubt takes this news of a Savior back to his homeland. Jesus promised that his salvation would spread throughout all Judea, Samaria, and into the nations (1:8), and it’s already happening. But what brought it about? I really can’t help but notice that their is really very little publicity, strategy, or any human initiative. The church expands because it had to. Persecution made the church scatter. The Holy Spirit lead Philip into the desert to meet a eunuch. Who would conjure up that strategy? “I know. I’ll go off into the middle of nowhere, meet a eunuch, and tell him about Jesus.” Perhaps, though, the most striking statement of the chapter is from Peter when he rebukes Simon saying, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought that you could obtain the gift of God with money!” Peter’s problem was not the offer of silver. It was with the mentality that God’s power, God’s gift could be controlled by human devices. Simon thought he could take what belonged solely to God and wield it at his will.

Of course, there is human effort and strategy in this chapter. The church did proclaim the gospel, the disciples did plan a prayer trip to Samaria, and Philip did start up a conversation and explain Scripture. But all strategy and all effort was placed under the umbrella of God’s sovereign control. And harsh rebuke meets Simon the moment he considered the primacy of God’s sovereign power subservient to the initiatives of men.

It's unbelievable how much mail I receive every day from Christian organizations informing me of the new strategies and programs that are going to fill my church with people. There is nothing wrong with strategies or publicity. But when those human endeavors start taking center stage, when all our hopes get placed upon new programs, when we begin to equate evangelism with being cutting edge, we are in very dangerous waters. May our programs, initiatives, strategies, publicity campaigns, technology, websites, concerts, dramas, bands perish with us if we think we can obtain the gift of God through them.