Heart and Soul: Biblical Studies Unleashing the Word The biblical model of church growth 14
I grew up in Durban, South Africa, and loved the Bible from a young age. One of my clearest memories is of my grandfather reading John 14:1-3 for family worship. I enrolled in the Voice of Prophecy correspondence Bible course and looked forward to receive my lessons every two weeks or so in the mail. I would eagerly check if my answers were correct or not, and looked forward to digging into the next lesson. The lessons, printed in black on white, did not have an elaborate design—especially when compared to the glossy lessons we have today. Yet God’s Word was alive and full of power in my young teenage heart. Many years later, when I studied theology at Helderberg College, it was a great privilege to meet Heather Tredoux, director of the Bible School. The Word of God slowly transformed a shy, stuttering young man into a preacher. In fact, the Bible helps us grow into the people God wants us to be. illustration by ralph butler BY KAYLE DE WAAL The Word in Acts The living, enduring Word of God is central to the evangelistic explosion and the birth of the Christian movement in Acts. The Word was the source of power in the evangelistic ministry of the disciples, and the people yearned for this Word. Luke repeatedly tells us how people received the Word with gladness (see Acts 2:41; 4:4; 8:40). The disciples studied the Scriptures daily and aligned their lives with its teachings (see Acts 17:11). In their sermons the disciples quote, allude, or refer to Old Testament passages nearly 200 times. Clearly they had memorized and internalized the Scriptures and preached with deep conviction. 1 Preaching is a major factor in the proclamation of the gospel and takes on the form of witnessing in Acts: “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). When Luke uses the phrase “word of the Lord” (Acts 8:25; 13:49; 15:35; 16:32; 19:10, 20) and the “word of God” (Acts 4:31; 6:2; 8:14; 11:1; 12:24; 13:5; 17:13), he is pointing to the divine origin and authority of the gospel. In the Old Testament the Word of God has tremendous power and ability to accomplish the tasks that God sets out for it to accomplish (Ps. 33:6-11; Isa. 55:10, 11; Jer. 1:9-12). 2 The centrality of the “word” in Acts led French scholar Marguerat to write that the leading theme of Acts is “neither the history of the Church, nor the activity of the Spirit, but the expansion of the Word. The real hero of the Acts of the Apostles is the logos, the Word.” 3 The Word moves the narrative of Acts forward—and, literally, in new directions. “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). This is a summary statement of the work of the Word in Jerusalem and points to the satisfactory resolution of the conflict in Jerusalem (Acts 1:1-6:7). “But the word of God continued to spread and flourish” (Acts 12:24) marks another summary statement of the spread of the Word to the outer parts of Judea, Samaria, and other Gentile areas (Acts 6:8-12:24). The Word is on the move, conquering for the kingdom. The final summary statement of the section covering Acts 12:25-19:20 highlights the moving power of the Word and points to the geographical expansion of the Word into Asia Minor and Europe. “In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power” (Acts 19:20). 4 Luke makes use of the term “word of the Lord” to show the progress of the church, especially in the context of human opposition. Just as the Word of God helped me to grow in South Africa, so the Word of God grew the church in Acts. The church grows as the Word grows. The Word conquers Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria. The Word then conquers an African in Acts 8, giving the reader a foretaste of the Word’s conquest of a family of Gentiles in Acts 10. Finally the Word triumphs over one of the most influential cities in the firstcentury world—Ephesus. The church and the Word move and develop simultaneously. The two are so interconnected in Acts that it is almost impossible to separate them (cf. Acts 2:47; 5:14; 6:7; 11:21; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20). This becomes apparent when one notices that the Word never returns to an area twice as Luke tells us about the growth of the church. 5 The Word determines and sets the agenda for evangelism and discipleship. The same Greek word (plethynein) is used for the “increase” in the number of disciples (6:1; 9:31) as well as for the increase of the Word (6:7; 12:24). The church and the Word move and develop simultaneously. The Word in History Peter Waldo, or Valdes, was a wealthy merchant of Lyons (eastern France), who experienced conversion about 1175 or 1176. He gave away his possessions and decided to follow Christ by leading a life of poverty and preaching. Convicted by the necessity of spreading God’s Word Waldo had the Latin New Testament translated into the vernacular, which formed the basis of his evangelism. He preached the message of Scripture fearlessly and powerfully so that he soon had a group of people following him. When the Word of God is preached fearlessly and with the anointing of the Spirit, there is normally an explosion of kingdom growth. The group that followed Peter Waldo grew so effective and powerful that they came to the attention of the pope. They were given the approval of Pope Alexander III at the Third Lateran Council in 1179. They had one condition: Waldo’s followers were to gain the approval of the local church authority before preaching. However, the Waldensians preached the message of the Bible and exalted the virtues of poverty without first seeking approval from the local bishop. Waldo loved quoting Acts 5:29: “We must obey God rather than human beings.” 6 They continued to con- www.<strong>Adventist</strong><strong>Review</strong>.org | September 19, 2013 | (831) 15
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