By Joe Slater Via Bulletin Gold
How can God’s word “grow”? We think of a tree growing, or
a child growing, but God’s word?
Three times the book of Acts speaks of God’s word growing.
First, after resolving the complaint about some widows in the
shift
Jerusalem church being neglected, “Then the word of God grew,
and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem”
(Acts 6:7). Obviously, the body of truth (i.c. the gospel) didn’t
become any larger. But unrest within the church discourages the
spread of the gospel; once that issue was settled God’s word was
proclaimed enthusiastically, resulting in numerous conversions.
Second, after the death of Herod Agrippa I (the one who killed
James and wanted to kill Peter), Acts 12:24 says, “But the word
of God grew and multiplied.” God dealt with the murderous
monarch in due time. Meanwhile, Herod’s brutal behavior
couldn’t stop the spread of the gospel.
Finally, the inspired record states, “So the word of the Lord
grew mightily and prevailed” (Acts 19:20). The first word, “So,”
points to the reason the Lord’s word grew, as shown in the two
previous verses. Some believers evidently hadn’t made a clean
break with pagan occultism (“magic”). When they confessed
their deeds and demonstrated the fruit of repentance by burning
their expensive books, the gospel made tremendous advances.
God’s word spreads (grows) when Christians are united, when
Christians evangelize despite persecution, and when Christians
show genuine conversion by turning away from their previous
ungodly practices. God’s word will grow today when we pay
heed to these very things.