Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

           Text: Acts 12:24

           But the word of God grew and multiplied.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear Friends in Christ Jesus:

           When our Lord spoke these words – “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation” – He was charging His Church of all times to be about the Father’s business throughout the world in a variety of ways. In the name of Him who has all authority in heaven and on earth, they were to go and make disciples, followers, believers of all people. They were to bring others into the family of God through the preaching of the Word and by the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. And they were to incorporate those who were brought to faith into the one living body of Christ and equip them for a life of Christian service – by teaching them all things that the Savior had shared and commanded.

           This was Christ’s plan for the Christian Church at that time, and this is still His plan for those who come forth to respond to His call today. Together with the entire Christian family, you and I here at Lord of New Life have also been so called. And as we gather in worship and praise today, you and I do so with a prayer that the Savior Himself would come into our hearts with His love and set them on fire with a renewed interest and zeal for the Lord’s Church – and with a passion for the souls of people in our community and throughout all the world.

           In the text for today, we have a brief and direct word from St. Luke in the Book of Acts. It’s a phrase that occurs several times in the New Testament – and each time, when something important was happening in the history and the life of the Church. St. Luke reports – “But the word of God grew and multiplied.” It accomplished its purpose. Just as the prophet Isaiah proclaimed – the word of the Lord did not return to Him empty. Like the seed that fell in the good soil, it sprang up and produced fruit a hundred-fold. The Word of God produced a group of believers who reached out with their Lord to – “seek and to save those who were lost.” It created God’s family, people who – “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

           “But the word of God grew.” That phrase is probably the shortest history of the Christian Church ever recorded. For the word of the Lord grew in the hearts of a called and chosen people – and the seed sprouted into a living faith and hope in Jesus Christ. But the word of the Lord also grew among them as it produced the bond of Christian fellowship. And the result of this was a living community of believers who cared for one another and who lived together with true Christian love and concern for their brothers and sisters in Christ. And the word of the Lord grew through them – as it produced a strong Christian witness and empowered them to reach out and lead others to the Savior.

           You see, that’s the way the Church is - and that’s the power and purpose of the Word which God has implanted in our hearts today. The Word still continues to accomplish God’s purpose. Jesus says – “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” And so, the word of the Lord grows! The way the word of the Lord grew in the Book of Acts is history. We praise and thank God for it. But the way the word of the Lord grows today is our concern.

           We must realize that the church of the Savior isn’t simply an organization. It’s not simply a defined Synod or church body. It’s not simply a group of nice people who happen to have confirmation certificates and who have their names on the same church membership list. No, the church is still the body of Christ. The Church is the fellowship of those who know and believe that Jesus Christ is their Savior from sin, who trust in Him for eternal life, and who respond to His call – “Follow Me”. The Church is people God has called by the Gospel, enlightened with His gifts, sanctified and kept in the true faith – in order to accomplish His purposes.

           And while the Church is the same from generation to generation in its faith and confession, it’s changing from day to day in its make-up. For ever since that first Pentecost, the Lord is still adding to the Church those who are being saved. The Church is never static. It’s always growing, always on the move. There are people who were in the Church on earth yesterday, who are in the Church in heaven today. And there are people who yesterday were outside the kingdom of God, who today are part of the family of believers. For the word of the Lord continues to grow.

           May that word of the Lord grow mightily in you. We’re now talking about the most precious and important thing in all the world – your own relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are so blessed, so privileged, so special.  God has sown the seed of His Word in your hearts. By your Baptism and through your hearing of His Word, God has called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. St. Paul writes – “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

           All of the greatest treasures of heaven and earth are yours! But it’s not that you chose to be followers of the Lamb. Instead, it’s that the Lord has chosen you. He has called you to be His own sons and daughters. In the precious blood of the Savior, your sins have been forgiven. God has not charged them to your account. He has charged them rather against His only begotten Son. And the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. And now nothing will ever separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus the Lord.

           My prayer today is that the seed of the Word which God has planted in your hearts might continue to grow and keep you with Jesus Christ in the one true faith unto life everlasting. Above everything else, I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you and I might hold fast to that which we have – that no one takes our crown. There are so many important goals for which we strive in this life. However, Jesus is the most important – and only your relationship with Him will last forever. For after all the things that people have built have rotted and crumbled, and after the thieves have broken in and the moth and rust have corrupted the treasures of this life – there is still eternity and then there is only Jesus. And how blessed are the men, women, and children – whose hope remains only in Him.

           “But the word of God grew and multiplied.”  May it grow in your hearts. For as it does, you can be sure that you are more than conquerors through Him who loves you. No matter the crisis, dilemma, fear or doubt – no matter how severely your faith is put to the test, you have the assurance of Him who says – “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And if God is for us, who can possibly be against us? May the word of the Lord grow and bring forth the fruits of hope and assurance.

           And may that Word not only grow in your individual lives, but also among you, binding you together as the family of God in a loving and caring relationship – patterned after the love which the Lord has for each and every one of you. For your call to faith is at the same time a call to the fellowship of all those who know and love Jesus as their Savior and Lord. As the word of the Lord grows among you, may it strengthen that fellowship. For God has placed you into His Church, His family, for the sake of each other. When one member of the body rejoices, we all rejoice together. When one member mourns, we are there to mourn with them. When one member sins, we are there to admonish, forgive, pick them up and set them once again on the path of righteousness. When members of the body are in danger or have a problem that weighs heavily upon them, we are there to reach out to them, to love them, to support them, to encourage them, and to pray for them. It’s for this that the Lord has called you together into one body and one family. So, the body of Christ grows – and the word of the Lord grows among us.

           May the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you join together in worship and fellowship, and as you pray with and for one another. For then, as St. Paul says, the whole body will be fitly framed and joined together. Then you will grow into a spiritual temple of God and the word of the Lord will indeed grow among us. And yet, the word of the Lord is also to grow through you. The most important thing that can result is a harvest of more believers. And God is glorified when yet more knees bow and more tongues confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

           You who know the Savior are a city set high on a hill. Jesus Christ says that He is the Light of the world – and in Him, so are you. Christ was lifted up on a cross, He said, so that He might draw all people to Himself. And your privilege, as His followers, is to lift high that cross and proclaim the love of Jesus Christ. In this way, the word of the Lord will grow through you. This is your calling. It is God’s will that none be lost, but that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

           This morning, then, thank God for the privilege of being a part of it. For this purpose He has called you. To this end, may you rededicate yourselves today. And may the Lord bless you from on high with His love and power so that you might be a blessing to many. And may His Word grow in you, among you, and through you, unto life everlasting. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.