Christ Grows in Power - Acts 5-6

 Acts 5:12-16 (ESV Strong's)

12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Church Grows in Power

In the beginning days of the Church, God displayed His power in different manners than He does today.   In the early days no one would believe in a resurrected Savior without signs and wonders being displayed.  In the above passage we see the unfolding of those beginning days.  In unusual ways we see that God used the apostles and gave them undeniable power to preform miracles, very similar to those Jesus Christ did, when He was on the earth.  These were “sign” gifts, given by God, to demonstrate His power.   These sign gifts were “regularly” done.  They were done in open.   They attracted more and more to believe in Jesus as the Messiah.   Peter was so empowered that even his shadow could heal the sick.   The multitudes came from not just Jerusalem, but the surrounding towns, as well.    This was the power of God at work.   The church does not grow without the power of God.   Today we do no see the church grow like in the early days.   Perhaps it is because we do not have the same power in our lives as the apostles did.   Today God has not chosen to use miracles and signs to convince the world to come to Him.  Today God uses the foolishness of preaching the Gospel to bring the world to Christ (1 Corinthians 2).   The sign gifts, in the early church, eventually became less and less.  We can read the rest of Acts to see that.   God moved from miracles to the message.   God empowered at the beginning with signs and wonders but in these last days with words and deeds.   Our greatest power today is the love of Christ controlling us to demonstrate His power in our lives.   The fact that believers would love their enemies and the unlovable is the greatest power of Christ in us.   The church today will not grow without the love of God flowing through the Body of Christ.    Note:

Galatians 5:6 (ESV Strong's)

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Faith working through love is the greatest power of God for the church.