Hearing, Trusting, and Growth

Leadership has to do with trust: who did the church in Jerusalem trust? Who can we trust with the money? Will it be used for its purpose? Who will represent our love for the church? Return with John Mark (who later writes Mark) to disciple him How did the church grow? From house to house, sharing communion, fellowship, teaching, and prayer. The organization of groups was not set up like today. There were not a lot of denominations, but heresy and sin were dealt with as it arose. Safeguards were put in place, which in time often became obsolete. Means of worship were developed according to taste, culture and what was known in the part of the world where the Gospel was preached. But the growth was based on personal discipleship, not theological education! The beginning of the missionary movement beyond the Jewish focus, was also looking at culturally close und understandable means of communication. At the same time the means of financial support for the mission was based on an itinerant understanding of Rabbis who traveled. It became a school for new leadership development as well as the traveling financial support of the team. Compare with our means of support for the missionary work we did. The result was not only the continuation of the ministries, but the development of reproduction and multiplication. How does that translate into our situation here? How could we replicate the activity of the early church?