Under what circumstances did the church in Scripture grow?

• Wicked society (Acts 2:40) Despite the hardness of many Jewish hearts, Gentile idolatry, and the moral perversion that pervaded the Roman empire— the church grew. Today, most Jewish people still reject Jesus as the Messiah. Idolatry is seen all around us, such as when men will spend all day at a sporting event instead of worshiping God. The erosion of morality is evident in practically every form of “entertainment.” How many times do you hear God’s name vainly used in the television shows you watch?
• Persecution (Acts 8:4) Many Christians were forced to flee in order to save their lives. Wherever they went, they continued spreading the truth— so the church grew. In some parts of this world, those who publicly oppose homosexuality are threatened by the government. Even some “churches” have bowed to pressure (which is a form of persecution) and accepted homosexuals as members without teaching them “repentance.”
• False Teaching (Acts 15:1; 20:30) When disagreements over truth arose, the solution was not to start another kind of church. By dealing with false teaching that arose—the church continued to grow. Can we even number the ways that this occurs? The common teaching of salvation by faith alone shows that God’s teachings have changed even at the most fundamental levels.
• Lost people were “reasonable” (Acts 17:11, 17) As long as there were people willing to listen and consider— the church grew. Though many suggest avoiding “religion and politics” as topics of conversation, there are still people who are willing to have a conversation about God, sin, salvation, etc.
• Christians taught others (Acts 18:25-26) Christians questioned the teachings of others on the subject of baptism— that is one way that the church grew!

Many religious people seem to want to shy away from discussing religious matters because there areas where we might disagree. Paul, Aquila, Priscilla, Timothy, Old Testament prophets, and others spoke directly about matters—read your Bible to find out whether or not that is true.
Lastly, ask yourself, what “kind” of church was this that was growing? Does the book of Acts show the growth of Catholic, Baptist, or Methodist churches? Where would you go to research the beginning and growth of these churches?
Have you ever wondered why you will not read in Scripture of a Christian becoming a Catholic, Baptist, or Lutheran? You will not read in Scripture about a church that has head offices in Rome, Anderson, IN, Cleveland, TN, or Salt Lake City, UT. Whose ideas was it to set up “head offices” on earth if the “head” of the church is in heaven (Ephesians 1:22-23)?
“Church of Christ” is not a name created by man—you can read it in Scripture (Romans 16:16).