Persecution, Preaching, and Power

The thesis of the sermon is that, no matter where we are in the world, we all would like to know "the secret by which the Church grows." So, we try different "methods" of Gospel evangelism. But this passage shows us that there is no particular method that the Holy Spirit uses to grow the church. Indeed, we see three "methods" in this one passage alone. The main requirement for Church growth is the Holy Spirit's power which accompanies our testimonies and the preaching of the Word.