Rick Warren Says Christians Must Recover First-Century Church Love to Reach the World

Audio By Carbonatix

Author and preacher Rick Warren says the global church must recover the spirit of the early church if it hopes to fulfill the Great Commission by the year 2033, when churches around the world will celebrate the 2,000-year anniversary of Christ’s death and resurrection.

“Most of our churches are just known for a lot of talk,” Warren told attendees Wednesday at the World Evangelical Alliance’s general assembly in Seoul, South Korea. The gathering is held at least once every six years. Christian Today and the Gospel Herald covered Warren’s sermon.

“I’m not interested in American, European, or any nation’s methods,” he said. “If there’s a principle that’s truly biblical, it will work anywhere – it’s transcultural. God’s Word is perfect – it is our best model.”

Christians must recapture the focus of first-century believers, reflecting their love, persistent prayer, and urgency in proclaiming the good news, he said.

“Love is the magnet that attracted people to Christ,” he said, according to Christian Today. “If any church genuinely loves people, you will have to lock the door to keep people out because the world is hungry for love. They’re not hungry for some of the other things we’re offering.”

Warren added, “I’ve never met a human being in the world who’s not hungry for love.”

Too often, Warren said, church leaders lack the love they want their parishioners to practice.

“I’ve met a lot of pastors, particularly in large churches, they love crowds and hate people,” he said.

It is common, Warren said, for Christians to accumulate biblical knowledge without putting it into action. Pastors must train their congregations to be “doers of the Word, not just hearers.”

“It’s not enough to know the Word,” Warren said, according to Christian Today. “The problem in Christianity today? We Christians know far more than we are doing. But we don’t get blessed for knowing the Word of God. We get blessed for doing the Word of God.”

The early church grew exponentially – roughly 50 percent each decade – because it followed Jesus’ model of ministry, Warren said: preaching, teaching, healing (alleviating suffering) and planting churches.

“And every church, regardless of size, can do them,” Warren said, according to the Gospel Herald.

“The early church began with only 120 believers praying in the upper room,” he said, “but by A.D. 360, half of the Roman Empire – about 30 million of its 60 million citizens – had become Christians. Even the emperor himself became a believer.”

“How did they grow from 120 people to half an empire?” he asked. “They followed the way Jesus discipled His followers.”

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Alex Wong/Staff

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.