My neighbor is a motorcycle enthusiast; he and his wife both have motorcycles. In fact, he heads up a club of some forty "bikers" who take frequent outings as a group on holiday weekends such as Labor Day, New years Day, and Memorial Day. On Saturday morning they congregate in front of my neighbors house (and mine). Forty cycles (most of them Harleys) lined up on both sides of the street are pretty impressive. When they take off in double file up the street, it is very dramatic in sight and sound. A few years ago my neighbor was involved in a serious accident which resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee. He now wears a false leg and foot called a prosthesis. The design, engineering, and construction of prosthetic devices have become an important adjunct to the practice of orthopedic medicine. Artificial hip and knee joints have become very common for those who want to restore their youthful mobility, and orthopedic surgeons are kept busy keeping up with the demand for the replacement of creaky joints.
The word prosthetics comes form the Greek word "prostithemi" which is translated in the Bible as "added to." In fact, it is one of Luke’s favorite terms in the book of Acts to describe the adding of people to the church. The word is used to describe the tremendous influx of Christians as a result of Pentecost when over 3000 persons were baptized. After that the gospel spread rapidly in the gentile communities. As a result of the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys, many churches were established in Greek communities. The new church at Antioch is an example of a one of these churches, and it was a fast growing church. Those Greek gentiles were radically generous, spirit-filled members of real and deep faith. When the word reached the church leaders in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to check out the situation. When he arrived and witnessed the grace of God for the gentiles, he was glad. So he begged them to remain faithful to the Lord with al their hearts. As a result of his visit, many people were prostithemi, "added to," the church.
When a church grows by adding members who are new converts, that is true church growth. However, sad to say, less than five percent of Christian churches in North America are growing as a result of evangelism. Much of the "church growth" is a result of transfers from one church to another. But a rotation of saints doesn't add to the number of believers. We probably wouldn't want to think of new believers as replacement parts, but the idea of added parts helps us to focus on the importance of adding people to God’s kingdom. Jesus told us in the great commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every nation, kindred, and people, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. At the present time the gospel is being preached via television and evangelistic crusades in areas that have never heard the gospel before. People are rejoicing in a new found faith as were the new believers in ancient Antioch. By the use of mass media coverage many are now being added to the church out of heathenism, paganism, and idolatry in places such as India, Africa, and South America. This could be called, as it was in Antioch, prostithemi, or "gospel prosthetics."
