Luke and Growth

Do you have a favorite word in your life? A word that you maybe make use of daily without fail? Maybe it isn’t your favorite in that you chose to use it, but one that you always find yourself using.

My personal favorite word is “hallelujah.” I love it for two reasons. One, the meaning behind it is “praise the Lord,” and secondly, it almost sounds like “hello” at the beginning. Most people who’ve ever called me know that I usually say hallelujah as a salutation instead of hello. It not only connects well with believers, but also tends to kickstart conversations on matters salvation with unbelievers.

What’s your word?

Recently I was reviewing the writings of Luke and I realized there’s a word he loved using. The word is “GREW.”

Checking through his writings, I found that he uses the word 13 times, and 9 of those times, he uses it as a transitional word—from one thought to another, or from one part of the narrative to the next. It’s a word he uses to mark progression.

In Luke, it’s about the growth of John and Jesus.

In Acts, it’s about the growth of the Church.

Each usage comes after a significant event.

In the Gospel of Luke, “grew” appears 7 times:

📖 Luke 1:80 – And the child (John) grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

📖 Luke 2:40 – And the child (Jesus) grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

📖 Luke 2:52 – Jesus grew both in body and in wisdom, gaining favor with God and people.

📖 Luke 8:6 – And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

📖 Luke 8:7 – And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.

📖 Luke 8:8 – And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold...

📖 Luke 13:19 – It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree...

Luke touches on physical, spiritual, and social growth in individuals—and also how the Word of God grows in different environments. It’s about depth, resistance, fruitfulness.

In Acts, “grew” appears 6 times:

📖 Acts 4:4 – But many who heard the message believed; and the number grew to about five thousand.

📖 Acts 6:7 – The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew larger and larger... and a great number of priests accepted the faith.

📖 Acts 9:31 – The church... had a time of peace. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, it was strengthened and grew in numbers.

📖 Acts 12:24 – But the word of God grew and multiplied.

📖 Acts 16:5 – So the churches were made stronger in the faith and grew in numbers every day.

📖 Acts 19:20 – So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

In Acts, growth shifts from individuals to communities. But the anchor remains the same: it’s the Word of God growing in people and through people.

So what?

Luke may have been gently pointing us to the factors that fuel Kingdom growth:

1. People must grow – physically, mentally, and socially.

2. The Word must grow – inside them, then through them.

God expects us to:

* Age and become physically mature

* Expand our mental capacity (hello school stress 😅)

* Relate with people and with Him

* Let His Word grow in us until it multiplies through us

Luke’s little word “grew” carries a big message.

Wherever God is at work, growth is expected.

In individuals. In communities. In the Kingdom.