Something I’ve notice about churches and their leadership.
They think they run a business. I was a business owner a few years ago. This is completely different. There are some similarities yes. You might gather some evangelistic abilities from selling techniques, discovering the customers need and solving the problem etc etc.
But The church or even church is not a business.
The goal of business is to offer a product that does meet the needs of a customer market while making a profit to live on. TheReby hopefully growing and accumulating as much wealth for the owner as one can through a business model designed to accomplish this task to the best of the abilities of the owner/ designer (of the business plan).
In the above statement some things should stand out in stark contrast to the ministry.
1.-the goal in ministry is not monetary profit/ or even kingdom building.
2.-souls are not won by our effort/ abilities.
There is so much that can be said about the ministry and the mandate of the pastor/ preacher but I think these two points alone result in the number one problem keeping churches from growing, beyond what I’m gonna call “human effort.” Let’s call that the 200 mark. Seems to be every church talks about 200 people being the number at which most churches stagnate. I’ve heard about pastors talking about multi site when they are still growing (that is to spiritual maturity) those in the congregation they still have.
The leadership thinks they have to be skillful at the “church” business (ie networking, salesmanship, likability, market presence, market saturation, business acumen etc...)
Not many would confess that point one is their goal for the church. But let’s get real for a moment. Many talk about their church as if they are building something. The kingdom. They call it. Kingdom building. Sounds Christian. We’re building the kingdom of God. To what end? Just so God can saturate the market with buildings called churches?
The church begins around God. He must be center. Of course most would say. But the message is central. The word. The words spoken, the word read aloud, the word is the most important thing. It must be 100% accurate. Whether the lights are on, or off, how the music sounds, how much coffee selection there is, are there any donuts has zero effect on how the message is delivered.
The one who brings the message is of utmost importance. Was this person called by God? Not did he hear a voice—that’s a whole different topic to address—but was he called.
"I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied. (Jeremiah 23:21, NASB)
Not only must the man of God be called, he must speak the words of God. Look at the following verses to see what God says of these individuals who speak without being sent.
"But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds. (Jeremiah 23:22, NASB)
Point 1 begins here to touch into point 2. If the man was called by God (that is called to be sent to proclaim a message) then His people would have heard and turned and repented.
When I mentioned “human effort” earlier what I meant was these people are trying to build something through human effort that not of the will of the Spirit of God. This is what the Bible means when it says “walking in the flesh.” You are trying through your own efforts to do what only God can do.
Only God can effect change that brings about eternal life.
The point of church is not to build our own little empire with the Christian label. We may even think we are doing God’s work. Matthew 7, many will come to me on that day and say.....Lord Lord did we not.....in your name?
Harsh words. Pastors be sure of your calling. Secondly, make sure if you are called you preaching the message of the king. The one who sent you. You don’t need to lighten it up to spare feelings and trying to accumulate more and more people who will congregate each week and to come and listen. That’s not your mandate.
Jesus didn’t ask Peter to grow or build his church on the beach.
He asked him to “feed my sheep.”
What are you to feed them? The very words of God.
Jeremiah—I found your word and I ate them and they became to me a delight....
Jesus—man doesn’t not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Feed and protect.
Point 2, “souls are not won by our efforts/ abilities.”
The second quote in Jeremiah 23:22 does appear to contradict this statement. Because it seems to say that if they spoke the words of God the people would have heard and turned.
This is true to a degree. Not that there is contradiction. But God’s words do effect change. God’s word does have that effect. But this is not universal. Meaning God through Jeremiah is not promoting universalism here. Not every one who hears God’s words turn. Not everyone who hears God’s words will be saved. The gospels are littered with people who heard God’s word and walked away from him. Upon hearing Jesus’s word in John 6 it says, and many of his disciples walked with Him no more.
So it must have some kind of qualifier on it. What is about about God’s word that effect change?
Perhaps that’s the wrong question. Maybe it’s not what is it? As much as who is it? Who is it that the message is originating from?
See the power is not in the spoken word (as in audibly) as it is in the one who spoke and sent the massage. Take our scripture of Jeremiah.
God is saying yes those that I call will have a message to speak from me, and upon delivery change will happen. But it’s not the power of the speaker. The messenger as it were. But the one who the message originated from. Look at those words again. Notice the emphasis.
“stood in My council, they would have spoke My words, to My people.”
It is God who effects change.
Closing this up.
Look with me real quick at Ezekiel 36:25-27
25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. (Ezekiel 36:25, NASB)
To make the point that it is God who brings about change. This is the set of verses Jesus referenced in his conversation to Nicodemus.
John 3:3. “Truly, truly, you must be born again...” (in the Greek ‘anothen’—from above).
So what Jesus is saying here regeneration of the believers heart is a work done solely by God.
In closing, it is God who plants in us a new heart. God plants in us the desire to hear His word. So when the Man of God comes along the sinner moved by the Spirit (regenerated heart) hears the word of God he feels the call of God, to believe the words of Gods message and then turn to Christ in true repentance.
Knowing this: how do we think we can effect the message at all? On any level?
This is why the message of the gospel is such a miracle. Because it’s a work of God to truly save a dead sinner from the eternal judgment that must befall him, that God has mercy and grace upon us even while we were his enemies.
So the measurement of the ministry is not how many converts “we” have. Or how many attend that “we” might effect change in.
It’s: how faithful are we to the mandate given to us by the king to accurately handle the word of God (1st Timothy).
God bless.
Ps. I’d add for anyone not in ministry there are some things to look for in a church. How focused on the word are they? Are they worried about church growth? More than your growth? I don’t mean do they invite you to small groups. But how much of a priority does your spiritual maturity seem to be? For true growth in the word.
Are your church leaders trying to facilitate in you the delight Jeremiah found in taking in the word of God so that it begin to mature you as a believer?
Are you encouraged and strengthened by your confidence in God’s word, assured of your position in God’s kingdom through their ministry.
And remember it’s not about what your church can do to serve you. They are there to strengthen and encourage the believer in their afflictions as it relates to persecution and help you to grow to maturity as a believer. This is the point of meeting. Our focus is on worshiping our Lord. In truth we do that largely through the consumption of His word.
