In a small town the local church caught on fire and the whole town came to carry buckets and extinguish the fire. The minister even noticed the town atheist carrying as much water as anyone else. He commented to the atheist that he was surprised that the atheist was helping in this effort to save the church. The atheist replied, “It is the first time I’ve actually seen this church on fire!”
Churches are always looking for ways in which they can grow. They look to mechanics to discover why they fail to grow and seem to fail to find an answer to their problem. Sometimes we can’t find an answer because we are often looking in the place. It is possible that what is most needed in the Church before a change of mechanics is a change of our hearts.
One failure is often of emphasizing material processes over spiritual. If we just get the right Bible study program, we will have the answer. Bible study programs will never fix hollow hearts and shallow souls. Next, is when the Bible is diminished in the spiritual growth process. When programs become more important than following God we are destined to fail in our spiritual growth. Third, is an over emphasis on the pulpit. As a minister, I’m not afraid to tell you that as hard as I might try, the work of a Church takes place at the congregational level. One man cannot do the work of an entire group. Fourth, is when unity among members is more of a casual subject than a real practice. If we are going to try to convince the world of the value of a Church family, we have to learn to live lovingly as a family.
Churches who want to grow have to begin with serious introspection into who we really are, and ask hard questions about what it is that we want to become. Whether we are addressing a congregation or an individual, the answer is the same – we have to begin by gazing into the spiritual mirror, and seeking the cross over our convenience and pride.
I pray you are found where God wants you to be. I hope you are living out that great spiritual life God has set before you. Maybe our mirrors are giving us some bad news. If that is the case, we just need to repent and follow our first love. Remember we are planters, (1 Corinthians 3:6) God brings the increase. Let’s get to planting, and let God do what He does.