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Numbers, Numbers,
Numbers!! MP3
I, not infrequently, receive e-mails concerned about church growth or
the perceived lack thereof. Some offer suggestions and others wax
eloquent, almost demanding something be done, as if members were gleaned
from the world by efforts of individuals or churches. Such is not
the case; not directly.
I once worked for a software company which sold its product on the open
market. There was a sign on the wall that read, "Nothing Happens
Around Here Until Someone Sells Something." Maybe we should put up
a sign that reads, "Only God Can Call A Person to the Flock." We
know this from John 6:44...
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:
–John 6:44.
If we had a trillion-dollar budget and were in primetime on every
radio and TV station in North America, these alone would be no guarantee
anyone would be called. In other words, the ministry and the
church can expend vast amounts of money, time and effort, but unless God
is involved first and foremost, there will be no fruit.
Our commission is to spread the gospel and feed the existing flock. We do
not possess from God a commission to call, convince or convert.
God, through Christ and the Word can call and convert. We do not
have this power. Our focus, therefore, should be on our
commissions and let God initiate the calling of people and the building
up of churches.
Clearly God uses the spread of the gospel as a tool to do His calling.
We cannot use it as a tool; only He can. When the church began on
the Day of Pentecost, three-thousand people came forward to be baptized.
Who gets the credit for this miracle? God, of course.
Godly calling is a miracle.
Think about your own calling for a moment. Was not that a miracle?
What was it that moved you, for the first time in your life, to repent and
be baptized? Was it something human or something spiritual?
Someone once lamented, "If we could just perform healings and cast out
demons and other astounding miracles, we would have them lining up
around the block to be baptized." Is this true? Possibly.
Surely Jesus performed such miracles What was written about that?
But though he had done so many miracles before
them, yet they believed not on him: –John 12:37
Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein
most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe
unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works,
which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It
shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than
for you. –Matthew 11:20-22
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses
and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from
the dead. –Luke 16:31
He came unto his own, and his own received him
not. –John 1:11
Even miracles and healings and the raising of the dead is no guarantee
of growth in the church.
In some of the context of these verses you will see that it was God's
intent that many remain blinded lest they repent. This, again,
speaks to the point that the first and miraculous move is God's. We
have a part in this process of Godly calling [the
spreading of the gospel], but none of our efforts can be
proactive [doing something without
understanding the will of God].
My hopes are that the membership of this church will not become obsessed
with numbers or overly energetic about new methods and means of
"bringing in a harvest". God knew long ago whom He would call.
Let us focus on the commissions God has given us and wait for His
harvest.
Much of the fruit of the gospel spreading is never seen, but by God.
Understand that God is not primarily using the program or the general
spread of the gospel to call people now. His primary purpose is to put
the gospel message into the brains of people on earth. He can use this
in the Tribulation, in the 1,000-year reign of Christ and in the Second
Resurrection. He calls people through the gospel and once that message
is on the brain, He can get to them anytime. This is why numbers do not
mean much.
For example, we have visitors from 100 countries a month to the web
site. Do you feel God is building ICG fellowship groups in those
countries? I doubt it. Is the gospel being spread? I know it
is. How about the 144,000 and the Great Multitude (a
million or more?)? They are called during the Heavenly Signs when
they see the signs and remember the gospel message. Where did they hear
it? Clearly many heard it from us.
In the final analysis, we cannot be concerned about numbers other than
those that are easily seen, such as numbers of visitors to the web site.
Even those are misleading and really not all that important. Our only
duty is to spread the gospel...nothing more.
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