“Be Prepared” and “Always Ready” are not only good mottos for Scouts and Marines, but are also necessary for those congregations that are letting the Spirit have full reign in their churches. All of this prayer and all of this conversation are going to have results. The question is: will we be ready for them?
In this last chapter, Martha Reese guides us through and tries to prepare us for change—change that will be necessary for our survival; change that will be difficult; change that may bring conflict and distractions. She talks about changes from without and changes from within.
For example, our leadership team has set December 7 as a day when we are expected to ramp up our courage, practice our sharing skills, and invite someone to visit Heights Christian Church. It’s the second Sunday of Advent, Peace Sunday. There will be activities for children starting at 8:30 in the morning (“Breakfast with the Angels” and “Happy Birthday Jesus”). From without, this will take preparation, people, greeters, providers of food, set up and clean up and above all, FOLLOW UP. Change. Hopefully, these will be growing pains.
From within, there may be conflict as we move forward. Not everyone will agree on what is planned or even on the direction we are heading. Some people may feel burned out. Some may feel left out. In chapter six, therefore, there is some very practical advice. We will need to listen to trusted, sensitive people who see early what change is doing; we should heed the people who tell us we are going too fast and biting off more than we can chew. We will need to be tactful and sensitive with the people who are resisting necessary, Spirit-motivated changes. We will need to keep God and prayer at the center of what we do. Some churches may need an outside advisor to help them through this period.
The other issue is distractions: Which changes are absolutely necessary for our future and which are detours? Again, putting our feet firmly on the wisdom of the Spirit, prayer, Scripture and continuing to talk with each other are most important. Martha Reese keeps repeating: “Stay on target!”
She encourages us to “do what we love” when it comes to outreach and evangelism. She wants us to base our actions on a rich spiritual life, and to continue to learn to talk about our faith. Tell our stories. Have new people tell THEIR stories. Pray for people who have no one to pray for them. To every serious question people have about life, there is a way of looking at Scripture and learning through our prayer that Jesus is the answer.
It all adds up to a new beginning.
And we have begun! I’ve already mentioned the celebration on December 7th. Everyone come, whether someone comes with you or not! Put it on your calendar. Think now who you might invite, but don’t worry about it. Make it natural (“We are having this special Sunday at our church to which we’re supposed to invite someone. Would you mind being my guest and coming with me on December 7th?”). I tried it with our next door neighbor. She said “Sure. I was thinking about going to Church anyway!” You could have knocked me over with a feather. –A new beginning, indeed.
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Joe said, "To every serious question people have about life, there is a way to look at scripture and learning through our prayers that Jesus is the answer."
This is the most powerful statement made throughout the past six weeks.
There are many nobel and just causes for us to dedicate ourselves too, but they must all come second to our dedication to Jesus Christ and obeying the commandments He has given us in His word.
There are numerous books, articles, videos, and audios available on the subject of church growth these days. Churches are bombarded with a large array of resources and models that promise "rapid" church growth, "easy" church growth, "massive" church growth, and the like. But there is no book or program better or more effective than the Bible itself.
A historical look at the birth of Christianity should make something pretty clear: Jesus drew crowds. It is hard to justify a 'small church' mentality when looking at the example of Jesus given in the Bible.
The clear lesson from the life of Christ and the book of Acts is that the church is to be constantly expanding and constantly on the move. And that its impact should not be restricted to formal church services, but rather to the community itself and meeting the needs of those surrounding it. What community has a greater need than hearing the Good News of the Gospel?
When the day of Pentecost came, the writer of Acts records that the Holy Spirit descended on the followers of Christ in "tongues of fire" and with a "mighty wind" (Acts 2:1-3). When this incredible and supernatural event happened, it attracted quite a crowd and gave the apostle Peter a dramatic opportunity to stand up publicly and be counted as a follower of Christ, an opportunity he failed to take on the night of Jesus' trial.
After Peter's sermon, the writer of Acts reports that "about 3,000 souls" were incorporated into the “church”, the "church" being the fellowship of believers and followers of Jesus Christ.
There should always be time for critical self-evaluation when things aren’t going as well as they should.
The biblical model for a church is a church that actively and passionately ministers to both the physical and spiritual needs of those around it, but especially the spiritual needs. Such a church should desire to grow, not for its own glory, satisfaction, or financial concerns, but because of its love for God and the people within its reach.
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