What do you want to celebrate about 2021?

If asked to list all our accomplishments for 2021, what would be our top 5 that we would want to celebrate? Besides the testimonies about our healing, high business returns, costly investments on assets and so on, we will be tempted to summarize our achievements to those that gave us profit or earned a goodwill, giving us reason to celebrate.

But, Pastor/leader when coming to specifics, Christian, what have you done this year that God is celebrating about you? We all like to flaunt activities and programs that gathered crowd, but barely giving attention to measurable outcomes. The poor ‘outcome’ in any of our activities and programs are never considered. Churches in most cases are institutionalized. Crowd control has become the top priority for Church leadership. At the end of the day all have a reason to be happy. But do you think that makes God happy and if He has a reason to be proud, what would that be?

Do we want to still measure our achievements based on ABC method - Attendance, Building and Cash? How should we actually be measuring our accomplishments? Let me throw some light in this blog. In a blog written earlier I have enumerated the top 3 purposes for every individual ( Finding Purpose), which I would like to bring to your notice once again. They are:

1. Knowing God and having fellowship with Him (John 17:3; 1 Cor 1:9)

2. Being a disciple maker (Matthew 28:19, 2 Timothy 2:2)

3. Be a carrier of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3)

Hence, in terms of the purpose of every individual listed above, how would we measure our progress and celebrate it?

In terms of the Christ's Commission to all, as stated in Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 16:15, where do we like to position ourselves? Have we been intentional in sharing the gospel and making disciples? People who have churches would want to respond by saying we have shared the gospel and have been investing on them weekly. Great! But what is the ROI (Return of investment)? How many in our congregation were successful in leading at least one person to Christ? It is easy to pray for the nation for salvation and have seminars about evangelism without actually acting upon it. Evangelism in many cases have become a spiritual fashion word.

Actual evangelism thrives on relationship, which has been brutally marred in this digital age. No one has time to spend with the one lost soul, do weekly follow-ups and walk with them patiently. We act more like flying squads, distributing tracts, forwarding videos, sharing YouTube links, presenting a discourse and assume it will do its work. Evangelism is much more than just what was listed. It is sparing our time intentionally, building relationship and walking with the person in the journey before we can actually prepare the person to be a vibrant disciple.

If heaven has a reason to celebrate, then it is based on what is said in Luke 15:7 “I tell you in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance.”

Churches and Christians think they need to grow more in the Lord, be filled more with Holy Spirit and speak more in tongues. But if they were to be asked to define what is ‘more’, many would be blank with no answer. If our ‘more’ is not filling our hearts with compassion for people (Matthew 9:36) and we are unwilling to reach out to them, then our so called ‘more’ is meaningless. Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:19, “… I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, then ten thousand words in tongue.”. Let our five words be the gospel to save dying souls.

In the day of Pentecost more than ten language group people heard the gospel in their own language. Isn’t it wonderful to know that the tongues were not limited to ‘prayer language’ but used to proclaim the gospel? Jesus when stating the Great Commission recorded in Mark 16:17 says, “.. they will speak in new languages”, which is to carry the gospel in people’s known languages. If we have a reason to celebrate then it should always be in connection with the purpose of the individuals and the Great Commission. That, God would be proud about!

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Christmas Evangelism –It's A Fishless Fishology, how true?

 

We have arrived at that time of the year where Churches and Christian organizations gear up for frenzied Christmas activities to attract their community and beneficiaries. Church buildings are prepped up with festive mood and religiosity is at its peak. Christians ardently celebrate it as a festival calling it the ‘Bada Din’ – Big Day in Hindi. It’s those of us who are regular attendees of the Church, celebrate the season for our satisfaction. But are we making any difference in this season? Also, Christian organizations make big plans for evangelism and implement programs, again to what outcomes?

Evangelism drive has become a farce of big numbers of people hearing the Gospel and giving their lives to Christ, but as Christians we fail to cringe at the fact that we flaunt numbers to impress Churches, well-wishers and donors. Do we really evangelize? As individuals, have we lead at least one person to Christ? We need to honestly ask ourselves these questions. Sadly, as Christians we have ended up with the tag line – “99 stimulate the 99 to mobilize the 99 for resources to reach nation”. But it is so far from reality because statistics of our country regarding Christians don't lie.

Jesus points out what brings immense joy in Heaven, "I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance."  Luke 15:7 CSB. What does the verse reverberate? Crowd Evangelism and crowd mobilization are sweet music to our ears, but Heaven is still patiently waiting to rejoice over the one who honestly repents and finds Jesus. Evangelism is not only a lifestyle but the willingness to walk patiently with that one person for a period of time to ensure he / she repents and becomes not only a disciple but also a disciple maker. May God stir our hearts to make a meaningful contribution in the life of one person, multiplying into many, in order to bring Great joy to heaven.

Let us see a parable that summarizes this message beautifully:

A Parable of Fishless Fishermen

Now it came to pass that there was a group of people who called themselves fishermen and lo there were many fish in the waters around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish and the fish were hungry. Week after week, month after month, year after year, those who called themselves fishermen met in meetings to talk about their call to fish, the abundance of fish and how they might go about fishing.

Year after year they carefully defined what fishing meant, defended fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing was always the primary task of the fishermen. Continually they searched for new and better methods of fishing and for new and better definitions of fishing. One thing they didn’t do however. They didn’t fish. Large, elaborate and expensive training centers were built, whose original and primary purpose was to teach fishermen how to fish. All through the years, courses were offered on the need to fish, the nature of fish, where to find fish, classifying fish, and the psychological reactions of fish.

Those who taught had doctorates of fishiology but the teachers didn’t fish. They only taught fishing. Year after year, after tedious training, many were graduated and were given fishing licenses.

After one meeting on the necessity for fishing, one young fellow left the meeting and went fishing. The next day he reported that he caught two outstanding fish. He was honored for his excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the main meetings possible to tell how he had caught the two big fish. So, he quit his fishing in order to have time to tell about his experiences to the other fishermen and also to make a movie on the big catch. He was also placed on the fishermen’s general board because of his considerable experience.

Now it’s true that many of “the fishermen” were truly sincere and really sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. After all, were they not following the master who said “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Imagine how hurt some of them were when one day a person stood up and suggested that those who didn’t catch fish were really not fishermen no matter how much they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct.

Is a person a fisherman if year after year he never catches fish? Is one following, if one isn’t fishing?

(Author unknown)

If we or our Church are like this fishless Fishermen, we would be deemed useless and dead weight. Are we ready to allow God to speak to us and align ourselves to the honest call for evangelism?

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