What is going to be your model for defining the impact of your Church in 2023? Is it going to be the usual A,B,C - "Attendance-Building-Cash" parameter that has been satisfying you for so long or do you want to seriously consider rethinking to make a meaningful impact in your Church. Aubrey Sequeira states, “Big numbers simply feed big egos with the notion that we are doing something worthwhile for God. But God’s real work simply cannot be measured by numbers alone.”
We are caught up in the idolatry of impact that says,
If it works let's go with it!
If it’s big, it’s good!
If it’s dynamic, It’s God!
Jesus faced three temptations to make an immediate impact, instead He chose a different route. Today, Christians are deceived to believe that all which is big and grandeur, are from God. And the Christian celebrities / Pastors are using this for their advantage to falsely satisfy the congregation of their duty to God.
Diane Langberg puts it beautifully, “God’s measuring stick does not have the markers of size, numbers, time, influence, or money on it. According to God, the little and insignificant is as important as the big and significant. The issue is not magnitude, but obedience.”. The obedience to the Great Commission is what matters. Sadly all Christians, by and large, ignore this. All that matters today is the ritualistic Sunday visits to Church buildings and leaving with a good feeling. How are we going to break this deception? Are we willing to revolutionize? Or are we too comfortable with the numbers as long as money rolls in? When I am saying "Big", I don’t mean only the parameter of measurement. Let not the small fellowships take this as an excuse for being stagnant. If your Church members are active disciples, they will be disciple makers, making disciples.
Let me emphasize on this, Jesus did not commission to build Churches in every village, town, and city but to make disciples. And somehow, we substitute this by making all attempts to build a structure and holy sanctuary because money and property are involved in it. What an idolism, sadly? We need to seriously break any deception that can destroy the actual purpose of the Church.
Let me explain what I meant moving to C, D, E Pattern – “Carrier-Decision-Evangelism”
Carrier of the gospel:
Every believer is expected to be the carrier of the gospel. Jesus in His prayer to His father said this, “I had given them the words you gave me…” (John 17:8), it means that Jesus was the carrier of the words given by His father. In verse 18 Jesus says, “As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world”. If you notice Paul reiterates the same in 1 Corinthians 15:3 “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received…”. Today's Churches have conveniently abandoned this and are busy managing the Sunday Church Program. People hardly feel convicted of their responsibility. Can you seriously equip your members to be the carrier of the gospel? We are responsible to send them out with the gospel. Let’s not rob this purpose out of them.
Decision to be a Church:
Help your believers to be a Church. Enough of having people visit your Church and remaining as kindergarten students all their life. The true measurement of their spiritual maturity defines their ability to share gospel to the non-believers. Do you realise their personal Church space remains empty all their life? The writer of Hebrews makes his point when he says this, "Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.". Hebrews 5:12 CSB. In most cases we have kept our followers depending on us always, all the time. Last year, I met a big leader with many Churches under him. He said that I should not by any chance speak about the early Church model because he thinks every believer will start a house fellowship and collect money which is a loss for the Church. If this is not a scam, then what would you call it?
Evangelism as a lifestyle:
The mark of a true Christian is when they can make evangelism their lifestyle. Some pastors tell me that their calling is not to be an evangelist and it’s not his specialisation. How badly they have misunderstood Christ's Mission? If your members are not capable to make evangelism their lifestyle it just tells the leader/Pastor have failed miserably.
Can we seriously strip off all the superficiality and be willing to live a radical life for Christ? Start becoming a carrier of the Gospel, becoming a Church and making evangelism a lifestyle in this year 2023.
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