We once lived in a mobile home park. Now you must understand, a mobile home park is a place where most everyone has enough time on their hands to be sure you're doing all you should be doing and "watch" you doing it.
One of the things that are evidently important to “seasoned-citizens” is your yard; you are regularly visited by people you don’t know, whose only interest is what you have or haven’t done to your yard.
At first, this seems picayune and a slightly irritating; but, as the Lord is fond of doing, this can provide you with an opportunity to reach out to these wonderfully nosy people. Not only that, but it can teach you something else: don't plant and ignore.
Plants need constant care. They must be constantly fed, watered (strangely they get very thirsty), nourished, protected, and pruned. But no matter how hard we work, some plants just don’t respond to what we do for them. We have to get beyond them.
The Lord never had it in mind that His disciples should be planted, then forgotten.
He challenged Peter to care for and protect His sheep [John 21:15]. The writer of the book of Hebrews says the mature disciple eats solid food [5:14].
Jesus said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ONLY, BUT ON EVERY WORD WHICH PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD’” [Matthew 4:4]. Jesus said to the woman at the well,“Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water which I shall give to him shall never thirst; but the water which I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”Jesus taught that His Father would prune fruit-bearing disciples, but that who were fruitless would be taken up and thrown out [John 15:2].John 4:13-14
My experiences with plants have taught me well … I‘m now watering, feeding, protecting, nourishing, and pruning all my nosy neighbors for the glory of God.
Showing posts with label Church growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church growth. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
EVANGELISM: The greatest danger to the Bride is her health!
Saturday, February 25, 2006
DOCTRINE: For "Workmen" who don't want to be ashamed!
LOWERING THE BAR! [Ephesians 4:11-16]
Someone told me of a small high desert community which organized a marching band. They got high marks for spirit and good intentions, but not for music.
You see, in a town where the high school’s senior class is usually less than a couple of dozen, it’s difficult to find anyone to play an instrument, let alone play one well. They didn’t audition and interview potential members; they bribed, cajoled and promised, accepting any who came forward. The fact is they lowered their standards till every instrument had a player. But their performances? Horrible!
Most of us understand when standards are lowered in a situation like the above but what if a professional orchestra were to do this? An orchestra is organized to combine unique independent musical elements into a harmonious and melodious whole, there’s no room for degradation of standards.
A church is a lot like a symphonic orchestra, though far more consequential. A church is also like a small town, there seems always to be a dearth of people for their labor pool. Most small churches would get “high marks for spirit and good intentions,” but not for impressiveness.
Small churches can’t afford to cajole and manipulate just to increases in membership; taking any and all who come. Small churches must resist the temptation to degrade quality for quantity. Churches are intended to be organized to combine independent “natural” giftedness into a “supernatural” harmonious union: there really isn't room for degradation of standards.
Far too many churches have been willing to lower standards regarding membership, even those concerning office holders. If we can imagine the ruin degraded standards would bring upon a professional orchestra, why do we have so much trouble seeing the dangers of degrading biblical standards for The Body of Christ?
One reading of the New Testament is enough to impress the reader of the importance of overcoming and perseverance … I suggest we revisit those passages and stop becoming entangled with the world just to increase Body fat! (added 2/25/06)
Someone told me of a small high desert community which organized a marching band. They got high marks for spirit and good intentions, but not for music.
You see, in a town where the high school’s senior class is usually less than a couple of dozen, it’s difficult to find anyone to play an instrument, let alone play one well. They didn’t audition and interview potential members; they bribed, cajoled and promised, accepting any who came forward. The fact is they lowered their standards till every instrument had a player. But their performances? Horrible!
Most of us understand when standards are lowered in a situation like the above but what if a professional orchestra were to do this? An orchestra is organized to combine unique independent musical elements into a harmonious and melodious whole, there’s no room for degradation of standards.
A church is a lot like a symphonic orchestra, though far more consequential. A church is also like a small town, there seems always to be a dearth of people for their labor pool. Most small churches would get “high marks for spirit and good intentions,” but not for impressiveness.
Small churches can’t afford to cajole and manipulate just to increases in membership; taking any and all who come. Small churches must resist the temptation to degrade quality for quantity. Churches are intended to be organized to combine independent “natural” giftedness into a “supernatural” harmonious union: there really isn't room for degradation of standards.
Far too many churches have been willing to lower standards regarding membership, even those concerning office holders. If we can imagine the ruin degraded standards would bring upon a professional orchestra, why do we have so much trouble seeing the dangers of degrading biblical standards for The Body of Christ?
One reading of the New Testament is enough to impress the reader of the importance of overcoming and perseverance … I suggest we revisit those passages and stop becoming entangled with the world just to increase Body fat! (added 2/25/06)
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