“Summoning the twelve, He gave them power and authority over all the demons, and power to heal diseases. Then He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Luke 9:1-2 HCSB
Last month I shared about where to start with those who want to go deeper with God. One way is to determine their hunger. How much do they truly want Him? This can take time, just as it takes time to disciple the genuinely spiritually hungry. It’s part of discerning the disciple-able (those in whom the Spirit’s working).
This can be with a new Christian or a “veteran.” It’s more about a desire to live a called-out life than years of faith. One can be a longtime church-goer with no desire to live all-out for God. In
fact, it’s often more challenging to get people who have been in church for years to change what they care about, i.e. embrace Jesus’ mission and go beyond only inviting people to church.
Not that inviting people to church is bad and ineffective, it’s just not the only or even most effective tool God gives us. What Jesus modeled and the early Church continued was to go out, share their testimonies, ask questions and equip people to reach those within their circles of influence (their oikos).
It’s not our pastors’ job to “bring people to Jesus,” but “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12).
Our large gatherings are good and Biblical. We are called to gather with other believers to worship the Lord and encourage one another. But as Jesus so often demonstrated in His work with the 12, and especially with His closest 3 (Peter, James and John), disciple-making happens in smaller settings.
I love hearing one of my mentors talk about Jesus’ strategy. His voice rises in pitch and his hands enunciate the profundity. It goes something like this, “Jesus—God on earth!—poured into 12 guys, one of whom bombed, and closely worked with 3. By the time He was ready to return to Heaven, He’d ‘scraped’ together 120, who huddled in an upper room scared and confused. That’s
it. Three years of ministry, and all Jesus could 'muster' was 120. By today’s church standards, that’s an epic failure.”
But, as we all know, this was the ragtag group Jesus used to set the world on fire. He ascended, sent the Holy Spirit and the world went ablaze.
Yes, Jesus attracted large groups, but they weren’t His main mission. They were the means to find those who were truly hungry for more of Him. Once those people were identified, then He did the real work: equip them to follow His model and make disciples as they went.
But, as we all know, this was the ragtag group Jesus used to set the world on fire. He ascended, sent the Holy Spirit and the world went ablaze.
This idea of spending more time with less people is a foreign concept to many American Christians today. It’s why I often get confused looks when I tell people, “No, TJC doesn’t have large meetings.” The time will come for those kinds of gatherings, but only as times of celebration for what God is doing. Then we’ll disperse again to discover who’s spiritually hungry. It’s less about a mass gathering and more about a movement.
So the next time you see me in a coffee shop with one or a few people, know it’s God continuing His movement in Darke County. Who is He calling you to intentionally spend more time with?
References:
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). Crossway Bibles.
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