I’ve
heard it discussed a lot lately. I’ve pondered it myself. How can we make the
church stronger? The number of faithful Christians seems to be on a steady
decline. We see more and more empty pews on Sunday and classrooms left vacant
on Wednesday. It’s discouraging. We want to know why. We want to know how to
turn things around. How do we build a strong church? You probably won’t like my
answer. I’ll be honest-it steps on my toes as much as yours.
The
secret to strengthening a congregation is not hiring Superman to be your
minister. The secret to strengthening a congregation is not expecting the
elders (or deacons for that matter) to do everything. It is not giving away
door prizes each Sunday morning. It is not making worship service appealing by
offering entertainment. The secret
involves asking ourselves how convicted that man sitting in the pew is. The
secret to building a strong congregation is having the member’s hearts devoted
to God. Now, if you’re like me, you’re reading this thinking, I’m devoted to God;
I’m a New Testament Christian and I am whole-heartedly devoted to serving God,
but are you really? I think it would be wise to ask ourselves some tough
questions here. If we’re really honest we seek excellence in nearly all aspects
of life (i.e. athletics, academics, careers, material possessions). We even set our
children up for these same goals and accomplishments. Is there anything wrong
with that? Absolutely not. The problem arises when we strive for excellence in
all areas except the one that truly matters-walking with God.
When
we become New Testament Christians we undergo a transfer of ownership. God
becomes our Master. He reigns over us and we seek to serve Him faithfully. If
we faithfully serve Him, others notice it. They notice a difference in us-a
light that shines amidst a dark world. Jesus told us to let our lights shine
that others might see the Father through our good works (Matt. 5:16). We want to be lights, but sometimes we
let any and everything get in the way of striving to be excellent lights. We
allow our lights to grow dim, but Jesus said, “Let your light so SHINE …” Shine. We must be focused on
letting our lights shine. We must constantly be praying for opportunities to
serve the Lord. We cannot afford to get sidetracked. We cannot afford to be
distracted. We cannot allow our lights to dim or go out. The strength of the
church depends on it.
Then I
told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's
words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build.
So
they strengthened their hands for this good work.
Nehemiah 2:18 KJV
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