God Wants Your Church To Grow
God wants every church to grow. Let me clarify that I am not talking about transfer of membership, people joining your church after attending another church. Real church growth is people responding to the Gospel and praying to receive Christ. This is the purpose of the church. It is our responsibility as Christians. The Great Commmission was given to all of us, not just the pastor. Hudson Taylor (whom my youngest is named after) once said The Great Commission is not an option to be considered but a command to be obeyed. Unfortunately sometimes we lose sight of our purpose. We get so caught up in our little world, our stuff, our careers, our desires, our comfort that we miss out on the greatest privilege that a believer has…sharing the good news of Jesus. Even a pastor can lose sight of this and focus more on filling the church with people vs. reaching the lost world.
When we penetrate our culture the church will reach those without Christ. Bill Hybels once said that if your church is not growing you need to ask why. When working with churches he will ask what are you afraid of and what are you controlling?
On a personal level ~ when is the last time that you shared the Gospel with someone? Do you have a list of non-believing friends that you are praying for? What about a “Top Ten” most wanted list? If you don’t have anyone to pray for in addition to family how about asking the Lord to put someone who needs Him in your life. He will.