I am speaking on this in a few weeks…but the Bible says in Ephesians 3:20-21 that God is ABLE to do so much more than all we can ask or imagine.
SO…the question often gets asked, “If God is so big and wants to do so much for this world then why isn’t more taking place?”
I think the problem isn’t with God…it’s with His church…and it’s because we just don’t know how to think big anymore.
Come on…don’t even throw the “numbers do not matter” argument at me…that’s weak, VERY WEAK! If you want to use that line of irrational thought then you are basically saying that in America the population is INCREASING and that church attendance is DECREASING...and that GOD ISN’T CONCERNED!!! (Both of these are facts—do the research!)
MAYBE it’s time the church took our head out of our rear ends and faced reality—GOD CARES ABOUT THE CHURCH REACHING PEOPLE!!!
AND…there ARE people to be reached! Right now there are more people living in America…heck, in the world, than ever before—and yet there are still some churches who seek to justify their disobedience to the Great Commission by saying they simply want “intimate community” and “real fellowship” and “deep teaching,” and, even though there is a community of people “out there” that are hell bound—well—that’s ok—let them go there…because reaching them will make “us” uncomfortable!
News flash…I am a big thinker. I decided several years ago that God is NOT in a box! His dreams are bigger than our dreams…His thoughts are higher than our thoughts…AND if the church is HIS BRIDE then HE DOES NOT WANT HER IN SOME BACK ROOM, HIDING, ASHAMED OF HIM…HE WANTS HER ON DISPLAY…SHOWING THE WORLD TRUE BEAUTY AND PASSION!!!
I am sure some of you are rolling your eyes at this point & saying that I am “just another mega church pastor” who is all about the numbers. I have said it hundreds of times…every number represents a person…every person matters to God…and we will continue to reach people here at NewSpring because, to be honest—after what Jesus Christ has done for me—I WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW…I WANT EVERYONE to have the same experience that I had…it is NOT for me to remain silent about it & hope “those people out there get it one day…”, it is for me & our church to SHARE!!!
Our church will continue to think big…and I refuse to even entertain arguments from people who would simply dismiss us as the mega church monster and call us unsuccessful because we are growing. STOP...how stupid is that thought pattern? If a business grows…attracts more customers…then it is considered successful. If a team has way more wins than losses—it is successful. BUT…for some reason…if a church reaches people, lives are changed…and it grows…to SOME backwards, narrow minded, self focused people—that is wrong!!!
I don’t get it!
We have a God that is in the people business…and so the church should be as well. We have a God that is able to do so much more than we could ask or imagine…and so I think the church should STOP being concerned with adding 3% a year and BEGIN PASSIONATELY LOVING PEOPLE AND REACHING THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY EXIST IN FOR JESUS!!!
For you NewSpringer’s—trust me—what is coming our way is HUGE. I will be sharing the next steps I feel that God is leading us to take on Sunday, December 3rd. I am so pumped about it that I can’t even sleep!!! GOD IS NOT FINISHED HERE YET…HE IS JUST GETTING STARTED! Many of the people that will be reached are YOUR family members…YOUR friends…and THIS CHURCH CARES ABOUT THEM!!! I CARE ABOUT THEM!!! I WANT TO SEE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE MEET JESUS!!!
We will continue to think big because we have a God who can do more than a couple of car washes and hot dog suppers every year!!! We have a God who can bring the dead back to life—walk on water—turn water into wine—heal people—part the Red Sea—and if He did it “then” He can still do it today!!!
The best is yet to come—think big!