Read Genesis 25; Hebrews 12:12-17; Psalm 68:19-20; 85:9; & 96:2
I really wanted to end our Genesis study with a bang! Something really spectacular... And God has ordained it so that we are ending with the most menial, almost ridiculous story about two brothers, one a mama's boy and the other a hunter, delegating over red stew...
As we look at the details about each of the boys, Jacob and Esau, we are soon reminded that neither of them merited praise. If we try to figure out why one was worthy of grace and one was not, we see that Jacob's actions were shady and Esau's actions were carnal and hasty. Furthermore, the house is divided as mommy and daddy are playing favorites. None of them seems trustworthy. This is a reminder to us. So many times we look at these stories and say, "Be like this guy" or "don't be like that guy". Consider how many times you have heard someone say, "Noah was the only good one. Be like Noah." But in truth, Noah was wicked like the rest of them. God redeemed him from his wickedness. The point is that God is worthy of our trust, and no one else in all of history is worthy of this kind of dependence. This is important to us because of the number of people who "quit" church or "badmouth" church because of all of the sinners. There are so many who "fall away from faith" because of something that someone else did. And one main consistency throughout all of Scripture is that man is fallen! And he will (I will) fail you! And this is no reason to turn from God! Rather, it is all the more reason to cling to Christ and not put your hope in man.
The better question for us to ask is, "WHO IS WORTHY OF GRACE?" This question is humbling. It levels the playing field. It has been said that the ground at the foot of the cross is very level. Really, who is worthy of grace?
So as we see these two brothers debating over some red stew, it seems insignificant. Like the part of the story that is included, but not really significant to their lives. But what is revealed? Consider the birthright... For the first-born who inherits the birthright:
1.) He assumes the functions of the priesthood in the family. This includes rituals, offerings, distinguishing between holy and unholy, clean and unclean. Teach God's statutes. Act as judge. Make sure the family is rightly obeying the Lord.
2.) Double-portion of property
3.) Succeeds to the official authority of the father
4.) Authority over younger members of the household
So this is what Esau is despising. But what does this reveal about Esau's values? Consider the impact that one could have for the glory of God in a family if you were in charge of the way money and time were utilized. Consider how you could lead the family to God and clearly communicate His ways. Esau is showing that he does not value these things. And he does not value this generation or future generations. One commentator states, "True wisdom would undergo a thousand deaths than renounce a birthright."
What is happening here is that Esau's decision should have been affected by his birthright! His actions should have been informed and shaped by that blessing that comes through the Father. And so this is the way of those who are not guided by God's grace.
Interestingly, while Jacob's actions are certainly up for debate, one writer says, "Old Jacob was only finishing what he had started... pursuing the birthright." The birthright is important! However, Esau's actions on a seemingly insignificant afternoon, driven by a desire for "red stew", make it very clear that his actions were not being governed by his birthright.
We started off with the question, "Who is worthy of grace?" Now let us consider that no one excels another in virtue and obedience, but by the grace of God alone. When deprived of the Spirit, we revel only in the things physical and earthly.
"Let us learn, that they to whom God does not vouchsafe the grace of His Spirit, are carnal and brutal; and are so addicated to this fading life, that they think not of the spiritual kingdom... but them who God has undertaken to govern, are not so far entangled in the snares of the flesh as to prevent them from being intent upon their high vocation." -Calvin
Esau is guilty of despising something of great significance to obtain something of little significance. But the aim here for us is NOT just "don't be like Esau"... Rather it is, "Be governed by grace. Assess your actions and responses and make sure that you are not despising the great for the lacking."
In Hebrews 12, Esau is compared to those who are sexually immoral and unholy. At first this may seem puzzling. How could trading your birthright for some red stew be considered the same as sexual immorality? But a closer look reveals striking similarities. To be holy is to be set apart. Esau and the sexually immoral and the unholy are guilty of the same thing... giving way to the solicitations of the appetite, regardless of consequences... or to say it another way, they have treated something sacred with irreverence. This is the very definition of "profane". Esau had convinced himself that he was so hungry that he could die. And because he did not have a view for the glory of God in future generations, he said, "What good is this to me if I die?" And for a bowl of red stew, he revealed that he despised his birthright. And when he was done, he just got up and walked away... no repentance... And interestingly, like the sexually immoral, later on when he wants his blessing, he owns up to nothing, while blaming everybody else. He, like many others who are guilty of surrendering to the solicitations of the appetite, sets himself up as the victim.
*** Those born again have every spiritual blessing in Christ, who is the firstborn of all creation! And "red stew" comes in many different forms, in many seemingly insignificant scenarios.
It is in these seemingly insignificant situations, that we are able to show how much we value God's call on our lives. It is in the mundane details of a Tuesday afternoon, when you are tired and hungry, that you may best have the opportunity to show your family that you value your eternal inheritance, and you aim to be governed by the grace of God. Consider the following opportunities:
- The way you talk to your children.
- The way you spend your family time. (For those who have a full time job, you may get home around 6PM. If your kids go to bed at 9PM and you come home and watch an hour and a half of TV, you have wasted half of the quality time that you had for them for that day.)
- Your response when in despair.
- The way you spend your money.
- What you are willing to give up.
- Who you have over for dinner.
- What menial tasks you are willing to do.
Your created purpose is to put God's glory on display in EVERY singly, tiny, menial, insignificant aspect of your life. And when you do, God gets the glory, because you know that you are being governed by grace. "From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks". (Luke 6:45)
I fear that sometimes we have a similar misconception that Esau has. He felt that his birthright was only important in this life. Sometimes we are guilty of viewing our salvation as only important in our death. As if salvation were something designed by God to affect us in the future, not now. If governed by grace, we will see that our salvation has everything to do with today and tomorrow. Consider this very small sampling...
Psalm 68:19-20 "Blessed be the Lord who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death." (His salvation is the direct reason that we are daily lifted from our depravity.)
Psalm 85:9 "Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land." (We fear Him today, because of salvation. It is our birthright that makes it possible for His glory to dwell in our land today, because we are being governed by grace, and thereby, putting the glory of God on display for all to see.)
Psalm 96:2 "Sing to the Lord, bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day." (From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. A heart governed by grace results in a mouth that speaks of salvation every day.)
So you may say, "This is my aim, but what if I mess up? What if I give way to my appetite?" And this is our big, monumental conclusion! Repent and follow Jesus. We did not see this in Esau. He ate. He got up. He walked away. At that point there was a chance to repent. If your heart is governed by grace, you have that chance. Repent, follow Jesus, and always aim to be governed by the grace of God so that you glorify God in every aspect of your lives! Let every single decision be affected by your birthright.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
The God of all can change it all...
Read 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8, Genesis 25:21-34; Romans 14:5; Romans 9:6-16
A sober mind is of vast importance when engaging hard realities that you will most likely disagree with. It is of even more importance when the One with whom you are disagreeing is of superior rank and authority.
So today we will consider a question of devotion. Was Isaac more devoted to his desire for offspring, or was he more devoted to God? How can we assess his motives? His motive is seen in the sober-minded and self-controlled content of his prayers. It is necessary for us to asses and reflect on our prayers, always checking our motives. The reason is that GOD WILL MAKE DECISIONS THAT WE DON’T AGREE WITH.
Consider the passage. “…the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled within her…” God will always answer our prayers, but sometimes it will be in a way that reveals that our will is not the same as His.
At this point, one of two things will happen… 1.) You will conform your will to His and submit to His hand, showing that your devotion is to Him, over yourself. OR 2.) You will turn from God, because you disagree with His decision, showing that your devotion is to yourself, over Him. We have many examples today of God answering prayers in ways different than we desired… pregnancy with complications…sparing your life, but maybe not your legs… providing a job, but not your dream job… sparing your life, but not your child’s…
This is all very sobering. Throughout scripture, God reveals things about His design that are in direct opposition to the way we would have done things. Given the chance, we would have orchestrated it all very differently. But these revelations of who God is are reminders that WE ARE NOT GOD! And anytime we set out to “play god”, the result will be vain failure.
Rebekah, a first-time mommy, is in anguish. The children within her are struggling to the point of causing her to ask, “If it is going to be this way, what is the point of living?” And she is not being over-dramatic. The kind of physical, mental, and spiritual pain that she is feeling is very familiar to many of you. Some of you have even asked the same question…. “What is the point of living?” So Rebekah goes to the Lord for some comfort, and this is what God tells her to comfort her.
- I have placed 2 nations in your womb.
- They are fighting because of the way that I made them.
- They will be divided from birth.
- One will be stronger than the other.
- The older will serve the younger.
Does this sound comforting to anyone? In light of ultimate reality, it should be comforting. God is revealing that this seemingly horrible thing is not outside of His control, but rather it is by His doing. THIS IS HARD. Before either of these children are born, God is revealing that He has a very specific yet very different plan for each of them. This conflict, like the pregnancy itself, did not arise from natural causes. The God of nature has changed the order of nature. ARE WE OK WITH THIS? It is natural for a mom to say, “They are both my children, and I love them equally.” But God is saying, “I only love one of them. And I hate the other…”
One of the things that we do when we come across a hard passage like this is to treat it in very human terms. I remember the first time I heard this. I said, “Not my God! My God would NEVER do such a thing!” And a lot of times we will deem a passage “up for different interpretations”. Howard Hendrix, in his book “Living By The Book” makes a great point that in Scripture, there is only ONE right interpretation and many different applications. So if you and another have a disagreement about what something in the Scripture means, then “different interpretations” is no place to hang your hat. We should say, “someone is wrong, and it might be me… I am saying that I do disagree (whole-heartedly), but I am not necessarily saying that YOU are wrong…”
Romans 14 calls us to be fully convinced as to what we believe. FULLY CONVINCED! Have convictions! Do not be wishy-washy, tossed to and fro by every wave of doctrine. Know what you believe! But hold your convictions in humility. BOLD HUMILITY! John Piper makes a comment about the truth revealed in Romans 14… “Christ-honoring passions, Paul says, can unite us in spite of differences of application… different applications with an aim to honor the Lord.” Jerry Bridges in his book “Respectable Sins” says, “Doctrinal pride is the assumption that whatever my doctrinal beliefs are, they are correct, and anyone who holds another belief is theologically inferior.” 1 Corinthians 8 warns us not to let our knowledge puff us up. Realize that “many godly and theologically capable people hold other convictions.”
The point is that in the midst of our disagreements, we should not always aim to be “right”. We should aim to honor God by holding our convictions boldy, yet humbly, being reminded that neither ourselves nor those we disagree with are God! God is God. We are not.
So the God of nature has changed the order of nature, and even further restricted the blessing to not only the seed of Isaac, but now only one part of the seed of Jacob.
Read Romans 9:6-16.
To hear the Scriptures plainly spoken, and then say “Not my God! My God would never do that!”, is to be idolatrous. It is idolatry cloaked in righteousness. We act as though this could not be possible because our view of God is soooo high. In reality, it is the view of ourselves that is soooo high. We add to and take away from the aspects of God in the order that they accommodate our likes and dislikes. Therefore, what we are actually worshipping is an idol…God altered. Our “VIEW” of God can be an idol.
This should be sobering, because the only way to keep a right view of God is by His breathed out WORD. To worship your “view” of God is no different than worshipping Baal. It is not GOD! None of us can have a perfect view of God, but many of us should work out our salvation with MORE FEAR AND MORE TREMBLING. We should tremble before God if we come before Him saying, “search my heart and tell me if I am truly worshipping You or just my view of You.”
“That which you cannot understand is that which God can be.” (Hilary of Potiers)
I am broken-hearted by our inability to have different beliefs in the same faith. I am broken-hearted by a fractured “church-community” that is misrepresenting the truth about the oneness of God and the unity that we have as an undeserved gift in Christ. Calvin said, “How frivolous a thing it is to boast of knowledge, when love is wanting.”
I believe that God truly does the things that He has included in Genesis 25 and Romans 9; that He can change the order of nature; that He ordains the days of every life before they are lived; that He loves and even hates as He sees fit; that He saves some while leaving others to that which they deserve. Because of these beliefs I have been called un-evangelistic, lazy, and even hateful. But because of these beliefs I have been prone to frustration, impatience, and doctrinal pride. We must fight constantly against imbalance that promotes division and fosters a fractured community.
A sober mind is of vast importance when engaging hard realities that you will most likely disagree with. It is of even more importance when the One with whom you are disagreeing is of superior rank and authority.
So today we will consider a question of devotion. Was Isaac more devoted to his desire for offspring, or was he more devoted to God? How can we assess his motives? His motive is seen in the sober-minded and self-controlled content of his prayers. It is necessary for us to asses and reflect on our prayers, always checking our motives. The reason is that GOD WILL MAKE DECISIONS THAT WE DON’T AGREE WITH.
Consider the passage. “…the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled within her…” God will always answer our prayers, but sometimes it will be in a way that reveals that our will is not the same as His.
At this point, one of two things will happen… 1.) You will conform your will to His and submit to His hand, showing that your devotion is to Him, over yourself. OR 2.) You will turn from God, because you disagree with His decision, showing that your devotion is to yourself, over Him. We have many examples today of God answering prayers in ways different than we desired… pregnancy with complications…sparing your life, but maybe not your legs… providing a job, but not your dream job… sparing your life, but not your child’s…
This is all very sobering. Throughout scripture, God reveals things about His design that are in direct opposition to the way we would have done things. Given the chance, we would have orchestrated it all very differently. But these revelations of who God is are reminders that WE ARE NOT GOD! And anytime we set out to “play god”, the result will be vain failure.
Rebekah, a first-time mommy, is in anguish. The children within her are struggling to the point of causing her to ask, “If it is going to be this way, what is the point of living?” And she is not being over-dramatic. The kind of physical, mental, and spiritual pain that she is feeling is very familiar to many of you. Some of you have even asked the same question…. “What is the point of living?” So Rebekah goes to the Lord for some comfort, and this is what God tells her to comfort her.
- I have placed 2 nations in your womb.
- They are fighting because of the way that I made them.
- They will be divided from birth.
- One will be stronger than the other.
- The older will serve the younger.
Does this sound comforting to anyone? In light of ultimate reality, it should be comforting. God is revealing that this seemingly horrible thing is not outside of His control, but rather it is by His doing. THIS IS HARD. Before either of these children are born, God is revealing that He has a very specific yet very different plan for each of them. This conflict, like the pregnancy itself, did not arise from natural causes. The God of nature has changed the order of nature. ARE WE OK WITH THIS? It is natural for a mom to say, “They are both my children, and I love them equally.” But God is saying, “I only love one of them. And I hate the other…”
One of the things that we do when we come across a hard passage like this is to treat it in very human terms. I remember the first time I heard this. I said, “Not my God! My God would NEVER do such a thing!” And a lot of times we will deem a passage “up for different interpretations”. Howard Hendrix, in his book “Living By The Book” makes a great point that in Scripture, there is only ONE right interpretation and many different applications. So if you and another have a disagreement about what something in the Scripture means, then “different interpretations” is no place to hang your hat. We should say, “someone is wrong, and it might be me… I am saying that I do disagree (whole-heartedly), but I am not necessarily saying that YOU are wrong…”
Romans 14 calls us to be fully convinced as to what we believe. FULLY CONVINCED! Have convictions! Do not be wishy-washy, tossed to and fro by every wave of doctrine. Know what you believe! But hold your convictions in humility. BOLD HUMILITY! John Piper makes a comment about the truth revealed in Romans 14… “Christ-honoring passions, Paul says, can unite us in spite of differences of application… different applications with an aim to honor the Lord.” Jerry Bridges in his book “Respectable Sins” says, “Doctrinal pride is the assumption that whatever my doctrinal beliefs are, they are correct, and anyone who holds another belief is theologically inferior.” 1 Corinthians 8 warns us not to let our knowledge puff us up. Realize that “many godly and theologically capable people hold other convictions.”
The point is that in the midst of our disagreements, we should not always aim to be “right”. We should aim to honor God by holding our convictions boldy, yet humbly, being reminded that neither ourselves nor those we disagree with are God! God is God. We are not.
So the God of nature has changed the order of nature, and even further restricted the blessing to not only the seed of Isaac, but now only one part of the seed of Jacob.
Read Romans 9:6-16.
To hear the Scriptures plainly spoken, and then say “Not my God! My God would never do that!”, is to be idolatrous. It is idolatry cloaked in righteousness. We act as though this could not be possible because our view of God is soooo high. In reality, it is the view of ourselves that is soooo high. We add to and take away from the aspects of God in the order that they accommodate our likes and dislikes. Therefore, what we are actually worshipping is an idol…God altered. Our “VIEW” of God can be an idol.
This should be sobering, because the only way to keep a right view of God is by His breathed out WORD. To worship your “view” of God is no different than worshipping Baal. It is not GOD! None of us can have a perfect view of God, but many of us should work out our salvation with MORE FEAR AND MORE TREMBLING. We should tremble before God if we come before Him saying, “search my heart and tell me if I am truly worshipping You or just my view of You.”
“That which you cannot understand is that which God can be.” (Hilary of Potiers)
I am broken-hearted by our inability to have different beliefs in the same faith. I am broken-hearted by a fractured “church-community” that is misrepresenting the truth about the oneness of God and the unity that we have as an undeserved gift in Christ. Calvin said, “How frivolous a thing it is to boast of knowledge, when love is wanting.”
I believe that God truly does the things that He has included in Genesis 25 and Romans 9; that He can change the order of nature; that He ordains the days of every life before they are lived; that He loves and even hates as He sees fit; that He saves some while leaving others to that which they deserve. Because of these beliefs I have been called un-evangelistic, lazy, and even hateful. But because of these beliefs I have been prone to frustration, impatience, and doctrinal pride. We must fight constantly against imbalance that promotes division and fosters a fractured community.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Being Careful About Growth...
Read Genesis 25, 1 Peter 4, and 1 Cor. 3:6-7
"The church is produced and increased by divine grace, and not merely by natural means..." (John Calvin). As we read about the lives of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, we are studying the beginnings of the church. And what a great reminder that while their families did not grow by the natural order of things, it is the same with church today. God intervened with grace and opened the wombs and caused the growth. And no matter how hard they tried, and no matter how hard they prayed, Isaac and Rebekah could not make it happen...
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 states, "I [Paul] planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." Ironically, this is all in a section of Scripture addressing division in the church. Here in Hunt County we live in a community with a higher per capita of churches than most of the world. But DIVISION IS NOT GROWTH! Division within the people of God is a misrepresentation of the truth about the oneness of God that we are called to put on display. Our numerous churches do not exist because many of them multiplied, but because there was division, in large part, over the opinions of man.
The way that a man plants and the way that a man waters does not make that man an authority on growth. But when we see growth in that man's church, oh how quickly we elevate the status of that man and invite him to our churches and conferences and BEG him to tell us how to grow. And often times there is a room full of people singing his praises, not God's. But that man is nothing! He only watered and planted, but God caused that growth! Whether you are planting and watering at a small church or a huge mega church, YOU ARE STILL NOTHING!
So growth will come in God's time and in God's measure. And our work of ministry will always seem largely inefficient, because we are nothing. But if we scatter seed and water as we are commanded, God will give the exact increase that He sees fit. But in the instance that we stop focusing on making disciples, and begin to focus on growth, we will be divided. Thus, we then lose out on the very thing we set out to achieve. Playing "god" will always result in vain failure. Do the work of ministry, make disciples, and show the world that there is no one like our God!
We must always be content with the size of our church, yet never content with a lack of discipleship (and this applies not only to the church as a whole, but every part of the church...children's ministry, youth ministry, sunday school classes, and families). So many pastors and even teachers have given up and left with the excuse "this church is just not growing." Rather than an excuse to leave, this is adversely a greater reason to stay and make disciples. This IS your calling.
So many committees have been formed to assess growth and critique growth and plan for future growth and even for firing pastors who have not brought about the expected growth! Consider what this produces... a bunch of pastors and ministers who focus on numbers and growth, thereby often times abandoning discipleship. This is a plague in youth ministries in particular... and there is an unspoken yet accepted approach that says, "if we just focus on growth, discipleship will just happen." But it is more the opposite. If we focus on discipleship, growth will happen at the rate that God sees fit. Even at Pentecost, which so many try to reproduce weekly, the focus was on making disciples, and God gave the growth that He saw fit at that time.
Another problem with focusing on growth instead of discipleship is that we begin to define success by numbers. Again, this promotes division in the church, because the "big" churches are run by "successful" pastors, only to leave all of the "small" churches to be run by what appears to be "unsuccessful failures". So, as a pastor, if your aim is success, you will make use of the man-made corporate ladder of vocational ministry. And as a Bible study leader you will proudly stand before a large class, while feeling like the small class is simply a waste of time. So all gifted musicians, able preachers, and competent teachers will feel like they deserve a bigger stage. And often times they will proudly fill that spot on that big stage, all the while abandoning the call to make disciples.
So as we look back at Genesis 25, we must ask, "Is our standard for greatness and success, God's standard?" Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born. Isaac was 60 when Rebekah conceived. If we define greatness and success by numbers, then we are deeming our God highly unsuccessful in ministry, with only 2 new lives in 160 years!
To ask a "successful pastor of a big church" how to grow a church is like asking Isaac how to form a baby in the womb! The answer should be, "I don't know! God causes the growth! You do what God calls you to do and, if He sees fit, He will cause the necessary growth!"
To walk away from your church because it is "not growing" would be like Isaac walking away from Rebekah for "not bearing".
To cease from discipleship is to eliminate the possibility of God-honoring growth. In the same way, if dismayed by the circumstances, Isaac and Rebekah were to stop trying to conceive, they would thereby eliminate the possibility of offspring.
Isaiah 46 says that God will accomplish all His purpose...be it through you or another who is faithful to the command. So the encouragement is to persevere. If you are speaking the Word to your family and others, and then coming back and watering that seed with reminders...making the most of every teachable moment...then you are doing the work of ministry. And there is great rejoicing because God is glorified! Growth is not a bad thing! In fact growth is a GREAT THING! It is just NOT our business. We must not set out to "play god". We must submit to His command, not relying on the wisdom of man, but the power of God for that growth. You will have hard days. You will have hard weeks, months, and even years. As you sit with your family, making disciples, and as you talk with co-workers, friends, and even strangers, the work of ministry will be seemingly insignificant and largely inefficient. But let your inefficiency as NOTHING fuel your dependence on the ONE TRUE GOD WHO IS EVERYTHING!
"The church is produced and increased by divine grace, and not merely by natural means..." (John Calvin). As we read about the lives of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, we are studying the beginnings of the church. And what a great reminder that while their families did not grow by the natural order of things, it is the same with church today. God intervened with grace and opened the wombs and caused the growth. And no matter how hard they tried, and no matter how hard they prayed, Isaac and Rebekah could not make it happen...
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 states, "I [Paul] planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." Ironically, this is all in a section of Scripture addressing division in the church. Here in Hunt County we live in a community with a higher per capita of churches than most of the world. But DIVISION IS NOT GROWTH! Division within the people of God is a misrepresentation of the truth about the oneness of God that we are called to put on display. Our numerous churches do not exist because many of them multiplied, but because there was division, in large part, over the opinions of man.
The way that a man plants and the way that a man waters does not make that man an authority on growth. But when we see growth in that man's church, oh how quickly we elevate the status of that man and invite him to our churches and conferences and BEG him to tell us how to grow. And often times there is a room full of people singing his praises, not God's. But that man is nothing! He only watered and planted, but God caused that growth! Whether you are planting and watering at a small church or a huge mega church, YOU ARE STILL NOTHING!
So growth will come in God's time and in God's measure. And our work of ministry will always seem largely inefficient, because we are nothing. But if we scatter seed and water as we are commanded, God will give the exact increase that He sees fit. But in the instance that we stop focusing on making disciples, and begin to focus on growth, we will be divided. Thus, we then lose out on the very thing we set out to achieve. Playing "god" will always result in vain failure. Do the work of ministry, make disciples, and show the world that there is no one like our God!
We must always be content with the size of our church, yet never content with a lack of discipleship (and this applies not only to the church as a whole, but every part of the church...children's ministry, youth ministry, sunday school classes, and families). So many pastors and even teachers have given up and left with the excuse "this church is just not growing." Rather than an excuse to leave, this is adversely a greater reason to stay and make disciples. This IS your calling.
So many committees have been formed to assess growth and critique growth and plan for future growth and even for firing pastors who have not brought about the expected growth! Consider what this produces... a bunch of pastors and ministers who focus on numbers and growth, thereby often times abandoning discipleship. This is a plague in youth ministries in particular... and there is an unspoken yet accepted approach that says, "if we just focus on growth, discipleship will just happen." But it is more the opposite. If we focus on discipleship, growth will happen at the rate that God sees fit. Even at Pentecost, which so many try to reproduce weekly, the focus was on making disciples, and God gave the growth that He saw fit at that time.
Another problem with focusing on growth instead of discipleship is that we begin to define success by numbers. Again, this promotes division in the church, because the "big" churches are run by "successful" pastors, only to leave all of the "small" churches to be run by what appears to be "unsuccessful failures". So, as a pastor, if your aim is success, you will make use of the man-made corporate ladder of vocational ministry. And as a Bible study leader you will proudly stand before a large class, while feeling like the small class is simply a waste of time. So all gifted musicians, able preachers, and competent teachers will feel like they deserve a bigger stage. And often times they will proudly fill that spot on that big stage, all the while abandoning the call to make disciples.
So as we look back at Genesis 25, we must ask, "Is our standard for greatness and success, God's standard?" Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born. Isaac was 60 when Rebekah conceived. If we define greatness and success by numbers, then we are deeming our God highly unsuccessful in ministry, with only 2 new lives in 160 years!
To ask a "successful pastor of a big church" how to grow a church is like asking Isaac how to form a baby in the womb! The answer should be, "I don't know! God causes the growth! You do what God calls you to do and, if He sees fit, He will cause the necessary growth!"
To walk away from your church because it is "not growing" would be like Isaac walking away from Rebekah for "not bearing".
To cease from discipleship is to eliminate the possibility of God-honoring growth. In the same way, if dismayed by the circumstances, Isaac and Rebekah were to stop trying to conceive, they would thereby eliminate the possibility of offspring.
Isaiah 46 says that God will accomplish all His purpose...be it through you or another who is faithful to the command. So the encouragement is to persevere. If you are speaking the Word to your family and others, and then coming back and watering that seed with reminders...making the most of every teachable moment...then you are doing the work of ministry. And there is great rejoicing because God is glorified! Growth is not a bad thing! In fact growth is a GREAT THING! It is just NOT our business. We must not set out to "play god". We must submit to His command, not relying on the wisdom of man, but the power of God for that growth. You will have hard days. You will have hard weeks, months, and even years. As you sit with your family, making disciples, and as you talk with co-workers, friends, and even strangers, the work of ministry will be seemingly insignificant and largely inefficient. But let your inefficiency as NOTHING fuel your dependence on the ONE TRUE GOD WHO IS EVERYTHING!
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