To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write… I know
that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not
denied my name. Revelation 3:7-8
A minister friend said to me not long ago: “I don’t particularly want my church to grow – I want God’s kingdom to grow”.
A case of somebody being a bit super-spiritual? – saying what a Christian ought to say rather than what he really felt (don’t be silly, of course he wants his church to grow!)?
No. Trust me, I have known this person for many years, and I am quite sure that he meant exactly what he said.
One reason he gave for his attitude was this: “I have been called by God to be a pastor, and I don’t want to have more people in my congregation than I can pastor personally.”
And so his policy was to plant new congregations whenever his own grew to the point of getting unmanageable.
Well, you may or may not agree with his attitude. Perhaps there is an argument for congregations that are growing steadily – even exploding numerically – to remain together as one congregation: they certainly make a bit of an impact on our cynical, sceptical, unbelieving world.
But I for one could certainly identify with his desire to be a pastor rather than a managing director or CEO. We saw last week how Jesus the good shepherd “calls his own sheep by name” (John 10); well, it seems a sad state of affairs if his under-shepherds – his pastors – are unable to make the same claim. Let pastors be pastors!
Whatever, my friend was certainly bucking a trend. We live in a world where, so often, big is beautiful. There is an unhealthy interest in numbers, statistics: one might almost say, an obsession. And this mentality has established itself fairly and squarely in the church. The “mega-church” has become, it sometimes seems, every minister’s dream ambition. And ordinary church-members are easily dazzled by the speaker who leads a big, bursting congregation.
In Revelation 2-3 we find seven “letters” from Jesus to different churches. In each case there are words of encouragement and challenge; usually, there are also strong words of rebuke: “Nevertheless, I have this against you…” is a repeated refrain.
But in just two cases there are no words of rebuke at all: the church at Smyrna (2:8-11), and the church at Philadelphia (3:7-13). What’s more, in each of these cases the impression is given that the churches may well have been quite small and even struggling.
Says Jesus to the church in Smyrna: “I know your afflictions and your poverty…” (2:9). And to the church in Philadelphia: “I know that you have little strength…” (3:8).
You get the point, I’m sure: Jesus seems to have a special love and appreciation for… not what may have been big bulging churches like Sardis (3:1) and Laodicea (3:14-21), but for churches that, on the surface, were not particularly impressive at all. Big isn’t necessarily beautiful. Small isn’t necessarily insignificant.
I know we have to keep a sense of balance. If you read Acts, for example, you find that Luke, the writer, wasn’t afraid to record the numerical progress of the church. To grow numerically isn’t of itself wrong, of course not! But again, of itself it may just be a cover for serious spiritual ill-health.
When I was a very young minister I once attended a ministers’ fellowship I’ve never forgotten. The speaker challenged us with a couple of questions. First: “How would you feel if God sent a real revival to this town?” Well, of course, we all nodded our heads and murmured how thrilled and delighted we would be.
Then came question two: “How would you feel if this revival came about through the church half a mile down the road from yours?” Of course, we all insisted again how thrilled we would still be. But I couldn’t help wondering if some of us were guilty of a little touch of hypocrisy…
We sometimes ask the question about a church: What kind of church is it? By which we very likely mean, How big is it? Well, fair enough – it’s a valid question. But I suggest that there are three other far more important questions, and they can all be grouped under the letter “h”.
First, how healthy is it? Is it biblical, prayerful, Spirit-filled? Second, how holy is it? Are the love, mercy, grace, purity and beauty of Jesus seen in it? Third, how happy is it? Is it lovingly united and full of the joy of the Lord?
And a question that takes us back to where we started with my friend’s remark: What is our priority – the growth of our church, or the growth of God’s kingdom?
Honestly, now…!
Lord Jesus, build your church! – and use me in the building process just as you see fit. Amen.
A minister friend said to me not long ago: “I don’t particularly want my church to grow – I want God’s kingdom to grow”.
A case of somebody being a bit super-spiritual? – saying what a Christian ought to say rather than what he really felt (don’t be silly, of course he wants his church to grow!)?
No. Trust me, I have known this person for many years, and I am quite sure that he meant exactly what he said.
One reason he gave for his attitude was this: “I have been called by God to be a pastor, and I don’t want to have more people in my congregation than I can pastor personally.”
And so his policy was to plant new congregations whenever his own grew to the point of getting unmanageable.
Well, you may or may not agree with his attitude. Perhaps there is an argument for congregations that are growing steadily – even exploding numerically – to remain together as one congregation: they certainly make a bit of an impact on our cynical, sceptical, unbelieving world.
But I for one could certainly identify with his desire to be a pastor rather than a managing director or CEO. We saw last week how Jesus the good shepherd “calls his own sheep by name” (John 10); well, it seems a sad state of affairs if his under-shepherds – his pastors – are unable to make the same claim. Let pastors be pastors!
Whatever, my friend was certainly bucking a trend. We live in a world where, so often, big is beautiful. There is an unhealthy interest in numbers, statistics: one might almost say, an obsession. And this mentality has established itself fairly and squarely in the church. The “mega-church” has become, it sometimes seems, every minister’s dream ambition. And ordinary church-members are easily dazzled by the speaker who leads a big, bursting congregation.
In Revelation 2-3 we find seven “letters” from Jesus to different churches. In each case there are words of encouragement and challenge; usually, there are also strong words of rebuke: “Nevertheless, I have this against you…” is a repeated refrain.
But in just two cases there are no words of rebuke at all: the church at Smyrna (2:8-11), and the church at Philadelphia (3:7-13). What’s more, in each of these cases the impression is given that the churches may well have been quite small and even struggling.
Says Jesus to the church in Smyrna: “I know your afflictions and your poverty…” (2:9). And to the church in Philadelphia: “I know that you have little strength…” (3:8).
You get the point, I’m sure: Jesus seems to have a special love and appreciation for… not what may have been big bulging churches like Sardis (3:1) and Laodicea (3:14-21), but for churches that, on the surface, were not particularly impressive at all. Big isn’t necessarily beautiful. Small isn’t necessarily insignificant.
I know we have to keep a sense of balance. If you read Acts, for example, you find that Luke, the writer, wasn’t afraid to record the numerical progress of the church. To grow numerically isn’t of itself wrong, of course not! But again, of itself it may just be a cover for serious spiritual ill-health.
When I was a very young minister I once attended a ministers’ fellowship I’ve never forgotten. The speaker challenged us with a couple of questions. First: “How would you feel if God sent a real revival to this town?” Well, of course, we all nodded our heads and murmured how thrilled and delighted we would be.
Then came question two: “How would you feel if this revival came about through the church half a mile down the road from yours?” Of course, we all insisted again how thrilled we would still be. But I couldn’t help wondering if some of us were guilty of a little touch of hypocrisy…
We sometimes ask the question about a church: What kind of church is it? By which we very likely mean, How big is it? Well, fair enough – it’s a valid question. But I suggest that there are three other far more important questions, and they can all be grouped under the letter “h”.
First, how healthy is it? Is it biblical, prayerful, Spirit-filled? Second, how holy is it? Are the love, mercy, grace, purity and beauty of Jesus seen in it? Third, how happy is it? Is it lovingly united and full of the joy of the Lord?
And a question that takes us back to where we started with my friend’s remark: What is our priority – the growth of our church, or the growth of God’s kingdom?
Honestly, now…!
Lord Jesus, build your church! – and use me in the building process just as you see fit. Amen.
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