Robert E Rasmussen.com

Though hell can attack large church attendance, it cannot withstand a surrendered congregation. Here is an excerpt from THE AMAZING POTENTIAL OF ONE SURRENDERED CHURCH (p. 42)

No local church is strong by itself, even a mega-church. Even a large church is small and frail in itself, able to fail in a single generation. Even a wealthy church is poor in itself, prone to pride and lukewarmness within years of its ascent. Every church needs the others, for we are one Body. Our strength is in seeing our partnership under one Head, Christ. Our assault against the gates finds strength in our diversity and our unity, our variety and our sameness—or else we will be a scattered army, unable to mount any assault that approaches the gates.

We have lost perspective when we see other churches as the competition, vying for prominence and distinction. Instead we should find ways to demonstrate our unity and serve each other.

The Church must draw inspiration from Whose it is, to rise to its greatest calling, to cease striving within and rise above. Instead of thinking conformity, the Church must think creatively. Instead of merely having an impact, the Church must settle for nothing less than transforming its culture through manifesting its Savior. Rather than working to boost its attendance, the Body of Christ must rise to the full stature of Christ’s character in the beauty of diversity of size, ethnicity and form.

The issue is not house churches versus traditional ones. Not post-moderns versus moderns. Not ethnic or Caucasian, nor denominational over independents. What matters is this: Where is the Spirit of Christ present, and where is the truth of Christ found? If these exist, their flickering flame must be coaxed into a hungry fire and blown into roaring conflagration.

FOR DISCUSSION

Take an inventory of the positive ways the churches in your community have reflected the unity of the Body of Christ. Celebrate ways in which your church has contributed to these efforts.

You may be ignoring your need for outside help, or overlooking a resource person right under your pulpit. An excerpt from THE AMAZING POTENTIAL OF ONE SURRENDERED CHURCH (p.46).

There seem to be two extremes among leaders today. One is to overlook potential resource people within the church, looking too quickly for outsiders to help. The other extreme is to ignore excellent resources outside the local church. In some cases the leaders want to seek outside help but the congregation members see this as weak leadership. In other cases, members of the congregation sense the need for outside help but the leaders feel they can and should find their own solutions and resources from within.

Barnabas’ example merits some of our reflection. “And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul” (Acts 11:25).

Barnabas concluded that the church would benefit from the resources of someone who wasn’t currently attending. In this case, the perceived need was for teaching, so the new disciples and the church as a whole could receive the deeper theological foundation they needed, especially as a Gentile church that needed to discover how known truth (with its Jewish emphasis) could reconcile with their Gentile background and culture.

Saul would have been known by Barnabas as one uniquely qualified to join him in instructing the church. But it must have required humility for Barnabas to go for help. If he had been more prideful, Barnabas might have insisted on being the only recognized teacher in the church. But he overcame any such pride and sought what was best for the church even if it meant diminishing his own role.

FOR DISCUSSION

If you take an honest look at your church, prayerfully asking God to show you what He desires to accomplish, what resources would advance the ministry and why?