Following Jesus' Plan for His Church
Moses knew God's purpose for the Israelites was for them to be free from bondage in Egypt. But Moses had mistaken when he thought he knew God's plan for doing it.
Gideon understood God's purpose was to free the Israelites from the oppression of the Midianites. He assumed he knew the plan that God would use to do this by using the largest number of soldiers. Gideon thought it would take 32,000, but God only needed 300.
In the same way, we can know God's purpose for His church--to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). But we may not always understand or agree with the methods God uses to accomplish this, which is why faith is essential. For example, when a church is persecuted, we may not understand why God allows it. But we can trust that He is still in control and knows what He is doing.
God often uses difficult situations to accomplish His purposes. He uses persecution to spread the gospel (Acts 8:1-4). He uses trials to mature Christians (James 1:2-4). And He uses difficult people to teach us patience and love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). When we don't understand why things are happening, we can trust that God is still in control and knows what He is doing. We may not have chosen His methods, but we can trust that He knows what He is doing.
I have been very fortunate to meet several amazing small-town pastors and church leaders. All of them want to serve God and obey the Great Commission wholeheartedly. They know that they have a responsibility and a desire to bless the community that they live in. But like Moses and Gideon, they assume that they know the plan that God has for their church ministry. Sometimes the intention is admirable, but the method is less than desirable.
One such incident happened a few years ago in a town where I was living. The church leaders decided that the way to reach the community for Christ was to have a huge carnival. They invited the entire town and advertised it as a free event. They had games and prizes and food and rides. It was a lot of work, but they were confident that this was the way to reach the lost for Christ.
The carnival was a bust. Hardly anyone showed up. The church leaders were disappointed and discouraged. They had put so much work into it and it seemed like such a good idea, but it just didn't work out. In retrospect, they realized that they should have prayed more and sought God's guidance before they decided to go ahead with the carnival.
There are many ways to reach people for Christ. Some methods will work better in some communities than others. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to evangelism. We need to be open to different methods and be willing to try new things. But most importantly, we need to pray and ask God for guidance. He knows the best way to reach people in our community and He will give us wisdom if we ask for it.
Prayer is essential in all aspects of ministry, but it is especially important when we are trying to reach people for Christ. We need to pray for guidance, wisdom, and courage. We need to pray for the lost, that they will be open to the gospel. And we also need to pray for ourselves, that we will be faithful in sharing the gospel with those who are lost.
The best way to reach people for Christ is not always the easiest or the most popular. But if we are willing to pray and ask God for guidance, He will lead us in the right direction. And we can trust that even when we don't understand His methods, He knows what He is doing.
With abundant enthusiasm, the church may say that Jesus commanded us to make Christlike disciples of all the nations so let us get to work. Let us plan a mission trip to some deserving neighborhood or third-world country. Let us also plan a Bible study for young adults, let us do A Wednesday lunch for single mothers. And we cannot forget the children so let us begin a Thursday children's program and we must do some kind of children's camp.
All these activities are all good In and of themselves. However, the church was not commissioned to do good things, but God's things. Our problem is that we do not think the way God does. God declared, “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways” Isaiah 55:8. When churches assume their thinking and planning is identical to God, they try to accomplish God's work the world's way. It is naive thinking to assume God seeks to be glorified and make disciples of all the nations yet leaves the local church to figure out the details by themselves.
If we want to do what Jesus commissioned us to do, then we need God's enabling power. And that comes through prayer. It is only when we have connected to the Head can the Body function as it should. We cannot bypass Jesus and His power if we want to fulfill the Great Commission.
The early church was a praying church. They did not have the full Bible as we do today, but they knew Jesus and were filled with the Holy Spirit. And because they were connected to the Head, the Body functioned in power. In Acts 4:31, we read that “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” When we are connected to Jesus and full of His Spirit, we will be able to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). And that is how we reach people for Christ.
Jesus said, “…I will build my church” Matthew 16:18. Christ not only builds His church, He also directs His church. When Christ said He was the Head of the church, He was not referring to a token figurehead. Revelation 1-3 shows that the Risen Savior is active and involved with His churches. And that He will hold the churches accountable for how they conduct themselves under His leadership.
As Jesus Christ walks amongst his churches, He declares, “I know your works” (Revelation 2:2,9,13,3:1,8,15 ) To Ephesus, you have abandoned the love you had at first.
to Smyrna, that they were living too close and mingling with idols.
To Sardis, for I have not found your works complete before my God.
To Laodicea, you are neither cold nor hot.
It was certain that none of these churches intended on displeasing the Lord. Their leaders probably believed in the efficiency of their methods. But God was not pleased.
With God it is not just what you do that matters, but how you do it and with what attitude of the heart. Many churches across our land need a word from the risen Savior. Their programming is full, their calendars are running over, and numbers may seem slightly ahead of last year. All may seem well, yet Christ would declare to them, but I have this against you. I know your works!
Are we trusting God for our plans?
I have learned the key to honoring God is not to develop my own plans and then ask God to bless them. God already has a plan. The key is to cry out to God and ask Him to reveal His plans to you. As a church, you have the Holy Spirit present within you who knows God's mind completely 1 Corinthians 2:9-12. His role is to guide you into the will of the Father.
Are we building our numbers or are we building God's church?
Jesus clearly told his people what a church's priority should be. He said, “but seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things will be provided to you” Matthew 6:33. Jesus did not command us to build our church. He said he would do that himself. He told us to make his Kingdom the number one priority and focus of our life. There is a big difference between building your church and building God's Kingdom.
What is our motive for doing church?
If we want to make disciples of all the nations, then it must be done with the same attitude that Jesus had. He did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many Matthew 20:28. The early church knew this also. They sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as anyone had need Acts 2:44-45.
The church is not a building; the church is people. We are the Body of Christ, and each one of us has been given a gift by the Holy Spirit to build up the Body 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. We are to use our gifts to serve one another. When we do, the church will be healthy and effective in carrying out the Great Commission.
But if we are not careful, we can fall into the trap of doing things in our own strength and for our own glory. We can get busy with all sorts of good works but lose sight of the One who is the head of the church. We can get so focused on our programs and methods that we fail to see that they are not bearing the fruit that only comes from the Holy Spirit.
If we want to be effective witnesses for Christ, then we must be connected to Him. We must allow Him to lead us and guide us. We must be yielded to His Spirit. Only then can we hope to be an effective instrument in His hand.
Rely on the Father to reveal to you today his plan for your church. let God lead you and guide you to where and what to do in your church. It belongs to him anyway. If we would just realize that it is God's responsibility to build the church it will take the burden off of our shoulders and onto his. Jesus invited us to cast off our burdens and cares onto him and to let him carry the burden we just need to follow his direction. With much prayer and fasting seek after God's will and God's plan for you and your church.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” If we want to please God in our church today, we must have faith. We must believe that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He has promised to do. We must trust Him to lead us and guide us. We must surrender our plans to His and trust that He knows what is best.
God is able. He is more than able to take care of His church. We need not worry or be anxious about anything. We can trust Him to build His church. All we need to do is follow His leading and obey His Word.
If we will do these things, then we can be confident that God will honor us. He will use us to accomplish great things for His Kingdom. We will see people saved and lives changed. We will see the church grow by leaps and bounds. And it will all be because we allowed God to lead us and guide us. It will be because we allowed Him to build His church.
So today, let us seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Let us put Him first in our lives and in our churches. And let us trust that He will use us to accomplish great things for His Kingdom.
