In today’s church we seem to have lost something. I love 12
Stone and their way of presenting the gospel in a compelling and entertaining
manner, but I often wonder are we missing the bigger picture? A church that
size sends tons of people out into the world to spread the love and gospel of
Jesus, but the ratio is very small when related to the average attendance on
any given Sunday. They have many programs that are a huge impact on the
community and the world but again for the lay person it is minimal.
Now don’t get me wrong, this is not an ailment for
mega-churches, but also the small churches. It’s a condition of mankind today!
We all just need a kick in the rear to move sometimes. And often when we are
doing something we need a kick in a new direction. At 12 Stone I became
comfortable during my short stint as a Parking Warrior. My work was done at the
end of each Sunday with an occasional weekday event, but that was not all I
could or should have been doing!
No we need to understand we have skills and need to use them
for the kingdom but at the same time we need to realize that our mouths are the
main tool. Sure cleaning someone’s mess is important in showing God’s love, but
speaking WHY you are loving on someone is just as important as doing. We need
to be willing, NOT COMFORTABLE, in talking about Jesus at any time necessary.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to be a soap
box evangelist because that has many problems, like the lives they change may
not take root. They are there to plant, but provide no cultivation in the long
run. Churches are no different today, it has become a numbers game on how many
come down for the altar call or how many baptisms, and not how many are being
sent out to plant new gardens. The most attacked position is someone new to the
faith, and without good soil they will be plucked quickly from the fold.
THE CHURCH IS THE GROUND IN WHICH THE SEED IS PLANTED. We
can all say the individual who heard the Word was not receptive or grounded,
but why not blame the church? We get a new salvation and what do we do most of
the time, move on to getting the next and hope the fall into a good small
group. What really needs to be done is take that new believer and shield them
for the onslaught of attacks from the enemy that WILL ensue. The new believer
is our most cherished possession and should be protected from the world just
like a newborn child.
The parable referenced here is the one of the Sower in
Matthew 13:1 – 23 and the ground should be looked at as their CHURCH and not
their MIND!