Stepping Out
Hi Friends,
I hope you are well. God is faithful. He wants us to understand his heart. And he is also faithful to show us what we need to see in our own hearts.
The vision I am sharing today, has two aspects. It concerns certain churches in our nation as well as us as individual believers. This is like a “state of the union” address as it pertains to God’s view and concern for the church. God is giving his church a “heads up.” We as believers need to look at our motives. What moves us? What hinders us? Why do we act and think the way we do?
The Vision:
I saw a cartoon scene of a large brown bear with his head sticking out from the window, of a brick building. I saw the scene in profile, so I did not see the actual window, just the side of the building with the bear leaning quite forward. The bear extended both arms far out in front of himself as he leaned out the window. Then I saw him bend over and drop his head so that he was looking backwards. However his arms did not change their direction. They were still reaching forward with the body pointing the other direction. The position was rather comical.
What I believe the vision means:
The Bear
In the vision, the bear was inside of a building looking outside. His body leaned far out the window. I believe that this bear represents believers who are in the church, but look outside, knowing that there is ministry for them outside the four walls of the church. As the bear reached out his arms, these believers in the church want to reach out to help others in need. Proverbs speaks of a noble woman: “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” Proverbs 31:20
Today, the church calls their evangelistic events “out reaches,” for they are reaching out to the lost.
In the vision the bear looks out and sees the world. He extends his arms outward, making an effort to reach the lost, or the poor. But then he does a peculiar thing. He drops his head and looks back at the building. I believe the building represents the church, its members and its scheduled activities.
Notice that the bear starts out reaching outward towards the world, but something causes him to divert his attention back to the church. He did not take even one step outside the building, for the lower half of his body was still inside. What this vision shows is that many believers who feel led to go out to share the gospel with the unsaved, and minister to those less fortunate, fail to go out. What stops them? Fear - the fear of rejection, the fear of failing, or the fear of what others might say, keeps them in their pews. They do not even try.
Those that are recently born again and filled with the Holy Spirit will share with their closest friends and family members, and with people they meet. But once rejection has overcome their zeal for the Lord, they stop making an effort.
There is an expression, “The pace of the leader is the pace of the group.” This saying is true for the church. If the leaders of the church promote evangelism and make opportunities for their members to participate, you will have a church that is alive and vibrant. People will be encouraged to go out into the streets and market places, hospitals and nursing homes to share the gospel. However, if no one champions the cause for the Lord, nothing happens. People will become discouraged, and complacent.
Fear can consume people. And if they are not reading the word of God they may forget that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
When the believer is fearful, and has decided to avoid rejection by not sharing the gospel, he creates a plausible rationale. “Evangelism is not my gifting - I am not called to reach others. I am called to serve in this or that ministry.” The believer then resigns himself to remain within the four walls of the church. Many people like this are in our churches. So the churches create other activities as substitutes for evangelism. One church hosts a Christmas play to encourage people to come for a visit at their church. Another church hosts a harvest party for children in hopes of introducing the community to their church.
I don’t believe that this is what the Lord meant when he sent his disciples out. “As you go, proclaim this message; ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received freely give.” Matthew 10:7-8
Do you see that the Lord expected them to move in power as they declared the message the Lord had given them. That is how the Lord expects us to share the gospel today. For his last words were: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe. In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Mark 16:15-18
Now, I am not speaking of every church, for there are Bible believing, Holy Spirit empowered churches. But unfortunately through compromise, and loss of focus, many churches are not following the Biblical pattern, that Jesus set forth and the Apostles lived.
Rather than equipping people and sending them out, many churches have instead tried to make people comfortable in their pews. It is common and natural that people may have fear when talking to strangers about salvation and the need to repent, but we are not to succumb to fear. And certainly the church should not accommodate the fear, by simply telling people that they do not have to reach the lost, that it is not their job. When the church does not help its members to overcome their fears, then we do them a great dis-service.
Navigation, November 30, 2017, George Barna, Survey: Christians are not Spreading the Gospel
“In a research released by the American Culture & Faith Institute (ACFI) shows that few born again Christians feel a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs with non-believers.”
Because of fear, people do not worship with freedom. Because of fear, people are afraid to make lasting commitments. Because of fear people are afraid to speak up, or stand up for what they know is true. Jesus, speaking of himself, quoting Isaiah’s prophecy said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. because He has anointed me to proclaim good new to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’” Luke 4:18-19
We as the church should be doing the same work that Jesus did: to set the oppressed free. Fear is oppression; it can become a stronghold. Too many people are afraid to step out in faith, so they do nothing. No wonder the church is powerless!
If we are not moving with the power of the Holy Spirit, then we have settled for something less. We have settled for complacency, and mediocrity. Does this please the Lord? Does this honor his name?
Let us ask a few important questions.: Why did the church grow so quickly in that first century? Were people different then? Was it easier to share the gospel at that time? Were people more easily convinced?
We know there was tremendous persecution at that time. And people declared the gospel boldly in spite of risking their very lives. We know from scripture that as the gospel was preached, the Lord confirmed their message with signs, wonders, miracles, healing, and deliverance. Do you suppose, that if the church got back to preaching the true gospel and the need for repentance, that we would also see the demonstration of the Lord’s power today?
I know the answer is “Yes!” The Lord wants to display his mighty power through us, who call upon his name! If we want to see the sick healed, the lame walking the dead raised to life and those who are oppressed set free, then we need to step out. We need to leave the four walls of the church and “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!” Matthew 28:19
The message of this vision is clear: The church has lost its focus. It is no longer looking to save those outside the church. The focus is on keeping those who attend the church happy, tithing, and coming back week after week. How did this happen? Where did the church go wrong? I have a theory.
Two large churches in my area originated in the same city. Both of these churches left the city to go to towns that were more prosperous. When a few members of these churches wanted to reach out to the homeless and the less fortunate, they went to the nearby city. They would bring food, and clothing and share the gospel. Some of the homeless received the Lord and salvation. But suddenly there was a problem: “What do we do with these people? We can’t expect them to drive all the way to our church. We don’t want to have to pick them up every Sunday. How can they become discipled?” There was a suggestion that they find a local church. But the new believers like most people wanted to go to a church where they knew someone. So they wanted to go to the churches that the evangelistic teams represented.
The well meaning people soon discovered that the rest of the congregation was not on board with the homeless people attending their church.
These people who had a heart for the lost, realized that evangelism was not supported in their church. They either had to leave to find a more loving church, or they may have decided to stay and direct their efforts towards supporting missionaries. This is something that the more affluent churches do to build the kingdom of God. However, the idea of personal evangelism is stifled.
What I also see stemming from this shift in focus is how churches have become more and more like corporations and businesses. These churches who are not about evangelizing, still want to grow in size. They appear to be building God’s kingdom, but in reality, their focus is on attracting believers from other churches. Growth means a greater cash flow. Growth means making a name for themselves. So, how do they attract more people? They get the best worship leaders, the most popular speakers, They hold the largest conferences on topics of interest. And they try to get people to connect with the other members through small groups, and fun events and activities. What they are building is a social club. They are in direct competition with other churches to capture a greater percentage of church goers within their area.
We see that the focus in no longer about spreading the gospel, it is about supporting the church and its activities and functions. The church has become an entity that supports the pastors. This is a departure from the Lord’s command to “Go into all the world and make disciples.” The building where people gather has become the central focus. The church is not the building. The faithful believers are the church. You and I are the church, whether we meet for coffee at a cafe or in someone’s home for a Bible study. Wherever we go we represent Jesus as his followers.
The Church building did not come onto the scene until 300 years after Jesus, when Constantine made Christianity the state religion. The buildings were patterned after the Greek and Roman temples. Those who were willing to die rather than to deny the Lord, made up a powerful church. The church grew in spite of persecution. But once it became a state church, tradition replace the Holy Spirit, and we entered the dark ages. Superstition replaced the power of God.
We need to return to the Biblical pattern of small home churches, where people know each other, and are accountable to each other. Personal evangelism was an important aspect of church growth.
But today churches grow by taking surveys, looking at statistics and demographics. The churches today have become businesses. Suddenly people represent money rather than souls to be saved. Now the church wants to grow for its own sake.
Why do “successful” churches look and feel like a chain of stores? They all have the same look, the same ministries, the same music, the same name. These mega churches are really conglomerates created to maintain control, and increase revenues.
Small churches that cannot compete with the larger churches, often close their doors. Then the larger churches see this as an opportunity to grow and increase their presence in another community. They put one of their pastors in charge, someone who understands and is fully committed to the church’s mission. This new church then is under the umbrella of the parent church, and takes on its identity, having the same name, brand and style. The leaders of these larger churches go to conferences to learn how to become more relevant to the people they serve, and what programs help to create growth in membership and in charitable contributions.
I remember when one pastor was so excited that his congregation was large enough for him to join some type of inner circle, within the denomination. He was now allowed to go to special conferences for all the big churches! It was like receiving some type of award. And actually the church did receive an award for being one of the greatest “giving “ churches. The idea of “letting your giving be in secret.” does not apply here.
One more time I want to emphasize that not all churches are like what I am describing. Many pastors are true men of God, who want nothing more than to bring glory and honor to the Lord. Many are devoted to Biblical principals, and have a wonderful and intimate relationship with the Lord. Many encourage their congregation to read the word, to seek the Lord, to trust in him with their whole hearts. These are wonderful and noble pastors. And I have met many just like this.
So this vision is not meant to discourage, but to let you know if you are willing to step out in faith, God will meet you there. He will supply all your needs. He will equip you to do his will. He will help you to be all that you can be for him. We must follow the Lord, and not necessarily do what those in the church are doing. “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” Romans 14:12
The Bible records a story of the generations that followed the great flood. Noah’s descendants settled in the plain of Shinar and decided that they needed to make a name for themselves. So they wanted to build a tower and concentrate their population in one location, making themselves great. God saw what they intended to accomplish. Their motives were not to seek God, but to seek their own fame and fortune, to glorify themselves. God put an end to their efforts by confusing their communication, giving them speech in many languages so that they could not understand each other. Their work came to a screeching halt. Then they left that site and dispersed.
God does not want us to build a church to make a name for ourselves. He does not want us to concentrate our population in great numbers, making mega churches, with bigger than life personalities. Paul was a humble man. He did not want to attract people to himself, but to bring glory and honor to the Lord. “When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I cam to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
So, the focus must return to preaching the real gospel, to speak of sin and the need for repentance. “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” 1 Corinthians 9:16
Those were Paul’s words. As believers we should all say, “Woe to me if I do not share the gospel with those around me.”
This next scripture, is from the Old Testament, yet it shows God’s heart for the lost:
“If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his iniquity, but I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, then he will will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.” Ezekiel 3:18-19
We all have a responsibility to share the good news of the gospel.
I would love for you to see a video about people who are true disciples of Jesus. They go out and preach the gospel, heal the sick, baptize them in water, and cast out demons. They baptize new believers in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. This is a very powerful video. He has many teaching videos which truly demonstrate the power of God as it was in the book of Acts, when the church was born.
The Last Reformation - The Beginning (2016) - FULL MOVIE ...
Apr 13, 2016 - Uploaded by The Last Reformation
I hope you will share this message with those you love and those who wish to grow even closer to God. We need to make a difference in the lives of those around us. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:11
Be blessed!
