WHAT DO I WANT TO BE? . . . WRONG QUESTION!

Photo by ritesh singh on Unsplash

What do I what to be?  Wrong Question!

Every child has been asked, What do you want to be when you grow up?  It is also a question that a lot of graduating high school students ask themselves, What do I want to be?  It may even be a question that you have asked yourself as a Christian, What do I want to be, as a Christian?  Well, as a Christian this is the wrong question for several scriptural reasons.  

1. You are a work of God’s. Ephesians 2:10, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

2. You are just clay. Isaiah 64:8, But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.

3. You are to be led by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

4. He is your God. Psalms 143:10, Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.

5. God has intentions for you. Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

What does God want you to be? 

This being the correct question has two aspects to it. The first is what He intends you to be in nature and character.  The second is what he intended you to be in service.  The first answer is to be Christ-like. This leads to the answer of the second question. God’s making you into a Christ-likeness can not but lead you into a life of service using the gifts he may manifest within you.   In all instances it his work for his work.  When you get this you will experience growth but more importantly you will experience God. 

Blessings

pBob

Pastoring a small church. . . or do I?

So I pastor a small church, or do I?  According to the information I have seen on the internet the average church congregation in this grand country is 75-80 adults.  In an age of "mega-churches, any church may be perceived as small, but 2000 plus congregation churches are actually few.  Yet pastors measure their success by them like a company measuring their market share.

Living in So Cal where there are a number of churches within 30 minutes that have 1000 plus congregations it would be easy to see our attendance as small.  But since when was quantity a sign of ministry success unless success is measured by warm bodies rather than actual servants and disciples of Christ ready to take up their cross.

Consider the ministry of Jesus, he had multitudes gathering to hear his sermons, houses filled so that you couldn't get through the front door, throngs so dense that the disciples couldn't get how Jesus sensed the touch of one ill stricken woman.  Yet, there was only 120 passionate people gathering in that upper room following His resurrection.  

I am of the view that the church was not meant to be gathered in a mass but to spread and so it did with churches in towns, villages and cities from Jerusalem to the outer most parts of the world.  Some of which were smaller than my congregation.  Sure that was the culture and nature of the times but consider the benefits.  Today, I hear pastors dismayed because another church was planted in their town like salesman seeking to protect their territory.  But why is this an issue?

But while I am not against another church starting in my town I am more so a proponent of planting churches where the Gospel is not preached or sparsely preached.  This is why I emphasis foreign missions so much.  

The bottom line is that I do not see our fellowship of believers as small, not in todays terms and not in Biblical terms.  This is because I measure size by the spiritual growth and maturity of the congregations and in this case we are growing, growing in His love, grace, truth and Spirit.  Is there any other growth to measure a church or a believer?  Consider these words of Jesus that set the bar for us as believers.  As a pastor my calling is to see His will fulfilled in the congregation He has given me to shepherd.  

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32.

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:35

"And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27

Blessings

pBob

5 part Series on Grace has been uploaded

View fullsize

Go to Grace

I just completed a five part series on the topic of Grace that I taught at our Wednsesday night Bible Fellowship.  Grace isn't just found in the New Testament but is throughout the Bible narrative.  Grace was shown to Noah and then to Abraham and so the law of grace existed before the law of Moses was given at Mt. Sinai. Grace was understood by David and transformed Saul, the persecutor of the church, who became the apostle Paul.  Grace frees the sinner and empowers the Saint and this grace only comes through a faith in Jesus Christ.  These messages cover this and more and I pray that they encourage and minister to you as much as it did me in teaching them.

pBob