Thinking Can be Scary!

I just got off the phone with one of my good friends planting a church in the Atlanta area [Hal Hardy www.thelifechurch.tv] and he got me thinking. And thinking for me is a scary thing. You see to me, numbers are important. To say they are not important in church work is a lie and most of the time false humility. Ya know. Preachers say things like, "Ah bless God, it's not about the numbers son. It's about the Spirit of God!" Well yea. Duh. But if you don't have people, then well, the Spirit of God is whooshing around your empty sanctuary not doing a whole lot.

I look at it this way;

Numbers = Souls and Souls = Influence and influence = changed communities.

Okay let's look at it the super-spiritual way: The only time in the New Testament where we see the 'strong man' over a city being cast down is when Jesus sent out his boys [disciples] to do the works. Ya know the whole healing the sick, casting out demons, and leading folks to a knowledge of Christ. And Jesus said, "I saw Satan falling like lightening…." Remember? Just a thought, could it be that Satan's Kingdom gets really messed up when average, everyday people go out and serve?

Just a thought.

Maybe?

Could it be then, if we follow this crazy thinking, that the more people we have serving a community the more messed up Satan's Kingdom in that area will be?

Just a thought.

Maybe?

Of course we have to realize that the disciples did NOT sit on a rock and study the deeper teaching of Jesus. They did NOT pull up a rock after they were sent out and say, "Hey Peter, can we go over the deeper symbolic meanings of the sower parable again? I would really love to hear the multi-layered theological meanings of how the third portion fits into the eschatological times that are upon us." NO! Jesus said go and "SERVE" "WORK" Do the Works of the ministry. Could it be that to really alter the spiritual makeup of a community it would take an average group of people, going out, and doing the works of the ministry.

Just a thought.

Maybe?

Wow! Looks like the ball is in our court. So I guess the real question is, What are you gonna do today? Who is on your hit list to serve?

[Hey Hal, thanks for making me think.]