Sermon Central
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Size Of Congregation Doesn't Guarantee ...
Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 1, 2010 (message contributor)
Size of Congregation Doesn’t Guarantee Fruitfulness
It is important to note that large crowds do not necessarily mean that a teacher has a fruitful ministry. He may have a “successful” ministry, in the sense that the world measures success: by buildings, budgets, and bodies. But a “successful” ministry is not necessarily a spiritually fruitful ministry.
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great Welsh preacher, who preached in London in the middle of the twentieth century, said on one occasion, “It is not difficult to gather a crowd to hear a preacher preach. Just tell them that next Sunday I will be preaching in my underwear, and a great crowd will gather!” His point was simply that great crowds are no accurate measure of fruitfulness.
Spiritual success is measured by the spiritual fruitfulness of the ministry.
I was talking to a pastor in our presbytery this week. Over the 20 years or so that he has been pastor of his church, the church has declined in attendance for a variety of reasons. In fact, the attendance is so small at this point that the Session is selling the building and arranging for the remaining members to worship elsewhere. I asked the pastor if he was discouraged. He said, “Oh no. Over the years God has blessed the ministry. We have seen many people grow and mature in their faith. They serve as pastors, elders, deacons, missionaries, and faithful congregation members all over the world.” That is a pastor who has produced spiritual fruit.
False teachers, on the other hand, are like fruitless autumn trees who produce no spiritual fruit, either in themselves or in others.
From a sermon by Freddy Fritz, Illustrations of False Teachers, 5/29/2010
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