I have entitled our message for this evening, “God Abides in Small Places.” Abide means, to dwell and to continue in a place. The Lord can be found abiding – and alive and well – in small places; and it is very important for us to be reminded of this fact because of America’s belief that “bigger is better.”
I am sure you are aware of Elijah’s revelation of how the Lord is not always seen in the seemingly big things in life. God told Elijah to come out of his cave and to go stand on the mountain before the Lord, and 1 Kings 19:11-12 tells us, “And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” The Lord revealed himself to Elijah in a tiny, but powerful, way – in a still small voice.
In our country we often believe that if God is going to show up in church, that it will occur in a megachurch. We also seem to think that when trying to start a new church we must send missionaries and church planters into the largest populated areas and cities. I am here to tell you that we need to reconsider some things.
I am sure you are well aware of Matthew 18:20, in which Jesus left these comforting words concerning small gatherings: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” These words reveal the truth that the Lord is present among small groups of believers assembled for worship. All of the verses I have shared up to this point are just a glimpse of a Scriptural truth that I would like for us to revisit this evening. We are going to understand the principle of small places by looking at both the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.
Before we go any further I want to share some interesting insights gleaned from an article entitled, “Significance vs. Size,” found in Ministry Today magazine.(1) The article focuses on Jim Graff, founder of the Significant Church Network, and Graff states, “The Barna [research] Group notes that, in 2005, 45 percent of American adults attended church on a typical weekend, but only two percent attend a Protestant megachurch. Bottom line: The vast majority of America’s Christians are being discipled and cared for in smaller churches.”
He also draws from The World Christian Encyclopedia to tell us that “Urban dwellers are more evangelized than rural dwellers,” revealing a huge need for ministry efforts to be concentrated in rural areas, or the places that are overlooked and deemed insignificant. Graff is saying rural America is significant to the Lord!
Jim Graff goes on to say this: “I would like to believe that the next 10 years will be known as the beginning of the Third Great Awakening in our nation. If you are unaware of what happened in the first two Great Awakenings, it makes for fascinating reading. Cities were changed as people began attending churches and steeples from newly-constructed churches filled the skylines. The Great Awakening, according to historians, was not one continuous revival but a series of revivals in several locations. And almost without exception, these sparks of renewal started in smaller communities before spreading into larger cities and towns.”
Let’s begin this evening by looking at the ministry of John the Baptist, as we read Matthew 3:1-6. I want you to listen closely as I point out six elements of John’s ministry that led to significance.
The Ministry of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-6)
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.” 4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
He Preached in the Wilderness – When John began his ministry where did he preach? We read here that “he came preaching in the wilderness of Judea” (v. 1). The wilderness – do you feel that your church is in the wilderness? Does your church or ministry feel hidden and obscure? If you could identify yourself, would you call yourself the First Baptist Church of Hiddeness and Obscurity? This is how the members, and even pastors, of small churches often feel about themselves. They feel that they can’t be of any significance to God in a sparsely populated area; but just look at John! His ministry was in the wilderness, and it was even prophesied about and planned by God (v. 3)! Consider how God may have you planted where you are for a strategic purpose.
He Preached the Gospel Message – What did John preach? Verse 2 shows that he declared to the people, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Mark 1:4 is more specific, for it tells us, “John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” John was preaching a message about repenting of our sins, being forgiven of those sins, and being baptized symbolizing a new life free from sin. He also preached that one must believe in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their sin, for Paul stated over in Acts 19:4, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” John preached a very straight forward and non-watered-down message that Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6).
The Setting was Unattractive – What do you notice about John himself? Would you say that he was an attractive fellow? The Bible describes him as a grasshopper-eating caveman (v. 4). John was a strange looking person, to say the least, but if you will notice, people still came to hear his message. They didn’t come because John was attractive; they came because his message was attractive. So many times we feel insignificant because our facility is small, or because we don’t have flashy amenities to offer, but that’s not what draws people. Magnifying the name of Jesus is what draws people to our church. In John 12:32 Jesus declared, “If I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
News of God’s Work Spread – When we examine this passage, who all do we see heard John’s message? In verse 5 we learn that it was those from Jerusalem, from all Judea, and the entire region around the Jordan, or surrounding the Jordan River. The Jordan River is 156 miles long. It was a large area of population that was affected by his ministry, not just the few hermits found scattered here and there in the wilderness. If you faithfully preach God’s Word, news will reach far and wide!
The People Were Drawn There – When these people from far and wide heard John’s message, did they hear him in their own hometown? Did they hear his message through a messenger, or through one of his disciples, or did they hear snippets of his message through the grapevine? No, they heard him out in the wilderness! In verse 5 we read that they actually “went out to him.” They journeyed to his remote preaching point, because they were hungry and he had spiritual meat that would satisfy. If we offer people what they need, then it doesn’t matter how remote our church may be, people are going to journey here. And now that we live in the age of the automobile people will drive 50-75 miles or more to go to church if they feel they are being fed.
People Were Spiritually Healed – As we see here, once people heard the faithful preaching of the gospel, their lives were changed. They were forgiven of their sins through Jesus Christ, and as we read in verse 5, they “were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.” These people were healed spiritually. God will bless a church when it is faithful with the small things (Matthew 25:21).
Now let’s look at the ministry of Jesus Christ, as we read Matthew 4:23-25. I want to point out that in Jesus’ ministry we will see the same six elements of significance that we found in John’s ministry.
The Ministry of Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:23-25)
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him – from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
He Preached in the Wilderness – When Jesus began His ministry where did He preach? Verse 23 says, “Jesus went about all Galilee . . .” This verse brings to mind a prophecy of Jesus, often quoted during the Christmas season, from Isaiah chapter 9, which says, “By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (9:1b-2).
Galilee was divided into upper and lower Galilee during Jesus’ time, and “Galilee of the Gentiles” was the upper portion (Smith’s Bible Dictionary). Professor Allan D. Callahan of Harvard Divinity School tells us, “The upper Galilee has no cities in it. It’s rural, it’s remote. It’s located in the highest hills of the land of Israel . . . a very remote area along the borders and frontiers of modern Lebanon, and high mountains and very, very treacherous terrain, very isolated by reason of topography and the nature of the land itself.”(2) Jesus’ ministry began in a remote area, and in John 7:41 and 52 we hear a crowd state, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? . . . Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.” How many people today feel that God can’t do anything good in a rural or remote area?
He Preached the Gospel Message – What did Jesus preach? Verse 23 tells us it was “the gospel of the kingdom” (v. 23). As with John, Jesus also preached the gospel or Good News! We read in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 of the gospel message: “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” Believing and confessing the gospel message is what leads to salvation. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Let’s not overlook the fact that the Lord also used Jesus to pray for people’s healing, and to see people miraculously healed!
The Setting was Unattractive – What kinds of people showed up where Jesus preached? They were sick people. Today, if we hear that a number of people at church have the cold or the flu; we usually find a reason to stay home that Sunday. During the winter we might decide not to place our children in nursery or children’s church because kids spread so many germs. Not too many of us want to show up in a place where there are a lot of sick people. It’s just too messy! We see here that Jesus’ message was so attractive that no one cared that there were a lot of sick people around. If we are preaching what people need to hear, they won’t mind the mess!
News of God’s Work Spread - How much of Syria had heard about Jesus and the message He preached? Verse 24 tells us it was “all Syria.” Syria contained “an area of about 30,000 square miles” (Smith’s Bible Dictionary) in Jesus’ time. Verse 25 says He had followings from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. Word about Jesus and His message spread a very long way, even though He was preaching in a remote area. As I said before, this is the result of faithfully preaching God’s Word! People will show up in our small church or remote area too.
The People Were Drawn There - How were people able to hear Jesus preach and be healed by Him? Verse 24 says, “And they brought to Him all people who were afflicted . . .” They came to Him where He was. As I said before, if we offer people what they need, then it doesn’t matter how remote our church may be, people are going to journey here.
People Were Spiritually Healed – As we saw with the example of John, when people journeyed to hear Jesus preach, they were healed spiritually. Verse 23 tells us that Jesus healed “all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (v. 23). The greatest sickness and the deadliest disease is sin, and the related consequence of sin, which is spiritual death (Romans 6:23) for all eternity. Jesus healed this disease too, for John the Baptist said of Jesus, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b).
Time of Reflection
I hope you can see that no place is too small for God to show up, and I also hope you have been encouraged as you realize that you are significant in God’s kingdom! You may not see it right now, but God has strategically placed you where you are for a reason, and you need to remain faithful.
I wish to leave you with a passage relating to the small things, and it is 1 Corinthians 1:27-29: “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”
No church is insignificant to God, and especially no individual is insignificant to Him. In Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord said, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” If you will surrender your life unto the Lord, He will forgive you of your sins and grant you eternal life. You will also find a purpose of eternal significance. In Jeremiah 29:12-13, the Lord told us how. He said, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
NOTES
(1) “Significance vs. Size,” Ministry Today, May/June (2006), taken from the Internet in November of 2007 at http://www.ministrytodaymag.com/display.php?id=12950.
(2) Allan D. Callahan, “Galilee,” A Portrait of Jesus’ World, taken from the Internet in November of 2007 at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/ galilee.html.
