I received this idea from my mentor Jerrie Barber.
I Want the Church to Grow – But Do I Want Anymore People #7
Philippians 2:1-8
For the last six weeks we have been looking at Church growth and some of the things that we do to sabotage that growth. I still believe that everyone here tonight would shout from the very rooftops that they wanted the church to grow. But the question that I have to always ask is what are you personally doing to bring growth or on the other side of the question what are you doing personally to sabotage that growth.
The bible plainly teaches us that growth will happen in a healthy church, just as growth will occur in a healthy child.
I remember when Trista was pregnant with both of our boys, I drove her insane with my desire to track the baby’s growth to see if they were healthy or not. We had books and charts and a very good spirited Doctor who would sit and listen to me as I asked the same question another way, just to see if everything was progressing as it should.
As we have seen the first century church was healthy as was growing by leaps and bounds, but we have also noticed that it was not perfect. That’s why the Hebrew writer had to remind the Jewish Christians to examine themselves constantly to see if they were living a healthy Christian life or if they were backsliding into their Jewish ways, customs, and traditions.
Listen to what we read in Hebrews 4:12:
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart
We need to constantly invite God’s word to examine the thoughts and intents of our hearts. It’s not something that you do on a yearly basis but something a healthy Christian does consistently.
With that in mind we need to answer only to ourselves and to God the following questions using the scriptures to examine our Christian walk.
How am I similar to some of the people we have considered?
Do I want everyone here or do I try to keep out those that I fear, or who are a different color that I am?
How would you treat someone who has different traditions than you do because they went through a different process of growth that you have?
As you struggle with financial and time constraints are you willing to love those who are sick, hurting, dirty, or who would be an inconvenience the way that Christ first loved you?
Do you humbly put others in front of yourselves or are you looking for every opportunity to tell someone how they should treat their children, or love their spouse, or spend their time and money?
I remember a church where I preached at one time there was this sweet member who would come to church every Sunday and meet me at the door with her latest conquest story. Their eyes would light up as they told me how they crawled all over someone that week. Then every Sunday after church they would leave by telling me how they wish the Brother Smith, or Sister Johnson was here because they really needed to hear the sermon.
We forget all too often that we are called to be different than the world we live in. We try to do heavenly things with a worldly mindset. But Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come
The worlds ways are no longer our ways and we need to change to be more in tune with the mind of Christ.
Once again listen to the Apostle Paul this time in Philippians 2:1-4
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
This passage is so rich in describing how we as a church should be, and act, and think. But once again we have allowed ourselves to be put in the same stress that was felt by the Early Church.
You see even though I want the church to grow there are some people who I would prefer to go somewhere else, like my relatives.
Turn with me to Luke 15:11
"There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ’Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything
Honestly when I alleged that we didn’t want our relatives in the church did you think about your saintly grandmother or did your mind wander to your 3rd cousin twice removed who has spent more time in prison than He has in the bathtub.
Normally when we think about our family we use the same thought pattern that we do about other folks. We tend to think only about people that we are fond of or who are like us. And those people that we only bump into at the family reunion are not close enough to us to be kin, regardless of the blood line.
Now the problem in this passage is that you have a young man who was like a girl Trista and I know. She would say "The only time I am homesick is when I am at home."
The younger son was impetuous and felt like doing things the acceptable way was not acceptable. He wanted it now. He wanted out of the Father’s house, and he didn’t want to be with his family-his brother and his father.
Do you have any black sheep in your family?
I know that there are members of my extended family that I tried hard to keep Trista from until we got married. I figured by then she was stuck.
The problem in this house is that it is not a cousin or an uncle but a brother and a son. And he is not a little off, or a little weird but he has spent time with prostitutes, and drunk, and then when you would think that he could get no lower this Jewish boy went to work with pigs. And not only did he defile himself by working with unclean animals he desired to eat what they were eating.
Let’s pick up in verse 25
"Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ’Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ’Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’
Can you relate? I have heard sermons my entire life and even preached a few on how atrocious the older brother was. But I can relate.
The older son found out that the Black Sheep was home from doing who knows what with who knows who and he would not go in.
He was livid that this degenerate was welcomed back with open arms.
He was arrogant in his thinking that His brother was a worse sinner than he was.
He was resentful that this rascal went off and had a good time while he labored at the house. Everything was supposed to be his and now was he going to have to share?
You see the older brother was a little home sick as well -he didn’t want to be with his family-his brother or his father.
I have often wondered why would a Christian not a relative to come to know the freeing power of Christ. Some of the most difficult times I have had in talking with others were when relatives "protected" members of their families from me.
I have come up with several answers some of them are good and some are not but none of them are acceptable.
Some people don’t want their family members approached because in the past people have been hurtful.
I have had this experience. There is a woman who my family loves dearly who begged me not to go and speak with her husband, about changing his life. It all stemmed from an incident that happened at a funeral in our building.
They had a son who was on leave from the Navy and was killed by a stray bullet from a gang related shooting. During his funeral they were allowing people to get up and say some things that they remembered about this young man. Everything was going fine until a man stood up and said, “I don’t know much but I do know this. This young man did not live a good life and he is now burning in hell, and if the rest of you don’t straighten up you will be there with him.”
That one remark made in ignorance has shut a door that I was not able to breach. That one offense drove that man further away, and he has not talked about it since.
Then some people don’t want their family members approached because the spouse or relative has tried and if you could bring them to the Lord, it might reflect poorly on them.
Or some people don’t want their family members approached because they are the Godly one in the relationship.
This is seen time and time again in Church Family Systems. In a marriage if a man is an alcoholic usually the woman will stay with him. She will be there to take care of him and do what she can to help him, but she will openly complain about it and seek compassion and sympathy about the problem. She thrives on the comments, “She is such a Godly woman to stay with such a devil of a man.” Or “She is a stronger Christian than I am, to love such an unlovable man.”
But do you know what happens is over half of those same marriages where the offending spouse repents and changes their ways? Over half of those marriages will end in divorce after the change of the spouse, because the saint is no longer the saint in a bad relationship and they no longer receive the same compassion and sympathy.
And lastly some people don’t want their family members approached because they know the dedication of their spouse to anything they believe in; if they were to be converted, the "Christian" spouse would have to change.
Can you imagine the change in a family where someone actually cares about Christ as much as they do about Alabama Football or Deer Hunting?
I kind of say that tongue and cheek but have you ever seen the amount of excitement in a church that you do at football game?
Like I said earlier these are good and bad reasons that people have for not wanting their family to know the power of Christ and His resurrection but none of them are acceptable. They stand in stark contrast to Paul’s attitude toward his relatives.
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. Romans 10: 1
It was Paul’s desire and prayer for the church to grow; the same Paul that some wanted to keep out of the church; the same Paul that had a different process of growth that the rest of the Apostles. It was this Paul that had a burning desire to do everything he could to bring about Church growth and be pleasing in the sight of God.
And it was because of the work of Paul and his allowance of God to work through him that we can read with joy passages like the following:
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:41,47
But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so that the number of believers totaled about five thousand men, not counting women and children. Acts 4:4
More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to the group of believers. Acts 5:14
So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew daily in numbers. Acts 16:5
Growth was normal for the early church, because it was a healthy church. Notice again I did not say a perfect church but a healthy church.
I was in a discussion a few weeks ago about a church in Alabama that has experienced some wonderful growth over the past 8 years. And instead of rejoicing about the expansion of the Kingdom, and the Souls that are being added to the Lord’s Church I was told, "They’re growing so much. They’ve got to be doing something wrong."
It is a sad statement to me that we have become so abnormal, if we ever got to normal, we would seem abnormal. Shouldn’t it be more biblical to ask, "If we are not growing, could there be something wrong?
I have asked you time and time again do you want to the church to grow? And you have said yes, and your elders have said yes. But now we must ask ourselves do I want any more people? How many? What kind?
Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light." Matthew 11:28-30
Do you know someone burdened with sin? If so then God wants them added to the church are you willing to cooperate?
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" Let the one who hears this say, "Come!" Let whoever is thirsty come; whoever wishes may have the water of life as a free gift. Revelation 22: 17
Do you know someone who needs to drink of the water of life? Are you willing to take the time to lead them to the fountain?
How will you cooperate with God?
What is your response to God’s call?
The very life of this church depends on you? Tonight do you need to lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and run with endurance the race that is set before us,.
Tonight you can lay it at the cross. If you have a need will you come while we stand and sing.
