I don’t mean how is the local church doing? I mean, how involved are you personally in the work of the Lord?

Too many Christians are content to sit back and let others do the behind the scenes work in the church. And then, some are quick to criticize and complain that the church just doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere. If that is true, how much of that is your fault?

God’s design for the church is for every part of the body to be active and working. We learn this all through the New Testament, in passages like Ephesians 4:11-16, Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12.

Are you doing your part?

As you examine your relationship with God (2 Corinthians 13:5) and the things you do for Him as a disciple of Christ, think about how long it has been since you did some of these basic, easy things. When was the last time you…

• Visited a person who is sad and lonely, just to try to cheer them up?

• Told a teenager how proud you are of him (or her) spiritually?

• Invited a non-Christian to services?

• Told someone that you love them? It might be your spouse, your children, your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or simply friends.

• Sacrificed a personal item you wanted so you could give a little more money to the Lord’s work?

• Hugged your children for no real reason?

• Thanked the elders for doing their often thankless job of trying to help us make it to heaven?

• Invited another family to come to your home for a Bible study or maybe for a fun evening of food and games?

• Wrote a card of love and encouragement to someone who is hurting for attention and understanding?

• Read through the New Testament in your Bible? (You could easily read the entire New Testament in six months.)

• Wrote a note of appreciation to your adult Bible class teacher or those who teach your children?

• Expressed your appreciation to our great song leaders for the marvelous job they do in leading us in worship?

• Thanked the deacons for their hard, mostly behind the scenes work?

• Prayed for more laborers to enter the harvest (Matthew 9:37-38)?

• Offered to babysit for a young couple so they could have a date night without their small children?

• Thanked the Lord for the good church where you worship and all the godly people who are not perfect but are trying with all their heart to serve the Lord.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
• “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the LORD your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV). Did you catch that word, abounding? Could your work for the Lord be described as abounding? Or is it lacking? Or missing entirely? Could you do more?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it is to be, it is up to me?” That could easily be the motto of every disciple of Christ. If we would all take the personal initiative to do what we can in the Lord’s service, this world would be a much better place in which to live. And more souls would be saved for eternity in heaven.

Are you familiar with the 80/20 rule? That’s the situation in too many churches where 20% of the people do 80% of the work. The key to success is to change that statistic, having every member (100%) doing all that he or she can. Everyone is important to God and we are all needed to accomplish what we can.

What are you doing to help the local church to grow, numerically or spiritually?

--Roger Hillis

One of the keys to converting people is learning how to initiate a spiritual conversation.

Direct – a question that opens up a discussion of spiritual things

• Are you saved?
• If you died tonight, would you go to heaven? (only with a close friend)
• Do you go to church anywhere? (this was Grover Stevens’ favorite opener)

Indirect – talking about something else, you shift the conversation to spiritual things

John 4

Verses 1-6 – just an ordinary meeting (we pass up a lot of opportunities)

                In many cases, there are no second chances.

Verses 7-9 – made personal contact

                Treated her as important; friendly and kind in spite of her wickedness

Verses 10-14 – shifted from secular to spiritual

                Listen to what they are saying – issues in their lives, what’s important to them

                Let them know that Jesus has the answers

Verses 15-26 – showed her need for God

Notice what happened:

                Verses 27-30 – she became a believer

                Verses 39-42 – many others became disciples (the multiplying effect)

Applications

• Things that can indicate a spiritual need: a job change, moving into a new town, birth of a child, sickness, death of a loved one, a divorce, family problems
• A political discussion – many issues have spiritual implications (avoid harsh criticisms of other viewpoints) – we want to save their souls, not convert them to a political party
• Current headlines – almost always have a spiritual dimension
• My favorite – “That reminds me of something we talked about in Bible class recently”
• At a restaurant, grocery store, gas station, drug store, barber shop – “Thank you for helping us today. We are part of an undenominational church and I’d like to invite you to visit with us sometime.” Give her a card and leave.
• If you’ve been afraid to bring up the Lord to a long-time friend – “You know, Bill, we’ve been friends for a long time and I’ve wanted to talk to you about spiritual things, but I’ve always been afraid to bring it up.” See how he reacts.
• Colossians 4:5-6

--Roger Hillis

This past week saw the death of Alfie Evans, a two-year-old boy from the UK with a degenerative brain condition. His medical case received major media (and especially social media) attention for the following reasons: Alfie's life was only continuing with the help of life-support devices (ventilator, etc), and since his doctors believed that he would never recover, they decided to remove all life support and let him die.

That's very sad, but it's not the most interesting part of this case. Alfie's parents were adamant that their son's life be preserved, but the hospital staff refused to treat him according to his parents' wishes. The matter was taken to the British high court, who ruled in favor of the hospital, effectively removing all of the parents' rights regarding the life of their son. Alfie's life support systems were removed two Fridays back, on April 23, and he breathed on his own for five days before passing away last Wednesday, April 28.

There may be several things which we would rightly be concerned about in this case, but I will address only this one: as Christians, we should have some major concerns when society outright objects to the fundamental elements of the family unit. The most disturbing thing about this case is that Alfie's parents were legally prohibited from doing what they judged to be in the best interest of their son. Even when the parents' wishes were bolstered by support from the Vatican and the Italian federal government, the British courts doggedly stood in the way of their right to procure medical treatment for Alfie. One of my favorite preachers said just this past Sunday, "Parental authority is an indispensable feature of a society that is both stable and civilized." And he is right. This removal of parents' rights toward the lives of their own children should trouble people who believe in God's plan for the family (remember Eph. 6:1-4).

What do we do about that? Well, our votes may help to prevent the same problem in our country. Perhaps our common voice may be heard through social media and other outlets. Perhaps we can find ways that our efforts in sacrifice and giving (Sunday night's sermon) will help change the culture in this regard. All of those may have some value. But God gave us one instruction that will make a difference:

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."  (1 Timothy 2:1-4, ESV)

Brothers and sisters, pray for all who have influence in our culture. Politicians, college professors, celebrities, parents, courts & judges, social media tycoons... Pray for all who are in high positions, so that we may perennially live in a peaceful society that still values the God-ordained importance of the family.

- Dan Lankford, minister

The New York Times recently ran an opinion piece asking whether animals—chimpanzees in this case—should be considered persons. The reason it is even being considered that an organization called The Nonhuman Rights Project has presented a case to the New York Court of Appeals on behalf of two chimpanzees named Kiko and Tommy, who are kept as pets. The case is that these chimps' rights to freedom should be respected because they are persons with a right to liberty just like you and I are.

The chief concern of the article's writer is with our country's legal system. As he notes, "The problem is that under current United States law, one is either a 'person' or a 'thing.'" He makes the case that we should not reserve our acknowledgement of personhood for just one species—humans—but rather, we should acknowledge any being as a 'person' if it is able to meet certain criteria, "such as conscious experience, emotionality, a sense of self and bonds of care and interdependence. When it comes to whether one should be treated as a person or a thing, these kinds of features, and not their genetic bases or evolutionary histories, are what matter."

All of this is a necessary (and probably somewhat embarrassing) conclusion of our secular culture's naturalistic worldview. And the writer (perhaps unwittingly) admits the extreme fallacy of it all when he queries, "...if Kiko and Tommy can have rights, can bonobos and gorillas have rights too? What about cats, dogs and fish? What about chickens, cows and pigs? What about ants or sophisticated artificial intelligence programs? These questions are unsettling." He is right about that last bit: the questions are unsettling. But questions like that are the logical conclusion when a person's worldview is based upon the belief that humans and animals alike are only varying arrangements of mass and chemical reactions.

It's all a bit strange, isn't it? But it need not be troubling for Christians, as long as we put our trust in God's revealed will.

When God created all living things, he spoke of only one of them being made in his image. Only one created species—humanity—reflects the glory of God, which is why Christians must treat all humans with dignity and honor. Upon no other species did he bestow "personhood" in the same sense that he gave it to us. We should be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater and conclude that we should indiscriminately destroy or harm animal life; remember that God's first law demanded animals to be killed as sacrifices, but it also commanded that farm animals be treated with kindness (Ex. 23:12, Deut. 25:4). They are also his creatures, and he has never intended us to show wanton cruelty toward them.

But the fact remains that all human beings are made in the image of God. The unborn, the rich, the disabled, the educated, the poor, the terminally ill (see today's first article), the righteous, and the unrighteous. And so the answer to the writer's question—are chimpanzees persons?—should be a simple one.

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"  (Gen. 1:26)

- Dan Lankford, minister

It is fair to assume that most people who attend Bible classes and worship services on a regular basis do so because of their desire to know the Bible better and, therefore, to learn how to obey God and serve Him. Even for guests, who may not realize how important the Bible is, we need to be teaching them the word of God.

All Christians need to grow spiritually and young people need to learn God’s word and both of those things happen the same way, through Bible study, in our private lives and corporately, in the teaching program at the church. (Much learning should also take place at the home and family level and both private and public Bible study can work together in that way.)

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:1-2).

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).

“You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:17-18).

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).

“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

Many Christians have been in the church for a long time, some for almost their entire lives, and still have not studied certain parts of the Bible (especially in the Old Testament) in an organized Bible class with a qualified teacher. This should be a matter of concern for those who lead local churches, whether they are elders or those who have to lead in the absence of elders.

You have to be able to help new Christians and teach them to grow and develop spiritually in their knowledge of the Bible and in their relationship with God. It is helpful to have a plan for how you are going to accomplish that important work (the Bible calls it edification).

Every local church needs an organized teaching program that is planned out and is not random or accidental. It should also be flexible enough to change in order to meet specific needs that will arise both in young people and in the lives of those of us who are older.

We need to teach the whole church what is said in the whole Bible and then take that same message to a lost and dying world. We can make a difference in people’s lives and in their eternity. Every Bible class has the potential to take someone who is headed for hell and point them toward heaven. We need to teach others to love Jesus the way we love Him, with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.

There are several organized programs that Christians have developed over the years and many churches rely heavily on these curriculums to spiritually educate their members. Other churches have come up with their own schedule and some are hybrids of the available commercial material, combined with material that local members have written themselves.

There are difficulties with a schedule of this type. Singings, special meetings, etc. sometimes cause classes to be missed. The teacher must be able to catch up by covering the material in fewer weeks. Workbooks and other printed literature are not all equal in quality. Some are excellent and some are not. Some of the literature may be out of print at various times. But, even with the problems, a planned curriculum is much more effective than a haphazard method of study or no method at all. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Suggestions to consider

• If it is possible, teachers should be alternated regularly. If enough teachers are available, those who teach in one year’s classes should be allowed to rest the next year. Of course, smaller churches have fewer teachers to work with and some may have to teach on a regular basis until the church grows and new teachers are added to the number.

• When using a workbook or class outline, consider these thoughts:

• Every part of the lesson does not have to be read word for word, every question does not have to be answered, and even every scripture does not have to be read in class. A good teacher will use the text, questions and scriptures which will be the most helpful to the class.

• Never forget that you are studying the Bible, not the workbook. The workbook is only an aid to Bible study.

Goals of the Curriculum

Here are some ideas about the goals that we should want to reach in developing a structured, quality teaching program in the local church.

1.  To help people grow to be more like Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:21)

2.  To teach the entire word of God (Acts 20:27)

3.  To instill a sense of “doing” (James 1:22)

4.  To develop positive attitudes about the word of God and how it applies to every day life (Philippians 4:8)

5.  To develop each person’s individual faith and conviction (Romans 10:17)

You can reword these principles or come up with your own goals, but the idea is to teach people to love and obey God and His word. Let me know if I can help in some way.

--Roger Hillis

RogerLeeHillis@gmail.com

This past week, I was blessed to sit and talk for over an hour with a brother who has been preaching for more than 60 years. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, he was actively engaged in debates over what has come to be known as “institutionalism” (if you’re unfamiliar with the idea, send me an email). One thing that he said stuck with me: “During that time, and for several years afterward, we considered that the most fundamental principles to teach someone were 1) that you must be baptized to be saved, and 2) the Biblical doctrines of church organization. Looking back, the fundamental lessons we should have been teaching them were about God—who he is, how he loves us, and then what he wants from us. Because once you know about God, you will have what you need to make all the right decisions about whether you will obey him.”

His realization about fundamentals seems to have been understood well by the Israelites, who based the spiritual education of their children upon the book of Leviticus—a book which describes holiness with instructions about holy things, holy places, and holy rules, which all belong to a holy God. In that, of course they taught their children the God-given laws of national organization, and yet they did so in parallel with the principles of God’s own holy nature.

This is further reinforced by Jesus’ reminding us of the most important commandment. In Mark 12, he said, “The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God...” The first principle—the one on which all other vital commandments are founded—is a statement of God’s identity and our responsibility to love him. Does this rob the teachings of church organization of importance? No. In fact, it gives them even more credence as they are fundamentally founded upon an understanding and love for the God who gave them. All of God’s teachings are important, and we believe that because we believe that God himself comes first.

- Dan Lankford, minister

The Lord Jesus Christ offered this invitation. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). He simply invited people to “come.”

When two disciples began to follow Christ, they asked Him where He was staying. His answer was uncomplicated, “Come and see” (John 1:38-39). He invited them to “come.”

When Philip heard the Lord and went to tell Nathanael that he had found the Messiah, Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” And Philip said to him, “Come and see” (John 1:46). Philip asked Nathanael to “come.”

The Samaritan woman became convinced through her personal discussion of spiritual matters with Jesus that He was truly the Christ and she went back to her friends and acquaintances and told them, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:29). She just invited those closest to her to “come.”

The New Testament ends with a similar offer. “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

All too often, we want to take what is very simple and make it much more complex. We read books like “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” We study the latest sales techniques to figure out more clever ways to package the gospel. We bring in the latest “Personal Evangelism” specialist in the brotherhood for a weekend gospel meeting. And, all of that is fine. There can be some value to those approaches.

But, the bottom line is really that we just have to invite them. We have to learn how to overcome our reservations and fears and just open our mouths around our friends, neighbors, co-workers, family members, fellow students, and ask them to “come.” This is one of those areas of life where, when all is said and done, too often much more is said than done.

The most successful efforts we will make along these lines are with those we know well. “Cold call” selling is not very productive in the business world, although this does work occasionally. Knocking on doors in a given neighborhood may produce a few meager results (hence, the unflagging zeal of our Mormon and Jehovah’s Witness friends). But, by far, the people we know and have already developed a relationship with are going to be our best “prospects” for reaching with the gospel.

But, at some point, we just have to swallow hard and say, “Come and see.”

There are some practical suggestions we can make to help you develop this courage.

• Be yourself. Don’t try to come up with some fancy, slick sounding sales presentation. A simple, “I’d love to have you  to come to our services this Sunday” is really all you need. When you are friends with someone, it will be harder for them to turn you down than to throw away a flyer from the church that they get in the mail.

• Use special services, like gospel meetings or Vacation Bible School, to invite. Let them know the theme of the week or the specific topic on particular nights. Tell them, “We are going to have a sermon this Tuesday evening that I think will help you as a parent to train your children in the right way. I know I need that and I’d like for you to hear it also.”

• If they don’t come to that service, follow up by handing them a CD of the sermon and say, “I know you couldn’t make it the other night, so I made you a copy of the lesson. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.” And then, be sure to follow up on that. Let them know regularly when a class or sermon would be useful for them. Don’t be pushy, but do be persistent.

• Mention the church’s website and point out some of the things on it that might help them spiritually.

• Be excited about the local church where you are a member. Mention exciting things that happen from time to time. If you can show them the difference that being a member of Christ’s church has made in your life, maybe they will realize that there is something good for them there also.

We need to just focus on those we know and love. They will appreciate our sincerity, they have seen our lives up close for years, and they will not think we are inviting them out of some impure motive.

Three words might be all it takes to set someone on a path that will lead them to heaven. Three words can change an eternal destiny. Three words can save more souls than we can ever imagine. “Come and see.”

--Roger Hillis

Biblical Insights

January 2009   

How many times have you heard that young people are the church of the future? This is true, but this will be effective only if we are already using them and developing them into leaders now. “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him” (Proverbs 23:24, ESV).

Starting Early

Basically, leadership is simply influence over others. Early on we need to help our young people develop the strength of character to be “influence leaders” among their peers, leaders rather than simply followers. Sermons and Bible classes need to emphasize God’s truth on subjects concerning moral issues, character qualities, and having the right kind of attitudes. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

The single most important thing to teach our young people is the proper respect they should have for authority. Initially they learn this respect at home in their relationship with their parents. Later, it is reflected among other adults, including family friends, Bible class teachers, neighbors, school teachers, and others at school. They need to be taught to behave politely and to answer properly. “Yes or no, sir or ma’am” should be the standard response, not “yeah” or “nope.” They should be taught to respect property, and to act on the first statement, not after several empty threats. Children will be children, of course, but they need to learn early in life to be obedient children. Respect for others in authority makes it easier for a person to develop respect for God and His authority.

As children grow into adolescence, their Bible knowledge should grow as well. Hopefully, the congregation will have an active and comprehensive Bible class program that will fill them with both a complete knowledge of God’s word and a heart of love for the Lord that will serve them well throughout life. However, the primary responsibility for the spiritual development and nurturing of children was not given to the church, but to the parents, especially the father (Ephesians 6:4). Bible classes conducted by the church should only supplement the teaching they get at home, not replace it. Unfortunately, we all know of situations where all the Bible children learn is what they get “at church.” That emphasizes the importance of a well-organized program in each congregation.

We also cannot overstate the importance of adults providing the best possible example for young people. It does little good for the Sunday morning teacher to tell our children the need to put God first in all things, if that teacher doesn’t even attend mid-week services. Most important in this area is the example that young people learn at home. The good teaching and preaching that many young people receive is often undone in the car on the way home. Very few of these young people will grow up to be strong leaders in the church.

When young men obey the gospel, they need to be worked into the public services of the church, at a rate with which they can be comfortable. They should not be pushed, but often do need to be encouraged to use and develop their talents. I would never have agreed to lead singing, if one elder had not stayed with me and helped me to see that this was something I could do, if I only would.

Young men’s training classes can be very helpful in this area. When conducted properly, with a positive tone and encouraging suggestions, young men (and maybe some older ones also) can be helped to understand the extent of what they can do for the Lord. And beyond the typical classes on song leading, Bible reading, praying publicly and waiting on the Lord’s table, classes need to be held on leadership, what makes a leader, what a leader does, problems a leader faces, qualifications of elders, etc.

At a congregation where I formerly preached, I used to make a Wednesday night talk once a year on the subject of Preparing Young Men for the Eldership. Here are the points I discussed in that short lesson.

Some Practical Steps

Do not wait until you are 40 or 50 years old and then decide that you might like to serve as an elder. Start now to think about it and work toward this commendable goal for the rest of your life.

1. Learn the Word.

Titus 1:9 speaks of the importance of being able to convict those who oppose truth. The only way to do that is to know the truth yourself. Be serious in your Bible classes. Have fun, but don't forget why you are there. The purpose of Bible classes is to transform your life for eternity. An elder must be “able to teach.” You can't teach what you don’t know.

2. Maintain a Life of Purity.

Shepherds are to be held in high esteem by others both inside and outside the church. Don’t do foolish things that people will remember and that can haunt you for the rest of your life. 1 Timothy 4:12 reminds young people to set a good example for other believers. Use your talents now; do not wait until you get older to start serving.

3. Marry a Godly Woman (1 Timothy 3:11).

Your mate can help you to qualify as an elder or could be a permanent disqualification. Choose wisely. Young ladies should try to qualify themselves to be elder’s or preacher’s wives to be the kind of person a leader can rely on as a helper.

4. Read the Elders’ Qualifications Often and Grow in Needed Areas.

You will not develop these leadership qualities accidentally or overnight. They are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9 and 1 Peter 5:1-4.

Parents need to encourage their sons to be elders (or gospel preachers). Others can be a great encouragement to young people also. There is no greater service we can do for the Lord than to help young people grow up and develop themselves as spiritual leaders of the church of the future.

--Roger Hillis

Biblical Insights

April 2004

(slightly revised)

Recently, I re-read the story of Jephthah. It is a perfect fit for the moral maelstrom that is the book of Judges. Here’s a little refresher on the story: Jephthah was called on to save the Israelites from an oppressive neighboring nation. He made a vow to God that if he won a big battle, when he arrived home, he would offer the first living thing that came out of his door. So, when his only child—a grown daughter—was the first living thing to come out of the house, he kept his vow and burned her on an altar to God.

Sound horrible? It is. And that’s why I started wondering: is that what he should have done? Was God pleased with that vow and with his keeping it?

The simple answer is: no.

I think I can say unequivocally that Jephthah should not have sacrificed his child, even if it meant breaking a vow to God. In reality, because of his stupid vow, he had no good options, but one option was clearly more evil than the other. Despite the fact that many of us have said, “One sin is the same as another; they’re all equal in God’s eyes,” the Bible just does not say that. There are times when we must choose between to evils, in which case we must always choose the lesser evil. Jephthah’s choice was between breaking a vow and shedding innocent blood, and he chose to commit the greater of those two evils. By contrast, when Rahab had to choose between lying about the location of the spies sent by God or giving them up to be killed, she chose the lie, knowing that it would mean their lives were preserved. And was she condemned for her infraction? No. In fact, the Hebrews writer commends her for welcoming them, which involved her saving their lives.

What’s the point? God values life. And though they may happen infrequently, when the choice comes down to a breach of morality versus a loss of innocent life, faithful people must choose the lesser of those two evils. The Holy Spirit said through Hosea: “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hos. 6:6) Our lives should reflect the most important things to him: steadfast love for the innocent and a premium priority on preserving life that is given by God and created in his image.

- Dan Lankford, minister

There may be any number of reasons why churches in some areas of this country and around the world are not growing.

I do not want in any way to imply that, if a local church isn't growing, then the group is not pleasing to God. They may be doing something wrong that displeases God, but numerical growth, or lack of it, is not a singular indicator either way. It is not my purpose in this series to imply that all a church has to do to grow spiritually and numerically is to follow my advice. This is not intended to be a fool-proof, works every time, money back guaranteed program.

These blog postings are simply things I have observed over the years that have helped some churches to grow. It is my desire that these articles encourage some Christians, who have grown despondent and believe that nothing can be done to help struggling churches, to develop hope for the future. The last thing I want to do is to further discourage the down-hearted. Sometimes things just don’t work out the way we had hoped they would.

• Noah preached (2 Peter 2:5) for 100 years and didn’t save anyone outside of his family. He had to have been discouraged at times. But he did save his own family. And that is awesome.
• In Acts, Paul did not have equally glowing success in every place where he went to plant a new church. In some places he was ignored; in some he was thrown into prison; in some he was stoned or otherwise persecuted. (Read 2 Corinthians 11:22-30). 
• And, lest we forget, even the Savior Himself did not convince everyone He taught to become Christians. As a matter of fact, He was killed by some of the very people He tried to teach.

And sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, we work very hard with little visible results.

There are many factors that can lead to a church that is shrinking in size, rather than growing. Churches age (because all of us as people do also), sickness and death occur, people move away from a community, the culture of an entire city or town can be affected by outside influences and all of these things can have a shrinking effect on the Lord’s people. Some places are just harder fields to work in than others are.

Churches go through cycles, sometimes up and sometimes down, and it can be difficult to know if a downturn in attendance is part of a cycle that is beyond anyone’s control or whether it is evidence of a decline that will ultimately lead to the death of that church.

The easiest thing that churches often do is to blame the preacher if things begin to go badly. It may be that he is the problem and I am convinced that most churches need to do a better and more thorough job of choosing a preacher. More time should be spent in finding out if the churches where he has worked before have grown spiritually and numerically or if they have declined in number. Sometimes they decline and it isn’t his fault, but there are preachers who systematically destroy every church they work with. They don’t mean to, but they don’t have a very realistic view of themselves that will allow them to admit that they hurt the church more than they help it. Not everyone who preaches should be preaching, but it is hard for most men to admit that they are the problem and the churches that have been in decline would have grown if someone else had been preaching there.

My family attended a church once while we were on vacation and the preacher told me that they were getting ready to move to a newer and smaller building. He said, “We’ve grown so small here that we don’t need this much space.” We’ve grown so small? That is an interesting way to describe a church that is dying. I am afraid to even try to find out if that church is meeting at all now, about 20 years later.

Before I give a few suggestions about what to do in this type of situation, please allow me to give a word of warning about what not to do.

Do not turn to gimmicks, games, entertainment and other unbiblical “methods” to try and draw a crowd. It can be tempting to try something that the big denominational group down the road is doing that has resulted in huge crowds attending there now. Never forget that the gospel is God’s power to save (Romans 1:16) and “food, fun, and fellowship” may well attract bigger numbers, but they will not save souls.

But what we can do sometimes is to try to find different ways to reach the lost with the gospel than we have used in the past, without changing the message. We can look for better, Biblically authorized ways to do what God wants us to do.

I have previously suggested going back to the basics of the gospel to try to ground the members you already have and encourage them to share the truth with their lost friends and neighbors.

A suggestion I have made to churches that are disheartened (to help them not give up) is for every Christian to take an entire year and focus on one lost person. Then pray for that person, spend social time getting to know him better and when the opportunity arises, invite him to attend a service or to have a Bible study at his convenience, wherever he would be willing. Just concentrate on one person for a whole year. If a church of 20 people would do that and not drop the ball, but stay on task, in one year the church would be 40 people. And then, if everyone would choose one person for the next year and stay with him, the second year, there would be 80 people. And, if they all did it again for another year, after only 3 years, those original 20 members would number 160 members. After 4 years, you would have 320 members and after 5 years, 640. Now, of course, some would move away, some would pass away, some would fall away, but is it that difficult to think about spending a whole year working on one lost soul, to bring him or her to the Lord?

Acts 14:21 says, “And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to…(other cities).” That’s how it works, friends. We preach the gospel to people and it results in new disciples. If your garden isn’t producing as many fresh tomatoes as you want, you plant more tomato seeds. If the church isn’t producing new Christians, you have to plant more gospel seeds.

How long has it been since you personally met and taught someone who became a Christian? 10 years? 5 years? 1 year? 25 years? Have you ever done that? It isn’t that hard; we just have to stay with it.

So whatever else you do, don’t quit trying. Don’t give up. Lost souls, who need the Lord, are out there, everywhere. They need you to keep trying to reach them. Their eternal destiny is on the line here.

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9). Don’t grow weary and do nothing. Never give up.

--Roger Hillis