Churches used to count their influence by how many baptisms they performed annually. Today ministers evaluate their influence by how many attend services over a weekend: “Oh, we had 4, 5, 6 thousand in all four/five/six services.” Neither way of measuring influence proves sufficient. It isn’t the number being baptized, or attending, but did they hear the Gospel Message preached at some depth? As Leon Appel used to say, “I know how many people we had in church Sunday; I don’t know how much of the Church got into the people.”
There’s a critical difference. And it misses the point to say, as many do, that “At least they were in church.” That begs the question, which is: what is the preacher’s purpose whenever he stands to speak? THIS: to let the people SEE JESUS John 12:21. Every preacher is accountable to God for THAT Commission, however few or many hear. Every minister’s burden, in every service, then, is to proclaim God’s word to the audience. Only then has he discharged his duty to Christ. How many preachers, especially in black churches, can say with Paul, I serve my community best by “preaching the Gospel”? Not by protesting, being on Community boards, demanding social justice. Revivals have vanished, sadly considered unnecessary. We have religious experts, in BIG churches, now to determine the best way to impact our communities. Which would have been the very argument of every religious leader in Israel when John preached: THEY, not he, had the education, experience, connections and credentials to make policy. Motivation is another favorite explanation of todays’ leaders. It gains nothing to call people sinners when trying to attract them to God, they say. But, interestingly, the only people in Israel offended when called SINNERS were the religious leaders. Other groups, as Luke 3:10-14 records, agreed with John and wanted to know HOW they could REPENT. Are there any churches willing to believe that Matthew 28:18-20 remains Christ’s marching orders for his people, based on human sin he died to forgive; and based on his authority to save ALL people, based on his ability to grow his church if his directions are followed? That, wherever his people go, they are to live the gospel so influentially that others want to know what inspires them I Peter 3:15. And when asked, willingly give an account of the grace that saved them and can save ALL others. That then tells them how to be forgiven: have faith in Christ, repentant of egotism, confess Christ and be baptized for forgiveness Acts 2:38, 3:19. A query: how many churches will use singing, entertainment and good fellowship to attract people but will expect Christians, by lifestyle and verbal witnessing, to look the lost in the eye and urge them to repent so they won’t perish eternally? Believe it or not; that makes evangelism direct, simple, interesting and possible for every believer. End Part IV
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