Numb3rs
Nope. It is not the popular TV series on Astro. I just liked the style they used so…:P I was in church the past Sunday and the speaker made this comment, “We need to think about quantity also. A lot of churches say focus on quality not quantity. If we do not have quantity, how can there be quality?” He was speaking on church attendance and membership. And he used the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to back his claim. He said that if quantity was not important, how come 3000 were added that day? The Christian group should just focus on quality with the small number they already had. Therefore, we should do all we can to bring more people to church.
This is, in my opinion, a very bad misinterpretation of Scripture. I would like to say that because they focused on quality, God gave them the quantity. The apostles didn’t do anything spectacular to attract the crowd.
“1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.”
Acts 2:1-6
Yet, they were focusing on ‘quality’. Why is that? Before ascending, Jesus gave them the command to wait in Jerusalem until they were filled with power from on high (Luke 24:49). They were being obedient to that command. Furthermore, they were not waiting idly. They were worshiping! “And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.” Luke 24:53. It is clear that they were focusing on the quality of their spiritual being.
Since they were obedient, and according to what Jesus had spoken, God sent the promise Holy Spirit. The Scripture says that when people heard the loud wind, they came to where the apostles were. Then Peter went up and gave his sermon that saved 3000 people. Now, did the apostles do anything spectacular to attract the crowd? No! The Holy Spirit did it. The Holy Spirit used Peter as a mouthpiece to convey the message. The Holy Spirit then convicted the people of sin and told them to repent and be baptized. This is because it is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict. “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment…” John 16:8.
Yes, we are to bring more people into church. But what kind of people? When Jesus gave the Great Commission, he said go and make disciples. He did not say go and make converts. Were the people only to believe? Nope. Jesus continues to say, “to teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
“19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
The speaker’s logic is true to the extent that if you do not have quantity, you don’t have anything to focus quality on. But if God gives you a small amount, it is still a quantity. So, focus on that. If God gives you a large quantity, so be it. Be faithful with that. This is reiterated in the “Parable of the Talents” Matthew 25:14-30. Be faithful with whatever you have. God will settle the quantity.
A (deer…:P) friend of mine in the USA said in her blog, “It is really hard to get involved in a church that huge, and I do not want to just attend church every Sunday and then leave right after service. Part of my act of worshipping is serving Him, and at the same time, I also believe that it is easier for me to grow in a smaller church.” See the problem of a big church? Nope. We just need the numbers too show how big our church is. We will just make the church seeker friendly. Away with the hard stuff. Welcome the funny anecdotes. We can wait for quality later. We need the quantity now.
***********************
comment yah..:P Soli Deo Gloria!
This is, in my opinion, a very bad misinterpretation of Scripture. I would like to say that because they focused on quality, God gave them the quantity. The apostles didn’t do anything spectacular to attract the crowd.
“1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.”
Acts 2:1-6
Yet, they were focusing on ‘quality’. Why is that? Before ascending, Jesus gave them the command to wait in Jerusalem until they were filled with power from on high (Luke 24:49). They were being obedient to that command. Furthermore, they were not waiting idly. They were worshiping! “And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.” Luke 24:53. It is clear that they were focusing on the quality of their spiritual being.
Since they were obedient, and according to what Jesus had spoken, God sent the promise Holy Spirit. The Scripture says that when people heard the loud wind, they came to where the apostles were. Then Peter went up and gave his sermon that saved 3000 people. Now, did the apostles do anything spectacular to attract the crowd? No! The Holy Spirit did it. The Holy Spirit used Peter as a mouthpiece to convey the message. The Holy Spirit then convicted the people of sin and told them to repent and be baptized. This is because it is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict. “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment…” John 16:8.
Yes, we are to bring more people into church. But what kind of people? When Jesus gave the Great Commission, he said go and make disciples. He did not say go and make converts. Were the people only to believe? Nope. Jesus continues to say, “to teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
“19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
The speaker’s logic is true to the extent that if you do not have quantity, you don’t have anything to focus quality on. But if God gives you a small amount, it is still a quantity. So, focus on that. If God gives you a large quantity, so be it. Be faithful with that. This is reiterated in the “Parable of the Talents” Matthew 25:14-30. Be faithful with whatever you have. God will settle the quantity.
A (deer…:P) friend of mine in the USA said in her blog, “It is really hard to get involved in a church that huge, and I do not want to just attend church every Sunday and then leave right after service. Part of my act of worshipping is serving Him, and at the same time, I also believe that it is easier for me to grow in a smaller church.” See the problem of a big church? Nope. We just need the numbers too show how big our church is. We will just make the church seeker friendly. Away with the hard stuff. Welcome the funny anecdotes. We can wait for quality later. We need the quantity now.
***********************
comment yah..:P Soli Deo Gloria!
posted by child_of_God at 2:36 AM
4 Comments:
Well said, Ian. I always wondered about that actually. John Piper has this wonderful book with an even better title" "Brothers, we are not professionals"
He was taking a shot at the secularization of the church (ie: pastors as CEOs' etc etc.) and I agree with him
I've long felt uneasy with megachurches who talk about performance, numbers and reports as though they were a company; and this is from someone who worked for a Multinational for many years
Without wanting to go off-topic, I will say this: the lesson from the scripture you quoted is that we just have to remain faithful and true to God and whatever comes will come.
Would you rather seemingly good things that come from man or seemingly bad things that come from God? Food for thought..
lolz. like Hamlet in Shakespeare's play 'Hamlet' said , "Seems? I know not seems..." :P
I'll take the seemingly bad things from God because they 'seem' bad but may not actually be so.
I agree, ministry isn't all about numbers. However, there is a balance between quantity and quality. A focus on quality in all that we do is good and right; however, the focus of doing things with quality sometimes becomes an excuse for not growing in numbers. Jesus did command the disciples to stay and wait for the Holy Spirit to fill them and then to be witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Elsewhere in scripture we read that God does not desire that any should perish. We know that numbers do matter because each number represents an individual created in God's image. I believe as Christians and churches should utilize all our gifts and skills to do ministry with quality and that quality should result in quantity. If we are not reaching unbelievers with the gospel then we are not doing what we were called to Christ to do.
yup. agreed. we should do what God has commanded us to do, i.e, to share the gospel. nevertheless, it is God who calls men to Himself. We are called just to share. If men reject the message, we can't do much.
Post a Comment
<< Home