Return of the Eagles

It is NOT the responsibility of the pastor/teacher to grow the attendance of the church. It IS the responsibility of the pastor/teacher to mature the church in the knowledge of Christ.

Today I asked to hear from four different people in our Body, “one of the most important things God has taught you about Him or life so far.” It was so good that it would be well worth your time to grab your earphones and plug them in as you watch the video from today (August 21st).

So consider this your spoiler alert if you plan to watch...

Caleb spoke on I Corinthians 13:13   And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

He pointed out how God showed his patient love toward the Egyptians, even though they had put His chosen people in bondage, by giving them all the plagues to repent before He destroyed the firstborn. What love and grace He extended!

He said God’s love “is not irritable” (NLT), even first thing in the morning…

Carl shared from 1 Peter 5:10 and Joshua 1:9. He made it clear that church is not for the perfect, but that from his vantage point seated in the back, he had been able to see broken, imperfect people show up and become healthy in Christ.

He also spoke about the importance of boundaries, of setting those in order to rest so that stress doesn’t destroy you. And one of my favorite verses, Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Charley related another of our favorite scriptures, one we would all do well to memorize: Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. He summed up what God had taught him throughout his life as not trusting what occurred in his job, or money, or anything else, but in everything…the message is: to trust Him.

Cathy gave a metaphor of lifting a child on your shoulders in a crowded mall in order to help them see their way and related that to how we are like a small child in a crowded mall, unable to see anything at all unless we get on Jesus’ shoulders and allow Him to show us the way. She emphasized our need to understand our weapons are not carnal.

And finally, how God’s weights and balances are so very different than ours. We cannot possibly weigh the events of our lives (what is given or taken away from us) and measure how much it weighs in God’s hand.

All four of these need to be heard in order to better appreciate what God has shown them. I am very proud of them in the LORD.

You know, it really doesn’t matter what is being said from the pulpit every week if it isn't being absorbed in the people listening. Those of us whom God has made responsible in any way for the care of His people must ask ourselves regularly: Are they maturing in the LORD? Are they coming through the severe trials of life stronger than they were when they started? Are they better off spiritually than when they first came to this ministry?

"How many people in attendance Sunday?" is a question that really reveals more about the person asking it than about the number of people in the answer...

What really matters is if the teaching is lasting past noon each week in the hearts and minds of the hearers...