Wellshep

Stop the Celebration!

2011-05-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

Normally I leave political issues alone, especially in forums such as this. However, I feel compelled to address the big news of the past couple of days. This is just an opinion of someone who looks at the world through the lens of the bible.

Usama Bin Laden is dead, killed by brave Americans who carried out a mission to eliminate Bin Laden. My hat goes off to those who serve and protect our great land. However, celebrating the death of anyone is taking it too far in my opinion. Here is my post on Facebook hours after the reports became public; “How do we celebrate as Christ Followers, the death of any human being, especially one that now finds himself in a Christless eternity? The bible tells us we all "deserve" death and eternity without Christ. But because of what we celebrated last Sunday, we enjoy the pure grace of God as He rescued us from an eternity of death and torment. I find no solace in the death of anyone, especially the tortured souls of deranged terrorists. Christ died for all human beings, even the Usama Bin Ladens of this world. Did he deserve death, did he receive his justice, only God knows the answer. I applaud the efforts of those who protect and serve our great country and I'm sure the world is a far better place without the hatred and terror men like Bin Laden perpetrate on others. But, to celebrate his death is simply taking it too far!”

Our great nation was founded by men and women who understood freedom and desired for all to have the basic human rights God intended for us. These freedoms have come under attack. I believe we need to defend ours and others’ freedoms and I have nothing but respect for our men and women fighting to protect us. But we descend to the depths of the terrorists when we celebrate in the streets the death of anyone. I am reminded of the parades and celebrations that occurred all across the Middle East on September 11, 2001. I pray our nation remembers the value of human life and the reason Christ died for men… even like Sadaam Hussein and Usama Bin Laden. I pray the USA remains a God-Blessed nation!

Be Blessed

2011-01-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

As the New Year unfolds, I take some time each year to reflect on the past and look to the future with excitement and optimism. This year as I plan and prepare for what God has for us here in Haysville, Kansas I am especially fired up to be given the opportunity to teach the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. As a product of the 60's and 70's Jesus Revolution, I witnessed a movement of the Holy Spirit that saw literally thousands of young people drawn to Christ. I believe there is a new wind blowing very similar to the winds of revival that blew in the Jesus Movement. Beginning January 9th and continuing through the next 6 weeks I will be sharing a sermon series entitled "Why Jesus Crossed the Road' (inspired by the book of the same name, written by Bruce Main). Jesus' travels and encounters with people gives us tremendous insight into his heart for people and his desire to cross the many barriers we must overcome in our world today if we are going to be New Testament messengers of God's righteousness!

Blessings on the New Year!

2010-11-09T06:50:00.000-08:00

http://www.5min.com/Video/The-Churches-Role-In-Helping-the-Poor-303384006

In simple words the recent comments by Kay Warren have sparked some good discussion. However I don't understand what the debate is about. Mrs. Warren states that what we believe shapes our worldview, end of story. That statement is true of Christians and non-Christians alike. But I'm convinced that it is the heart Jesus is most concerned and not the external behavior. We humans tend to focus on the externals, and they are important, but we forget the internal, heart issues.

Jesus had similar things to say... "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God!" The word heart here is Karthos in the Greek. "Karthos" in Jesus’ context it means, "unmixed" or "undivided," without pollution in reference to a man’s relationship to God.

For Jesus, the heart was the totality of our person, the cockpit, the control tower, the seat of character, the origin of affections, perceptions, intentions, purpose, will and faith. Do you see what Jesus was trying to get across by using these two words together?
From the Jewish point of view of purity, a man might have within his heart arrogance, malice, pride, thoughts of lust or bitterness.. but.. as long as he observed the outward rituals correctly, he was pure. From Jesus’ point of view, even if a man’s outward actions were impeccably correct, even if he observed every detail of the ceremonial law with meticulous devotion, he might still be utterly impure.

Because the thoughts and motives of his inner self were not right. That’s why He said to the hypocritical religious leaders of his day, "You are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity!"(Mt. 23:27 NLT) Now, we might say, "How dumb to think they could be right with God by external observances when internally they were impure." Really? Don’t we do the same today? Is it not still possible for a person to consider themselves "religious," right with God, because they are doing all the correct things, going to Church, giving, being respectable, fighting abortion and homosexuals, all the while in the eyes of Jesus the person has no relationship at all with Him, because the inner recesses of their heart is not pure. This I believe is Kay's point.

The combination of Jesus’ words.. pure heart.. is clear. He is saying, "Happy many times over is the person who has undivided affections for God." He said that again & again.. "No man can serve two masters.." "Seek first the kingdom of God.." "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things I say?"

The key word here for this beatitude is integrity. Jesus is telling us a big piece of the puzzle for happiness is not what you do but who you are, not external action but internal attitudes. Happiness comes when you are the same on the inside as you are on the outside. In order to have the happiness that God promises Jesus says you need... a "karthos kardia," a pure heart.

Finally, all the good works, all the good intentions Jesus himself said is not what he is most concerned with, it is the condition and attitude of the heart that matters, and when the heart is right and pure (not behavioral) but positionally in a right relationship with God, then our actions will reflect that attitude. It is certainly important to feed the poor and heal the sick, but Jesus said those things will not get a person's heart right. Only repentance and a turn in direction and a devotion to God puts our heart right and it is only because of what Jesus did for us on the cross by paying our sin debt that we could never pay.

Our world-view is absolutely conjoined with our understanding of scripture and whether or not we believe that it is the Word of God or not. If it is, then our friends who are agnostics or atheists will be of great concern to us as we show them Jesus and live our lives as people who look forward to eternity with Him. My greatest concern in life is that my friends and parishioners understand their eternity in light of the scripture, that is the business Jesus said we are to be about. I fear however, that we in the church have been so concerned with people's behavior on the outside that we forget their spiritual condition. We like all the good works of those in and out of the church, but we neglect to share the greatest news that ever came into the world, Jesus Christ!

2010-10-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

Recently my wife and I walked through a local park during a festival, we found ourselves among the many "craft" booths where people display and sell various works of art and crafts. It is a great place to meet people and see the wares of local artists. Among these booths we happened by a booth that strangely did not seek to sell anything, except a hard core sales job of the impending doom of all who fail to pray a prayer of salvation and fail to heed their warnings. While the fabric of what they were saying was true, it was the way in which they were "hawking" their product that caused me great concern. As we proceeded by the booth, I leaned over to my son and said, "these are the guys that I have to constantly apologize in their behalf, because as a pastor, I'm linked with this type of harassment." Today we need to be more concerned about developing relationships with people, earning the right to share the Truth with them. This type of in your face evangelism serves to belittle the Gospel and reduce it to a fringe group's belief system. I believe the Gospel of Christ is important and needs to be shared, but it is the way we share it that makes a difference.

In his book "They Like Jesus, But Not the Church" Dan Kimball summarizes his work with this:

"We will be passionate about our mission to break out of the Christian bubble. I truly believe that many people will change their minds about the church if they meet Christians who break the stereotypes and care about them. People will give the church a chance if we ask them to forgive us."

Here is a quote from Henri Nouwen (also found in Kimball's book): "When we have been wounded by the church, our temptation is to reject it. But when we reject the church, it becomes very hard for us to keep in touch with the Living Christ. When we say, 'I love Jesus but not the church,' we end up losing not only the church, but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the church.

This challenge is especially great because the Church seldom asks us for forgiveness, at least not officially. But the Church as an often fallible human organization needs our forgiveness, while the Church as the living Christ among us continues to offer us forgiveness.

It is important to think about the Church as not as 'over there' but as a community of struggling, weak people of whom we are a part and in whom we meet our Lord and Redeemer."

I believe people who have rejected the Church or have left the Church because of some hurtful event need to understand the Church is the Bride of Christ. It is a community of human beings, fallible and prone to making mistakes, but nevertheless, the Bride of Christ. The Bride simply needs to ask forgiveness for misrepresenting the Groom!

Despite all its weaknesses, the Church is still the Bride of Christ whom he loves and was willing to die for, knowing all it's flaws.

The Church has lost its attractiveness, it has lost its compelling message, it has lost its ability to build relationships with those outside the Church. My life's work is to change this perception in my little realm of influence by building relationships with those hurt and alienated by the Church. Only when we begin to treat people of differing points of view with dignity and love will we ever be able to share the awesome news that Jesus loves them and wants a dynamic relationship with them.

2010-09-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

September 14th I attended a conference in Kansas City called "Turning the Church Inside-Out" with Reggie McNeal. I have to say I believe it was the best conference I've attended in a very long time. Not only did I get to share this experience with a good friend and brother from the church where I am Lead Pastor, but was able to let Reggie's message go deeper into my soul. I've read Reggie McNeal's books, I've heard him speak before, but never have I been able to focus and absorb the message that we must re-learn in order to be the church God created us to be. Looking at ministry through the lens of God's mission instead of the church's agenda is truly something I was not prepared. I will never be the same or be able to "settle" for the church ordinary again. I would highly encourage you to go to: http://missionalchurchnetwork.com/reggie-mcneal-videos/. Take the time to listen to this important message to the church. All we do must be done with an eye on those we are called to bless. Discipleship, corporate worship, bible studies, small groups must be viewed as something other than the final destination. We are called to bless others, therefore everything we do must be done with others in mind. We are called to feed the poor, care for the homeless and reach out to those we find ourselves each day coming into contact. The world is waiting for the church to be the church. As Reggie so aptly says, its not "my" "a" or "their" church it is "the" church! Wherever we go the church is in the house! Be the church where you are this day!

2010-08-31T07:02:00.000-07:00

Facebook has given me a connection to people from the churches we have served, to old high school classmates, to family and everyone in between. When I first started using Facebook a couple years ago, the upside was apparent. Connection, networking and just keeping up with our kids made the possibilities endless. However just like the human condition, something created for good, has turned or is turning dark. Sites displaying and exploiting women (soft core), people dropping "F" bombs make Facebook dangerously close to going the way of My Space. I thought about it and decided that whatever men create no matter the pure intent, others will compromise and seek to destroy, which by the way is the age old way of the enemy of God.

I am monitoring Facebook. I have used it to spread encouragement and the Word of God, but, when it becomes a place for people to spread viruses, to "trick" people into attaching themselves to sites they do not want to be associated with, then it is time to look elsewhere. The technology of our day is mind boggling, but we have to use it responsibly. Therein lies the issue, what is responsible for me is far different than someone else's definition of responsibility. that is why the Word of God has to be our guide, our moral compass and our True North!

I'm so thankful for God's Word and the Holy Spirit who brings it to life.

Jay

Don't Wait!

2010-04-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

Whatever the dreams God places in your heart or whatever He desires to do through you, begin it now! Boldness has genius, power, and fruit in it. I have found that when I wait for the perfect moment, procrastinate because I'm tired or ignore an opportunity to serve, the moment leaves and never seems to return. A good friend of mine years ago shared that he had the opportunity to share with someone the awesome story of Jesus Christ. He had the opportunity present itself, but because he had something urgent (or seemingly so) on his mind, he ignored the opportunity. A few minutes later after he had driven on he realized what had happened. He turned around to go back the the intersection where he had seen the person and you guessed it, they were not there. I don't know what happened to them or where life has taken them, but I do know that my friend missed an opportunity of blessing by ignoring the Holy Spirit's leading. I will never forget that day as he told me the story and wept as he shared it with me.

I have as a result of his story, made it my personal practice to, no matter how busy I am or what my schedule dictates, I will respond immediately when the Holy Spirit prompts me to action. So remember...

Whatever the dreams God places in your heart or whatever He desires to do through you, begin it now! Boldness has genius, power, and fruit in it.

2010-03-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

Preaching is such a joy. The people of First Christian Church in Haysville, Kansas are some of the most encouraging people I have ever had the good fortune to serve. I am passionate about truly being a “missional” Body of Christ! Your gratitude is overwhelming. I know you know, that God is the One who speaks and inspires, but I want to acknowledge that fact anyway. The true test of any sermon however is what people do with the words they hear on Sunday. I can remember early in my walk with Jesus that I would hang on every word the pastor spoke and try my best to live out what I heard him speak. I trusted my pastor to speak life into me each Sunday and to this day Pastor David Cone remains one of my most treasured inspirations. Being missional or being Jesus to the people we find ourselves crossing paths each day must be the driving force in our lives.

In order to be Jesus to others, we must ask, “What is God doing in my neighborhood, workplace, or school?” Then ask a second question, “In light of my gifts and resources, how does God want me to participate with Him?” Sounds simple enough, but the real test will be today, after you read this, when God brings someone into your life that has a need, something you have either in your heart or tangible resources for them, what will be your response?

My wife sent me a little inspirational story in an email this morning. If you have time click on site to see the clip (only takes about 3 or 4 minutes), to get an idea of one young man’s quest to really make a difference in others’ lives after hearing a speaker’s message and challenge.

http://www.stservicemovie.com/

I look forward to your story of missional influence in the world you find yourself!

2010-03-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

Recently I finished a book that really impacted me. "Follow me to Freedom" written in tandem by Shane Claiborne and John M. Perkins is without a doubt one of the most provocative reads I've stumbled onto in a while. I found myself living in the tension of being challenged to get out of my own comfort realm and staying where God has apparently called me, I finally discovered that even in my realm of comfort there are areas of uncomfortableness (if that is a word) when we truly seek to follow God. There is an unusual freedom in allowing God to dictate every area of our lives. I found as I read furiously through the book, my hunger for God and His undeniable perfect will in all areas of my life captivated me. Serving others, seeking those less fortunate and living a life free of the modern day trappings (they do in fact trap us) that we think we need to survive provides a great sense of freedom. I want to share some quotes from Shane Claiborne and John Perkins (John Perkins is one of my favorite people and a man I would love to meet)....

Quote from Shane as he worked with Mother Theresa: "it's very fashionable to talk about the poor but not as fashionable to talk to the poor."

Shane: "St. Benedict talks about two things that destroy community-- murmuring and idleness. We need to wake up to meaningful work and mission. And murmuring is lethal. There is no room for negativity and complaining. We either need to use every ounce of energy we have to change something that is wrong, or we need to stop complaining."

John: "Older people need hope too. It is difficult when you lived your whole life one way, and then everything changes. As leaders we must keep that in mind. There are a lot of folks who were part of the Jesus Movement in the 60's, and they had a sense of justice, but the church has not been ready. Now we seem to be moving that way, so let's not forget the ones who have been praying and hoping all along!"

Finally one of my favorites from the book, Shane: "Good things come to those who wait, but great things come to those who get off their butts and go find God at work!"

I could not recommend this book more. It can be life changing if the person who reads it, devours it with an attitude of real life-change and hungers for the things God has invited us to be a part!

What Worldview Do You Have?

2010-02-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

Have you ever stopped long enough to ask yourself, with what lens do I see the world? Is it through the latest socially accepted lens? Is it through the lens of our father's and mother's generation? Is it one we tend to see from our own perspective? Or, do we see the world through the lens of the bible?
Barna has done volumes of surveys and as come to some amazing conclusions based on data received and processed. One bit of information absolutely floored me as I read it. check this out...
For the purposes of the one of Barna's most recent surveys, a "biblical worldview" was defined as believing that
* absolute moral truth exists;
* the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches;
* Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic;
* a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works;
* Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth;
* God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.
In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.

The research indicated that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview as defined above. The Barna study also indicated that a minority of people who describe themselves as "born again" actually share this worldview. So while "they were twice as likely as the average adult to adhere to a biblical worldview... even among born again Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such view of life."
This is amazing to me. It is said that most Americans attend church at least twice a week. If this is true, what are we teaching in our churches? The six bullet points above are givens, or I should say were givens not that long ago. Biblical illiteracy in our churches and an agenda to discredit the accuracy and authority of scripture has taken its toll on Western Culture.
The exciting thing for me is the bible is still relevant today, it still holds exciting truths that very literally changes lives and leads God's children to faith and eternity with the Father. There is no better time in my mind than now to be about the missional purposes God has given us to be "little christs" in our communities. People no longer seek the church out, it is time to be Jesus to our neighbors, friends and family wherever we find ourselves!
Living like Jesus, what a concept!!!!

Living Missional!

2010-02-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Bogosphere...

Well it is time to return to this Blog after many weeks of getting my feet on the ground at First Christian Church-Haysville, Ks. What a joy to serve in such a great Christ Community! This church has lived out what it truly means to love one another. "By this shall all men that you are my disciples!"

I love the church! With all its apparent shortcomings and the negative press in our world today the church is still God's plan to bring a world without Him into a loving relationship with Him!

Wikipedia describes church this way: "a religious organization made up of the congregation, clergy and its members maintaining offices and sometimes seeking non-profit status from the US government." This is not the entire description but not one that at all tells of the power, community, joy, encouragement, teaching, pure fellowship and simply enjoying being a part of the family of God. Unfortunately however, we have not been clear either in defining and sharing what the church is and we are the ones experiencing these things daily.

This is what being "missional" is all about, living our lives in such a way that when others encounter us they know we have been in the very presence of God. Missional church community members should be the most loving, caring, encouraging, giving people on the planet. I recently heard of a person in our faith community encountering a young man in a parking lot. She gave willingly to the person's need. She didn't know him, and frankly did not know if he was legitimately in need, but the Spirit of God spoke and she responded in generosity.

I love to hear stories of "missional living" especially from people who are just beginning their missional journeys.

Share your missional story here. Be an encouragement to others!!!

Blessings!
Wellshep

Dawning of a New Ministry

2009-10-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Today it is official, I have become the new Senior Pastor of First Christian Church of Haysville, Kansas (suburb of Wichita, Kansas). This "brand" of church will be a new expereince, but one I look forward to with great anticipation. With a focus on the scriptures, true discipleship, aid to the poor through hands on experience and a group of people hungry to make a real difference in their community, I could not be in a better place or partnering with a greater group of Christ Followers.

I've learned a lot over the years in vocational minsitry. I think I agree with John Ortberg, Pastor of Menlo Presbyterian Church outside of San Francisco: "If I could start all over again I'd spend more time in solitude getting ready for ministry. I would have spent more time getting feedback from people who knew me best. I would have tried a little harder to walk through the pain of letting go of what I wanted, things I thought I needed to do, and who I thought I needed to be, so that I could have served with more freedom and effectiveness."

I have been given the awesome priviledge of serving another Christ Community, the Bride of Christ. I look forward to using the experiences and wisdom of so many who have poured into my life the Truth of the Scriptures, so I may continue to make disciples and disciplemakers!

Daily Prayer

2009-04-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

Most of the time I do not like to read my prayers daily. But I must confess since reading out of the prayer book, The Missio Dei Breviary, I have changed my mind. For one thing, I love the thoughts expressed to God in such beautiful language. Second, many times we read another's thoughts and our spirit immediately indentifiies and testifies with the author, bringing much needed peace to our day. I love the Missio Dei Breviary and plan to use it on a regular basis during my time alone with God each day. I want to give credit to my good friend Brad for pointing me in this direction. Also Pastor Paul Hill of Wheatland Mission for showing me that liturgy can be a good, no great thing! We humans are creatures of order and I am the master. I love things to be in concert and get very uncomfortable when "things" get out of synch. God is a God of order. Do we have to read our daily prayers to be "in synch" with God, certainly not, but The Missio Dei Breviary has helped me to connect with God in a real way!

What's all the fuss about "missional church" anyway?

2008-02-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

The latest buzz word for those endeavoring to be "current" in the world of church is the word MISSIONAL. I like the word. I like it for a couple of reasons... Let me share with you a defintion I happened upon a few years back. This definition is taken off the Off Ramp website.

A missional community is a group of Jesus’ apprentices who so trust his brilliance and mastery of life, that they learn from him how to be like him for the sake of the world. Through this apprentice/master relationship, the community journeys together to become the fullness of God and thereby become a finite earthly expression of the infinite Tri-Community just as Jesus was in his earthly life. A missional community is about becoming by grace what Christ is by nature. As the community experiences this, wherever the community members live their daily lives, they are learning how to easily, naturally, and routinely embody, demonstrate and announce God’s life and reign for the sake of the world around them.

I like this definition first because at its apex is the focus of Jesus as our Master-Teacher. Throughout scripture we find the one thing we are asked to be as His ambassadors in this world is disciplemakers. Before we attend committee meetings, before we plan our potlucks, before we stand in the pulpit, we are first and foremost to be disciplemakers. Disciplemakers learn from The Master, then pass along what they learn to others. What do they learn? Disciplemakers learn how to love God and how to love their neighbors! Not difficult, not complex, but a simple concept for anyone to grasp.

I like this definition for a second reason. Disciplemaking is the natural activity of "little christs" or Christians. As disciplemakers go about the everyday activities of their lives, the normal going and coming of living in their communities, they invest their lives in the lives of others.

I recently met a 2007 American Idol reality series finalist. I was struck by her genuine heart for others. She has been given a huge platform to "invest" her life into the lives of her many fans. She also lives her life behind the cameras the same way she lives in front of them. This talented young woman believes she has been given this platform as a gift to show others the character of Christ. We all have been given a platform. Our platforms are in our cubicles, in our classrooms, in factories and in busy traffic. Wherever we find ourselves we have an opportunity to be reflections of our Master in our everyday, ordinary crazy lives, displaying the unsurpassing love of Jesus Christ.

When my life is over, all I want to be said of me is this; "he was a disciplemaker" pure and simple! Afterall, what else can we do on this earth to invest in eternity? What else can we do to demonstrate our love and adoration of Jesus. What can we do that better replicates what Jesus did for us than to love others unconditionally and to give ourselves for them?

So, I guess all the buzz surrounding the word "missional" is a good thing as long as we understand the far-reaching implications of its meaning! The world is waiting for the church to begin being Jesus instead of simply talking about Jesus!

A New Thing

2007-12-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder what is so great about church? I mean, we have adopted the idea that we have to "go" to church. We have to be "in church" or we "have" a church. I know we all enjoy aspects of the church, but I think we get caught many times making church something it was not intended to be. Don't get me wrong, I love the church and I have spent a good portion of my 52 years pouring myself into it. But when we make it a place to go, an act to carry out or an obligation to fulfill we lose sight of its purpose. Jesus' Body-The Church- was designed to provide encouragment, resources and sustance for Jesus' children to carry out His purposes. In the process somewhere along the line we have forgotten first and foremost we must clutivate a relationship with Jesus ourselves! The "business" of church many times robs us of the precious joy of simply spending time with him. We think we are cultivating a relationship by "doing stuff" in His name, when actually He wants us first to just marvel in the presence of His glory. I have discovered anew the depth of His love for me. The fact that Jesus loves me far more than I will ever understand is enough many days to get me through whatever it is I need to get through. Jesus loves us! When I fully understand these things, the "church" business or busyness and duties seem to come a bit more naturally! We ask God blessings on his church, don't let our church rob you of Jesus!

His Strategy

2007-12-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

This week I want to share with you some startling information about the church and its unprecedented growth in two polar opposite eras. With the help of Scot McKnight and his Jesus Creed blog, Scot throws out a quote and stats from Alan Hirsch's book The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church (Baker: Brazos, 2006). Look at this…
"Relying upon Rodney Stark, a church historian, Hirsch calculates reasonably that the Church grew from 25 thousand in AD 100 to about 20,000,000 in AD 310. How did the early Christians do it? How did they grow at such an alarming rate?
When Mao Tse-tung seized control of China, there were about 2 million Christians; he killed most of the leaders of the church there. When the so-called Bamboo Curtain was lifted, estimates were that there were 60 million Christians; there are about 80 million today. How did that happen?
Notice Hirsch's contention about the early Christians, most of which apply to the Chinese followers of Jesus:
1. They were an illegal religion.
2. They didn't have church buildings.
3. They didn't have scriptures (the Chinese had underground, partial copies).
4. They didn't have any central institutions or professional forms of leadership.
5. They didn't have seeker-sensitive services, youth groups, worship bands, seminaries, or commentaries.
6. They made it hard to "join" the church.

My point in sharing this information is that many times the western institutional church relies upon large amounts of money and other resources to "grow" the church. Interestingly, money has never been a requirement. Personal, one to one contact, living in community-sharing Christ's love has always been the catalyst of exponential church growth.
When we see the phenomenal numbers mentioned in the scripture concerning the spread and growth of the church, we tend to look at what caused the church to grow so fast. In actuality, the numbers are there as an indicator of God's sovereign work among His people as they themselves became "little christs" in the community.
A recent study done by a church consulting ministry located of all places in the heart of America-Goessel, Kansas, concluded that when a church's money is funneled into equipping people, i.e. discipleship, those churches experience double digit annual growth. By discipleship I am not talking about a series of classes, but of hands on "apprenticing" other believers to reach out to and serve and love their community in the name of Jesus Christ.
We have much to unlearn in the west concerning the church. We would be well-served to learn from our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world! We have been sold a bill of goods that we can "promote" our church and market its programs to a consumer-driven society and expect the same results a slick advertising campaign can produce for a beer company. This simply is not the case! Jesus has a plan for the church. His plan involves loving people into the Kingdom (Acts 2), teaching them (Matthew 28:18-20) and sending them(Matthew 9-10) into their communities. This is why we exist, and why we remain here on this earth!
CONNECT with people, REFRESH the hurting and downtrodden, TRAIN "little christs", and SEND people back into their world! It is a simple plan, for the awesome opportunity to join God in His work to reconnect people to Himself. We have the written scriptures (early Christians did have the scriptures, albeit they were passed on verbally and witnessed in everyday life) and we have places to gather without fear of death. So what is our excuse? The church has everything needed to see a world literally transformed into a community of Christ Followers. I'm energized every time I think of the honor of serving our Lord Jesus Christ!