The Pros, Cons, and Purpose of Structure

I want to share a very important point with you about structure. In this article, I will cover some of the pros and cons of structure, as well as the purpose of it. Structure is important in a church, but there should only be enough structure to support life. The whole purpose of structure is to support life, but if there is too much structure, it will have the opposite effect, killing whatever life was there to begin with. 

Take for example the human skeleton, which is a type of structure that God created to support human life. A human skeleton is very beneficial, in that it provides support and stability to the body, without which we would be blobs of flesh on the floor unable to stand up, move around, open our mouths, or do anything. We would be helpless and useless. So we can all agree that structure is a good thing. But if we have too much structure, then it becomes detrimental to life. For example, if you were to put an adult human skeleton on a baby, its weight would crush the baby and destroy its little life. That is why the Lord in His wisdom has so designed it that at every stage of human growth from an embryo in the womb, to infancy after birth, to childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood, the human skeleton is only big enough to support the life, but not so big as to crush the life. 

It's the same way with the Body of Christ. As we plant churches and build, let us be very careful that in seeking to bring structure that we do not create too much structure. For it is possible to create more structure than is needed to support the life of the Body, thus having the opposite effect than what is intended and destroying the newly planted church. Therefore, the amount of structure should only be in proportion to the life of the Church, and as the life grows, so does the structure grow proportionally.

The types of structures that can be helpful are discipleship structures for example, like Life Transformation Groups (LTGs) and leadership structures like elders to oversee the fellowship. As a church grows, we can also implement leadership and accountability structures, such as boards of directors, boards of deacons, or committees, such as missions committees. We can build organizational structures as the staff grows. We may also find it helpful to create program structures to support various programs like children's ministries, homeless ministries, or other such programs. Some house churches eventually become large enough to need public buildings, which are a type of physical structure. All of these structures are fine in their proper place and at the proper time. But let's keep it healthy and not add any more structure than is necessary. 

That's why we should always remember what the core of the Church is. The core of the Church is the minimum (core) requirements in order for it to still be considered the Church in the sight of God. The core of the Church from a biblical perspective is present whenever two or three people are gathered in Jesus' name (Mt 18:20), who are carrying out the Great Commandment (Mk 12:29-31; Lk 10:27-28) and the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15-18). Let's always remember that, so that we don't lose sight of what the minimum is for the Church to exist in any given place, and be sure that any structure we create does not become detrimental to it. 

Let us remember that the Body of Christ, the Lord's Church, is an organism, not a machine or a business. We must never try to run the Church like a business or operate it like a machine, but instead always use the organic principles found in Scripture and in nature. Let us always remember that when our Lord described what the kingdom of God is like, he used a lot of organic things, like seeds and yeast, to do so. Therefore, we should seek to operate as Jesus did, according to the organic principles He laid out for us and that He and His apostles demonstrated by their example. 

I'm afraid that many churches today have too much structure and very little life. They may be running like a finely tuned machine, but they are missing some of the basic elements necessary to be considered the true Church. For example, if they are not loving God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, then they are no longer the true Church, at least not a healthy one. This is essentially what the Church in Ephesus was rebuked for by the Lord in Revelation 2:1-7. Likewise, if a church is no longer loving their neighbor as themselves, then they are not a healthy church. and the same can be said of a church that is not obeying the Great Commission by helping to complete it. It doesn't matter how much structure they have, including a large staff, a great big, beautiful building, or a board of directors made up of prestigious members of the community, because if the basic life of the church is impeded, suppressed, hindered, missing, or found lacking in any way in the sight of God, then they are no longer healthy and pleasing to Him. In some cases, their structure may have become a burden to the members of the church, like a yoke of slavery (e.g., see Unbiblical Hierarchy of the Church of England).

Let us not forget that Jesus didn't die to save the structure, but rather His people that He created in His own image. Let's be careful that as we plant churches we only create enough structure in each fellowship to support life, and not more than is necessary.

Attribution notice: Scripture taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image from Organizational Physics may be subject to copyright, used here per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's Note: If you would like to become a disciple who makes disciples, please prayerfully consider enrolling in Doulos Training School, our international, distance education ministry. I also recommend reading Unbiblical Hierarchy of the Church of England, Divine Strategies for Multiplication, Life Transformation Groups, How to Start an LTG, The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer, The Cost of Discipleship, and Multiplication. You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Rescue Souls!

"Who Cares?" by Mauricio Palaucio

These are the last days. Time is up! Jesus is coming back right away -- sooner than you expect. The end has come. Tens of thousands of people are dying in sin, and going to hell every day.  In fact an estimated 163,964 people die in the world each day. That's 6,831 deaths per hour, which is 114 people leaving the earth per minute, or about 2 souls per second. By the time you finish reading this article, approximately 570 more people will have gone into eternity forever.

If we could see in the spirit realm, and watch these people falling down to hell, what would it look like?  How would we feel? What would we do? We would see the multitudes being led away to death, staggering toward slaughter. We would see them pouring into hell like the sands of the sea.  One moment they would be walking along unsuspecting of what was about to happen to them, and the next moment they would be going over the cliff into the abyss to eternal damnation, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

If you could stand within a yard (about a meter) from that cliff, watching those human beings, made in God’s image, heading for destruction, would you be passive? Would you say something to warn them? If so, how would you speak? Would you speak softly and gently to them, so as not to upset them or make them hate you? What kind of tone of voice would you use?

In my opinion, if I were standing near the edge of that cliff high above the abyss, watching those souls perishing, I would be screaming to them to warn them. “Hey! Stop! Don’t go any further! There’s a cliff right there! Turn back!” If we were all honest about it, we would probably all do something similar.  Perhaps you personally might begin by trying to speak gently to them, but once you saw that nobody paid any attention to you, then you would eventually start screaming.  You would probably be waving your arms, too. You would be doing anything you could to get their attention, so that they would stop going in the direction of the cliff, just a few steps away.

Since the Lord sees everything, we know that every day He witnesses these souls perishing, and He weeps for them. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Once they die and go down to hell, they are lost forever, but they remain eternally conscious of their torment. Hell was not created for man, but for the devil and his fallen angels (demons).  It’s a horrible place of darkness, totally separated from God, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Everybody in hell is ready to repent, but there is no repentance in hell. Everybody remains in the state they were in when they died. So if they did not repent on earth, they cannot repent in hell. Mercy is only available on earth, yet all those souls in hell are crying out for mercy.

That’s why we must rescue souls. We must rescue those being led away to death, and hold back those staggering toward slaughter. May the Lord give us compassion for the lost that are perishing every day. The devil has taken them captive to do his will. They are on a course for destruction, unless someone rescues them. I am reminded of the song of angels that was caught on tape in a Chinese prayer meeting in 1995.  In a place called Shandong, some believers were gathered together praying in the Spirit with a tape recorder recording them. When they played the tape back later, they heard angels singing in the Mandarin language.  The angels sang about the signs of the times that are happening, and the chorus for each stanza was this:

The end is near. The revelation of love has been manifested.
Rise up, rise up, rescue souls.
The end is near.
Rise up, rise up, rescue souls.

May that be our heart in these last days: Rise up, rise up, rescue souls!

Scriptures
“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?” (Pro 24:11-12, NIV)

“Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psa 82:3-4)

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls.” (Pro 11:30)

"Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan 12:3)

And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  (Mat 4:19)

“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.” (1Co 9:19)

"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” (Mat 18:11)

"Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” (Joh 4:35)

"In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; Incline Your ear to me and save me." (Psa 71:2)

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Col 1:13)

“He has rescued us from a terrible death, and He will rescue us in the future. We are confident that He will continue to rescue us.” (2Co 1:10, GW)

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.’” (Mar 16:15-16)

"And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed." (Mar 16:20)

If you would like to read the whole story of the Shandong Miracle and listen to the recording of the angels, singing that song in Mandarin, please see the article, “Angels Singing in a Chinese Church.”

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, where noted. The "Who Cares?" painting by Mauricio Palaucio is an illustration of General William Booth's vision depicting the Church's apparent lack of concern over the fate of lost souls. (William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army). This oil painting was commissioned in 1993 by Last Days Ministries (founded by Keith Green). Read William Booth's "Who Cares?" article. Order a 25" X 17" poster of this painting through LDM's website.
 
Author's note: If you would like to be equipped to rescue souls, please consider enrolling in our international Doulos Training School. You are invited to read The Sin of Silence, Baptized with the Spirit, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Rapture Revelation to Angelica Zambrano, Give Me Children or I'll Die!, Confrontational Evangelism, Michael Shigaba's End Time Message for Mankind, Rapture Revelation to James Agboola, Rapture Revelation to Ayodelle Sawyerr, The End Has Come, Covenant Prayer, How to Reach a Muslim for Christ, and Being a Witness for Christ. You may find more articles about being fruitful and multiplying on the Home Page of this blog. You may also find my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Life Transformation Groups

As I have already explained in my article, The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer, becoming a disciple of Christ is not simply a matter of claiming to be a believer. Nor is it simply saying you're a Christian or going to Church each week. Neither is it primarily an academic process.  Academics is more intellectual. It's all about getting head knowledge. Head knowledge can be dangerous.  Paul said, "Knowledge puffs up while love builds up." (1 Cor 8:1, NIV).  Becoming a disciple is a matter of the heart that requires loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself -- the two greatest commandments. It doesn't happen in a vacuum while remaining entirely secluded all by yourself all the time, although solitude is also very beneficial. Jesus spent time in solitude and so did His apostles, so we need to make private time alone with God a regular part of our lives. However, in addition to that, we need contact with others.

The Lord said that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there in our midst. "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." (Mt 18:20, NIV).  That's why I advise disciples to meet in groups of two or three on a regular basis. The men meet with men and the women with women. There are no mixed-gender groups. They meet face-to-face, in-person once per week together for about an hour for the purpose of discipleship.  This approach has been called a Life Transformation Group (LTG).

This follows the same approach that Jesus used in making disciples. He met with the multitudes and preached to them. He fed the masses, healed them, and delivered those who were bound by satan. But He did not necessarily make disciples of the masses. His work of making disciples was done primarily with the Twelve, and it happened over a period of three and a half years. It did not happen in a classroom, using textbooks and charts. It happened as they walked with the Lord daily, talked with Him, prayed with Him, watched Him operate, and listened to Him teach. At the end of three and a half years, He only had eleven of the original Twelve disciples remaining, but they turned the world upside down with the gospel after His resurrection from the dead and ascension to heaven, once He poured out His Spirit upon them.

There were other disciples besides the Twelve. He had wider circles through which He made disciples, such as the seventy-two.  They may have been part of the one hundred and twenty who gathered in the upper room to obediently wait for the Baptism with the Holy Spirit after His ascension. But He spent most of His time with the Twelve during His earthly ministry, especially with Peter, James, and John, and that is an example for us how to make disciples. It's not going to happen by listening to a pastor preach messages once per week on Sundays, although that may help. It's going to happen on a constant basis, as you daily walk with the Lord.

Criteria for LTG Membership
It's easy to start an LTG. All you have to do is find another person of your gender who 1) has a hunger for more of God in his or her life, and 2) who is willing to submit to the LTG process. Those are the only two requirements to be in an LTG. And to start an LTG, you don't need to have any Bible training or even be a leader. That's because you are not going to lead the group, and you are not going to teach the Bible. So what are you going to do then?

There are two basic things you do in an LTG -- breathing and reproducing -- which are essential to sustaining life of all living, breathing creatures on earth. I am using those natural functions figuratively to illustrate the spiritual process.

Breathing
The two-fold process of breathing involves inhaling and exhaling. Let me explain how these apply to the LTG.

Inhaling
When we inhale, we take in fresh, oxygen-rich air, which we need to live. We could say the same thing happens in the spirit. A disciple must inhale spiritually. We want to inhale the fresh, breath that God has exhaled. And the Scripture says that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:16-17, NIV).

So in an LTG, we inhale or read lots of Scripture. The members of the LTG agree on a Bible passage to read each week that totals between twenty-five and thirty chapters. So for example, you could read the gospel of Matthew one week, which is twenty-eight chapters. Another week, you could read several of Paul's epistles, totaling twenty-five to thirty chapters. Or you could read one of Paul's epistles like Galatians, five times for a total of thirty chapters. But everyone in the LTG must read the same passage each week. Each LTG partner does the reading on their own throughout the week and must be finished before the weekly meeting. No Bible reading or Bible study is done in the LTG meeting itself.

Exhaling
When we exhale, we breath out air that our bodies have used, which contains waste material in the form of carbon dioxide gas. It's been expended, and we can no longer make use of it. Our bodies must exhale or else we would die. It's not enough to simply inhale and hold our breath. So in the spirit, exhaling is equally essential. We need to rid ourselves of those things that would be harmful if we hold onto them. That means we confess our sins to one another. James wrote: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (Jam 5:16, NIV).

So in an LTG, you confess your sins to each other. That's one reason why it is gender specific, because we don't want the men confessing their sins to women, and vice versa, since that is not appropriate.  And the members of the LTG must agree to keep strictly confidential what they say to each other. It is not to be repeated outside the group.

Reproducing
Everything God made on earth with seed within itself reproduces after its own kind. Seed-bearing plants do this, and so do animals, as well as humans. If humans stopped reproducing, they would become extinct. There are some nationalities that are going in that direction, because their death rate exceeds the birth rate. So this is essential.

When we reproduce spiritually, as disciples, we are making other disciples of people. This is in obedience to the Lord's command. He said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt 28:19-20, NIV).

Our reproduction as disciples begins by praying for the lost people we know in our circles of influence (family, work, neighbors, etc). So each member of the LTG shares the names of two or three people he or she knows that are not saved. And all the members of the LTG agree to pray throughout the week for those people by name.

The members of the LTG should also actively be a testimony for the glory of Jesus Christ each week by their words and actions. This will include share your faith in Christ with others each week. The best way to do this is to do so as you go through each day.  But it would be even better if you could also set aside a certain amount of time each week especially for personal evangelism.

Once there are three members in an LTG, if a fourth person wishes to join, that would indicate it is time for the group to multiply by becoming two separate groups of two members each. An LTG may not have more than two or three members.

Accountability Questions
When the group meets each week, they open in prayer, and then they each take turns asking five questions of each other. So one person can be the first to answer all the questions, and then the next person can do so, and then the third, if there is a third person.

1. How have you been a testimony this week for the glory of God with your words and actions?

You answer this by telling what you did to testify for Jesus to others in your circle of influence throughout the past week.

2. How have you responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit?

You answer this by telling how you have followed the leading of the Holy Spirit in things both great and small throughout the past week.

3. How have you experienced God in your life this week?

You answer this by specifically sharing any instance by which you experienced God in your life personally, such as in prayer, worship, an answer to prayer, God speaking to you through the Bible, etc.

4. Do you have any sin that you need to confess?

You may either answer yes or no. If you answer yes, then you should confidentially confess your sin to the other member(s) of the LTG.  It is assumed you have already repented to God, confessed to Him, and received His forgiveness. This is not time to condemn or criticize each other, but to commit to pray for one another in the area confessed, so that healing may occur.

5. How did you do with your Bible reading this week?

You answer by telling whether you finished the agreed upon passage of Scripture. If any member of the LTG has not finished the reading prior to the weekly meeting during their own time, then everyone in the LTG must once again read the same passage the following week, including those who personally finished the reading during the past week. This is not to make anyone feel condemned, but to get the LTG members reading lots of Scripture each week.

Irreducible Core of the Church
As I have already alluded to, the two greatest commandments are loving God with all your being and loving your neighbor as yourself. These Greatest Commandments, along with the Great Commission to go and make disciples, form the irreducible core of the Church. In other words, these are the three core aspects that must be present in every true, living church. You can strip away many other superficial things from the church, such as public buildings and paid staff, and still have these essential core elements. But without the irreducible core, the church is no longer viable, even if it is fully recognized by the public as a valid church. The irreducible core is a way of life that follows in the footsteps of Jesus. Wherever two or three disciples are gathered in Jesus' name, fulfilling the irreducible core, an embryonic form of the Church is present.

The Life Transformation Group is not intended to replace involvement in a local expression of the Body of Christ, where one exists. However, it does embody the irreducible core, so it is a biblical, Christ-honoring way of life. It can supplement the services of a local church (e.g. Sunday school, home group meetings, etc.), or it can be used as a key component of any church planting approach.

Effectiveness
I first began using this approach to making disciples in 2006, and over the past decade I have found it to be very effective. It is a repeatable process that can be implemented anywhere in the world in fulfillment of the Greatest Commandments and the Great Commission. The Lord has commanded us to make disciples, and this approach facilitates multiplication of disciples the way Jesus did. May the Lord help you as you adopt this way of life for His glory, so that you may achieve maximum fruitfulness wherever you may be in His vineyard.

DTS Students only: Download LTG Card here.

Continue reading How to Start an LTG.

Attribution: Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted. I want to thank Tom Johnston and Mike Chong Perkinson of the Praxis Center for Church Development, for teaching me about Life Transformation Groups by Neil Cole © 2000. For more information about Life Transformations Groups and other strategic resources visit Church Multiplication Associates (CMA). By the way, CMA has LTG cards containing the explanation of an LTG and the five questions, which you can order from them online. I recommend getting the blue cards with the five questions, rather than the red ones. Photo of butterfly courtesy of Fir0002/Flagstaffotos.

Author's Note: If you would like to become a disciple who makes disciples, please prayerfully consider enrolling in Doulos Training School, our international, distance education ministry. If you are already a DTS student, please download the LTG Card here. I also recommend reading How to Start an LTG, The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer, The Cost of Discipleship, and Multiplication. You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

___________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. Partner with us online by giving to DMI.

Now is the Day of Salvation

On Sunday, October 26th, 2014, my wife and I had shared Jesus with a man down the street at a run-down, old house we passed by frequently.  That day as we were heading out in the van to evangelize to our community, we initially drove by his house as we were heading to another place, where we had usually evangelized.  But the Holy Spirit had me pull over, pray for guidance, and then turn around and go back to the old, run-down house. We had stood out there on the porch, knocking several times and heard his wife inside on the telephone, who even walked by the front door without answering our knocks. Through the open window on the porch, we could see the owner of the house sitting on the couch, smoking a cigarette, watching television. Finally the man, whose name we found out was Eddie, came to the front door and we introduced ourselves to him as new neighbors from down the street. He apologized that his wife had not answered, since she was on the phone. He said he was not feeling well, which is why he had not answered sooner.

We stood there for a while, getting acquainted with each other.  Somewhat further into the conversation, I asked if he had any spiritual beliefs, and he indicated he was a Christian.  So I asked him who Jesus is to him, and he said that He was his Lord. When I asked him where he would go if he died that very day, he said he hoped he would go to heaven. Although he claimed Jesus as his Lord, he was smoking and watching secular TV on Sunday. When I asked him why he thought God would let him into heaven, he replied it was because he helps people and does good.  I asked whether he would want to know the truth, if he found out that what he believed were not true, and he said he would want to know. So I offered to open the Bible and share some Scriptures with him, but since he was not feeling well that day, he said it would not be a good time for that.

Seeing that I would not have a chance to open the Scriptures with Him, I then simply preached the gospel to him, telling him we need to repent for the kingdom of heaven is near. I reminded him that we cannot trust in our own good works to save us, and that it is only by repenting from our sin and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ that we can be saved.  I told him it is only by trusting in the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross, accepting his free gift of salvation, and having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that we can be saved. I reminded him that it is a narrow road to heaven, so we must strive to enter through the narrow gate, and that if we claim Him as our Lord, we cannot go on in sin, for example, smoking cigarettes, watching secular TV, and failing to keep Sundays holy, and think we are going to heaven.  If He is our Lord, we must obey Him. I probably told him, as I often tell people, not to put off repenting for later, but to do it today. With his permission, we then prayed for him to be healed of the flu like symptoms he had been having for the past few days prior to that, and prayed for his knees, which were bothering him from many years of working as an auto mechanic. We said goodbye and planned to go back at a later time to share the Scriptures with him.

That was nearly five weeks ago.  Now that I am back from my trip to Hungary, I was thinking about how we need to go back and share the Scriptures with Eddie.  However, during the past few days, I noticed there was a sign in front of Eddie’s home, advising motorists to please go slowly due to a recent death in the family.  As soon as I saw that sign, I became concerned that Eddie may have died.  I noticed an awning over a fresh grave at the cemetery near his home.  But when I checked the name on the grave, it was John and not Eddie.  I was thinking I needed to stop by Eddie’s home and give my condolences and find out who died.  But today (November 29th) when we drove by the cemetery, we saw another awning over a second new grave, and this awning had the name of the same Smith Funeral Home printed on it that was on the sign in front of Eddie’s house.  So I stopped and checked the grave, but it was so fresh that no name was on it yet.

Then I stopped by Eddie’s house with my youngest daughter and paid a visit.  An old lady answered, named Therry, who was either his mother or mother-in-law visiting from out of state.  I mentioned the signs out in front of the house indicating a recent death in the family. She said that Eddie had just died on Monday (November 24th), and they had just buried him today.  I was shocked.  She said that on Monday he collapsed dead on the couch, supposedly of a heart attack, and the emergency personnel were unable to resuscitate him. He was only sixty years old!

We don't know what happened to Eddie, whether he repented of his sin before he died.  Our Father knows, but we do not. We can only hope Eddie repented fully of all his sins, and surrendered his life to Jesus Christ before he died, because mercy is only available while we are on earth. Hell is full of people who wish they could come back to earth for just one minute, so that they could repent.  Most people who once gave their life to Jesus and then returned to living in sin or went back to the world, don't heed our warnings when we try to tell them to repent and return to Jesus.  We find they usually just continue living as they were before we spoke to them.  They don't realize that tomorrow isn't certain.  All they have is today, and tomorrow they could be dead.  In the case of Eddie, he died only four weeks and one day after we preached the gospel to him.

I believe we were successful in sharing Jesus with him, because we did our part.  Even if he did not repent, our sharing the gospel with him will be for his judgment.  Our success is not based on his response.  It's based on our obedience to God.  It is the duty of every Christian to evangelize.  Don't neglect to evangelize, because you never know if it will be the person's last opportunity to repent.  Your voice may be last one they ever hear.  As the Scripture says, "'In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.' I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor 6:2).  If you are not living for Jesus and serving Him, then don't delay another day!  The time has come. Repent for the kingdom of God is near.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading Life is Short. Eternity is Not, Drifting Away, Is Obedience Optional?, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, Rachael Mushala Testimony of Hell, Zipporah Mushala’s Second Testimony of Hell, Zipporah Mushala’s Third Testimony of Hell, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part I, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part II, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Popularity of the Gospel

Mega church

It’s not unusual today for church leaders to aspire to lead a mega-church with thousands of people.  They expect that they will become more and more popular and attract many people.

However, I’d like to show from Scripture what the trend usually is, so that we do not get our hopes crushed when things do not turn out the way we expected.

The Prophets
First, I’ll simply mention the prophets of old.  This includes all the Old Testament prophets up to and including John the Baptist.  They endured much persecution and were not widely popular with the people they were preaching to. 

Jesus said, “"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mat 5:11-12)

Many of the prophets were put to death. Jesus said to the Jewish lawyers of His day, “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.” (Luk 11:47)

Jesus Christ
The best example is Jesus Christ.  His popularity grew until it reached a peak on the day He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  On that day, the masses were shouting praises to Him, waving palm branches, and making a carpet of palm branches for Him to ride on.  They saw in Him their long-awaited King and Messiah.

John’s gospel states: “On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, ‘Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.’" (Joh 12:12-13).  It appeared to Jesus enemies that the whole world had gone after Jesus (Jn 12:19).  Even the Greeks wanted to see Jesus (Jn 12:21).

But this popularity was short lived.  Within a week, Jesus was arrested (Jn 18:3, 12).  And the next morning the crowds were shouting, “Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!” John wrote in his gospel account, “So they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’" (Joh 19:15)

Their next step was to put Him to death on a cross.  After this, Jesus never regained the same kind of widespread popularity He had at that zenith on “Palm Sunday” a week earlier. 

The eleven
All of the original eleven apostles experienced the same thing.  All of them were persecuted with threats, beatings, and imprisonment, and they were all eventually put to death.  The only exception was John, whom it is believed survived being boiled in oil, and was later banished to the isle of Patmos.

The apostle Paul
Each time the apostle Paul preached in a city, his popularity usually followed the same kind of trajectory pattern as that of Jesus. 

In Damascus this happened. “And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, ‘Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?’ But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.” (Act 9:18-22)

Notice how he increased in strength.  But that did not last. When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.” (Act 9:23-25)

And it was like this wherever he traveled.  For example, in Psidian Antioch. Luke wrote of the popularity they enjoyed when Paul first began to preach there: “As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.” (Act 13:42-44).  You know you are popular when the whole city assembles to hear the word of the Lord you are preaching!

But that didn’t last.  Luke wrote: “But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.’” (Act 13:45-46)

The same thing happened in Iconium. “In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks. But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren.” (Act 14:1-2)

In Lystra, after Paul healed the crippled man, the people shouted that the gods had come down to them.  They began to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods!  “When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have become like men and have come down to us.’ And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.” (Act 14:11-13).  Paul and Barnabas had great difficulty restraining the people from offering sacrifices to them.

This as usual was short lived.  “But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.” (Act 14:19)

The same thing happened in Thessalonica.  “And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.” (Act 17:2-4)

Their popularity in Thessalonica didn’t last very long. “But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people.” (Act 17:5).  Even though a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women believed in Christ, afterward Paul and Barnabas were forced to leave the city due to the violence.

This pattern was repeated later in Berea: “Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds.” (Act 17:12-13)

Putting it All Together
We could give many more examples, but these will suffice to make the point.  When we look in Scripture at the popularity of Jesus and His apostles, including Paul, we see that it was always short-lived.  If they did see a time of great popularity, it did not last for long.  It was followed by violent persecution.  The apostle Paul taught, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2Ti 3:12)

In fact, Jesus warned, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.” (Luk 6:26)

So when preachers today think that they are going to achieve and sustain widespread popularity, expecting to build a mega-church with a great numbers of disciples, they deceive themselves.  This is not the pattern of Scripture.  Rather, in Scripture, when the Truth is preached, it may be popular at first, but it will always bring intense persecution.

When we see someone today preaching a message that receives and sustains wide popularity, we have to question it.  We should find out what the message is that they are preaching.  It is usually not the true gospel of salvation through repentance from sin and faith in Christ by grace alone.

I watched a televised interview on "60 Minutes" with a pastor of a one of the largest mega-churches in the world.  He said that he does not preach or teach from the Bible.  His teachings and books are more of a self-help gospel. He tells people “how to become a better you.” The reporter asked him why his latest book did not have one mention of God or Jesus Christ.  His response was, “That’s just my message. There is Scripture in there that backs it all up.”  He does not feel it is his gifting to explain the Scriptures.  In a separate television interview with Larry King, when asked how we get to heaven, he side-stepped the question.  Then later when a caller directly challenged him on that, he refused to say that an atheist or any non-believer will perish if they do not put their faith in Christ.  Consequently, he is wildly popular even with non-believers, including Jews. 

However, the true gospel is considered a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks.  And it will always eventually be met with stiff resistance.  But it is still the power of God unto salvation. 

Let me encourage you to preach the true gospel, and not to give people what you think they want to hear, just so you can be popular.  You may not see all the fruit of it in this life, but you will be greatly rewarded in eternity.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy reading Persecuted or Popular? and Obedient to the Heavenly Vision. You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.