Our little church is buzzing this morning. Yesterday, as we were closing the invitation I had a gentle nudge to announce a coming baptism service and ask anyone interested to come forward for discussion. Slowly, four more candidates made their way to me after the service. We discussed baptism and what it meant before asking each candidate to go with a counselor for individual guidance.
I got to speak with a lovely woman. After initial discussion, I got to the heart of the matter…did she have a relationship with Christ? She had been baptized as an infant, but other than that, she was spiritually seeking something. After a short walk down the Roman Road, she accepted Christ with tears in her eyes.
This Sunday we will baptize five candidates. I can’t remember what our largest baptismal service was. I can remember eight at one time, and vaguely recall a baptismal service of twelve, but that would be the limit.
So imagine my surprise when I get on one of my favorite sites, www.christianpost.com, and read that Saddleback baptized not eight, but EIGHT-HUNDRED, in a span of three hours this weekend. How incredible and amazing that God has used that congregation to reach so many.
I could easily have been tempted to look on our five candidates and compare that to the fact that Saddleback has baptized in one weekend the population of Livingston, but I have learned one very important lesson over the past few years. God does not compare numbers, only faithfulness and obedience. (Matthew 25:14-30)
We cannot look at congregations or baptismal candidates as numbers. We place too much emphasis on attendance and offerings. There is no comparison between a church baptizing eight-hundred and having the priviledge to lead a kind, loving woman out of certain eternal damnation and into an eternally rewarding and fulfilling relationship with Christ that will forever change her life.
I believe this is how Satan attacks leaders and churches, by having us compare ourselves to each other. I was not led to Saddleback, nor was Rick Warren led to Memorial…we are exactly where God needed us to grow His kingdom, not our names. I’m not accusing Rick Warren of anything except serving God, however I want to encourage others not to base their success on a comparison between themselves and Pastor Rick.
What is important, is not that I will probably never get to experience baptizing eight-hundred in a three-hour span. What is important, is that this Sunday we will celebrate the fact that “the Lord added to [our] number day by day those who [are] being saved.”
I’ll be addressing the importance of this verse found at the closing of the second chapter of the Book of Acts in a later post on Church Growth. For now, what can you see God leading you to do? Maybe you’re not a pastor, or sunday school teacher, but you are a leader to someone…a child, a friend, a coworker, but within your circle of influence, God wants to use you. You may never baptize eight-hundred in a weekend, you may never baptize five in a service, but are you being found faithful in the place where God has directed you?
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Matthew 25:21 ESV
