Jump Start # 2855

1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.”

“How large is your church?” That question is asked especially when one travels and visits other congregations. It’s just a number. It doesn’t tell the total picture. It doesn’t reveal spiritual strength. It doesn’t indicate whether a church is alive and healthy or just going through the motions. In fact, some have gone so far as to say that God doesn’t care about numbers. I thought about that. Does God care about numbers?

You and I do. We stand on the scales and those numbers are important to us. We look in our bank book or 401 statement and those numbers mean a lot to us. At tax time, numbers are important. If you are a sports fan, the number of wins and losses matter. The square footage of a house, the size of a TV screen, the yardage of a fly ball in baseball all matter. Numbers matter.

But is it true that God doesn’t care about numbers? Interestingly, one of the books of the Bible is called, “Numbers.” There were many times the people were numbered by tribes in ancient Israel. David got in trouble for counting the people. In Acts, it is God who tells us that 3,000 were baptized and then later 5,000. In Revelation, there are numbered bowls, elders, seals and even Heaven is measured. The number of days Jesus was in the tomb mattered. God tells us that the synagogue official’s dying girl was twelve years old. We are told the price Judas was paid to betray Jesus. Ten plagues. Ten commandments. Seven servants chosen in Acts to care for neglected widows. Forty days and forty nights. Six days of creation. All through the Scriptures we find numbers. It sure seems that God is interested in numbers.

Why do numbers matter?

First, when it comes to counting people, each person is a soul loved by God and ready to be redeemed by the Savior. People matter when it comes to God. The story of the lost sheep in Luke 15 reminds us that every single one matters to God. God wants all to be saved. Go into all the world and preach to every person is what the apostles were commissioned. That’s every continent. That’s every nation. That’s every state. That’s every city. That’s every street. That’s every house. That’s everyone in each house. God didn’t send the apostles to the state houses or the seats of government. He sent them to the people.

Second, numbers tell a story. Rising numbers reveal increases and growth. Declining numbers reveal departures and trouble. Looking at numbers can tell shepherds what adjustments need to be made in classrooms and where some attention needs to be focused. The lack of attendance is often the first sign others notice, but it can be the final step one takes in leaving the Lord. Long before this the prayers stopped. The Bible reading ended. The virtuous living ceased. And, then, the last bold step was to stop attending. Oh, it’s just a number some say, but that number is a soul.

Third, I have participated in the funerals of several people who were in their high 90’s. Many of these people were Christians for seven to eight decades! Think about the number of hymns that they sang. I wonder how many sermons they heard. How many Bible classes they were a part of. And, all those years later, they were faithful, strong and dedicated to the Lord. Their example was truly an example. Do you think numbers mattered? It’s one thing to be a Christian for a week. But for seventy or eighty years? Truly remarkable. That’s walking with the Lord when it was easy and when it was hard. That’s staying with the Lord when the wheels were coming off the nation. It’s during wars and pandemics and floods and unrest and attacks and economic downturns. It’s staying with the Lord after funerals. It’s staying with the Lord when friends move away. It’s staying with the Lord when preachers come and go. It’s staying with the Lord because He has always been true and always been there for you.

Finally, the scene from Heaven is a crowd that no one could count (Rev 7:9). There were many things counted in Revelation, from the 1,000 years to 144,000 to thirty minutes. But, here, around the throne of God was a number so large that it could not be counted.

That image is encouraging to us. It reveals that many made it. It shows that so many loved the Lord and sacrificed for Him. It shows that Heaven is not a small gathering with pitiful singing. Not at all. The number is so large that it can’t be counted. Faithful. Trusting. Loving. Forgiving. Walking with Jesus. That number will include people you know. It will include people you have heard about. It will include those you have read about in the Bible. All parts of the planet. Different periods of time. But all having one thing in common, the blood of Jesus saved them.

And, there is one other number that is important to God—and, that is YOU. Your life. Your soul. Your story. Your journey. All these numbers of the saved do not mean much if you are not numbered among them. If you are that one lost sheep, God wants to find you and bring you back where you belong. God is not satisfied with cutting the loses and focusing upon the majority. He is interested in YOU. He wants YOU to be saved. He wants YOU to be numbered among the righteous.

You are more than a number in society. Your street address. Your phone number. Your social security number. Your driver’s license number. Lots and lots of numbers. The greatest is if you are numbered among those whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s book of life.

God not interested in numbers? I tend to think that He is.

Roger

Jump Start # 2532

1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.”

I’ve been reading a book about preaching. I am always reading about preaching. I want to do better. I want to grow. But as I was reading this week about “point to point” type of preaching, point one, then point two, the way I’ve always preached, the author was showing that this was not the best way to communicate. Audiences, he stated, would only remember the last point. All that got me to thinking about our verse today.

Paul and Apollos. What a contrast. Apollos is said to have been eloquent, mighty in Scriptures, fervent in spirit. He was good. Don’t know if he was “point to point” type of preacher, but he was polished and good. Paul was not that way. The twisted accusations about Paul from the Corinthians make us think that he wasn’t that good. His public speaking skills lacked much. Interesting that Paul was the apostle, and not Apollos.

Style of preaching—that’s what much of this is about. Some can tell a great narrative and pull you right into the lesson. Some are screamers. Some are very logical. Some stay with one text walking through word after word with great insight. Others are all over the Bible, building a case, much like a prosecutor. Paul and Apollos, two different kinds of preachers. Which one was better? Which one would we have liked to listen to all the time?

And, all of this brings us to a few thoughts today: (Here we go, point to point):

First, preaching is an extension of one’s life and heart. It is a reflection of one’s personality. Past experiences, knowledge and passion of specific things shapes the kind of preaching that is done. Some love words and they like to trace the origins and definitions of words. Others like history and they love to follow the connections passages make throughout Biblical history. Others are very theory and principle focused. Others are very practical. Some of us are point to point. Others, it’s very hard to outline and take notes because everything just seems to flow together.

Now, is there a right way and a wrong way? Is it fair to tell a Paul that he needed to preach like Apollos? Obviously, the answer is “No.” I’ve found after a period of time, the preacher shapes his audience to hear his form of preaching. I’ve heard some preach and I’m lost. I’m looking for point one, point two and to me it seems that he is all over the place. The audience was used to that. They loved it.

Second, the writings of Peter and John, though guided by the Holy Spirit are very different. Peter tends to be to the point, practical. John is more theory oriented. Different men and different approaches. I find it interesting that most of the apostles were fishermen. Jesus did not send these men to a preacher training school. He didn’t sit down with them and show them how to write a sermon. He didn’t talk about introductions, conclusions, and transition points. He didn’t tell them to keep an eye on the clock. Truth is, Jesus didn’t tell them anything about preaching. They saw Jesus. They heard what Jesus did. They grew up in the atmosphere of rabbis but none of them had any formal training in how to preach. They were told to simply go do it. I wonder if today, we’d try to turn a Paul into an Apollos. Each person has his own unique style. He needs to learn, grow but be comfortable with what works for him.

Third, the point of preaching is to change hearts and lives. The word of God must sink deep into the soul for this to happen. I find preaching much like raising your own kids. What worked for one often doesn’t work on the others. One must not be sold just on one approach. Be flexible. Try different kinds of styles and approaches. The difference between a lecture and a sermon is the intention. A lecture is about giving information. One is filling the mind with evidence and facts. The point of preaching is the heart. With facts, the heart comes to a conclusion. The heart is changed. The heart is moved.

Fourth, preaching isn’t a contest. It’s not about who is the best. Such a statement is bias. My favorite, may not be your favorite. My favorite would be one that preaches in such a way that connects with the way I think and learn. You may not learn that way. I like point to point. You may get more out of a narrative form of preaching. Now, how can we agree upon which preacher is the best, when we learn differently? Putting preachers in a favorite list, feeds egos, builds jealousy and is not what God wants. Be thankful that there are Peters’, Pauls’ and Apollos’ preaching today. What God wants is for the preacher to preach is heart out, faithful to the word, loving the people and doing his best to connect people to Jesus.

Finally, we preachers need to continue to read, grow and learn how to be better. Don’t settle. Don’t get stuck. Read books about communication. Read books about preaching. Keep learning. Keep growing. It will make you better and it will make what you do better.

I planted and Apollos watered. Team work, not competition.

Roger

Jump Start # 361 

1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.” 

  Growth is in these days. In fact, growth has always been in. Whether we discuss growing the economy, growing our relationships with other nations, growing our kids education, or simply growing more muscles, folks are interested in growth. Growth is positive. It means things are moving in the right direction. As Paul used the word “growth” he was talking about the kingdom, spiritual growth.

  Spiritual growth comes about two ways. First, new people are brought in. Folks are taught the gospel of Christ and they become converted. This form of growth is easy to measure. New faces. More bodies. Crowded church buildings. This form of growth creates problems. Parking problems. Space problems. Class room sizes. Great problems to have.

  The other way spiritual growth comes about is internal. This happens as the current members grow, mature and become stronger spiritually. They grasp the concepts of Christianity. It is through this growth that these very people invite their friends to come to services. This growth produces more teachers and leadership in the church. This growth is extremely important. Having a full house on Sunday is exciting, but what is more exciting is witnessing Christ in the hearts of the members.

  Now all of this leads us back to Paul’s comparison of himself and Apollos. One planted and the other watered. There are books, seminars and all kinds of “church growth” concepts on the market today. Much of this is nothing more than Madison Avenue public relations. I’d rather learn church growth from someone who knew how to do it and how to do it God’s way, and that’s Paul.

  Paul and Apollos, both preachers. One was an apostle, the other wasn’t. One planted and the other watered. Planting is beginning work. It is taking the gospel where no one has heard before. It is teaching the plan of salvation. It is converting someone. Years ago, most of us had God’s word planted in us. It may have been from a parent or Bible class teacher or a friend. In many ways, in fact, in most ways, each of us are planted with the gospel. Apollos did a different work. He watered. If you have a garden you must water it. Before you water, you must have plants to water, otherwise you are watering dirt. The only thing that grows when you water dirt is weeds. Paul planted. Apollos followed. He watered. He worked with those tender young Christians and grew them. His work was with Christians.

  Our look at the Scriptures would make us conclude that Apollos was a better speaker than Paul. Folks complained about the way Paul preached. Apollos is described as being fervent in the spirit, and an eloquent speaker. Apollos was polished. Apollos was natural in the pulpit.

  Paul and Apollos. Two different preachers, both doing the Lord’s work. We need planters. We need those who will carry the water bucket. Both preachers used the same method in their work, and that was preaching the word of God. You don’t find Paul tricking people to come to church by offering seminars on investments, or promising to play basketball with their kids, or giving a cooking school. He preached Christ. Apollos did the same. He preached Christ.

  I had a long discussion with someone on the phone the other day about this very subject. They were selling but I wasn’t buying. The item at stake was how to grow the church. They wanted me to get all these DVD’s from some big shot about how to best market the church in a postmodern society. I knew what he was talking about and it wasn’t the gospel. When I pressed him more and more about the bottom line, I found out the bottom line was marketing, not the Bible. I have the Bible. That’s what Paul had. That’s what Apollos had. That’s what we need.

  The key expression in all of this is God. It is God who gives the increase—externally and internally. Give God the praise. Make room for God to work. The seed, the word of God, in a good and honest heart, the good soil, always produces. Every time! Keep teaching. Keep preaching. Make it interesting. Make it relevant. Make it practical. Make it Biblical. Growth will happen.

  You ever notice that young families don’t worry much about the kids growing. It’s natural. Give the kids a good diet, take them to the doctor when they are sick, let them get plenty of exercise and look out. They’ll be out growing their jeans in no time. That’s just the way God made it. Growth is natural. The same happens spiritually. Is it any wonder that the church is referred to as a “Body.” There are similarities. Get the right diet, the word of God. Fight diseases, error. Exercise, go do things for God. Then look out. Growth will happen. It’s natural.

  Forget the DVD’s by Dr. Bigshot. Just stick with the model given by Paul and Apollos. Plant and water. And by the way, when it’s all accomplished, don’t praise preacher Paul or preacher Apollos—it was God who did it all. They were just instruments, His tools.

Roger