Recently I read a magazine called OUTREACH, in which ideas, thoughts and programs to help “build” or “grow a church” numerically are presented. I will be honest – I was (am) looking for ideas that will help the church at South Cobb to grow. But it amazed me to what extent some would go to “grow a church.”

Among the ideas presented:

A mud football game. Two or three days before the event, a field is soaked with water and plowed so that the mud will be 6 – 8 inches deep. Then, all of the church go out and play in the mud (especially the elders, deacons and preacher) and get all of the young people in the area to come and be a part of it. While there, then share the message of Christ and how he gets rid of the dirt of sin in our lives – no matter how caked on it is.

Advertise baptisms. This idea gives the church the opportunity to tell the world what baptism is for, and to show how God is honored in doing this. Provide plenty of photo ops, and as the one who is baptized comes out, all of the church greet them and applaud for their obedience to God.

Mission trips and building homes. This is one of the big ways to draw and increase interest in missions, and in helping those in need. Do what we can to help those who can’t afford to fix their homes, and help them by donating the free labor and other things that are needed. After all, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition shows how wildly popular this is.

On and on the list grew. Among other things is the idea (I knew this was coming) of many people going to church “at home.” In the comfort of their homes, many people could access a website where people would have fellowship (via small cameras on their desktops, or connected to their laptops), hear a sermon, sing and pray. If they wished to contribute, they had a way that you could go online and debit your debit card to make a contribution to the ministry. This church claimed to have 13,000 members.

What a far cry from the church that we read about in the New Testament. The reason why the church in the first century grew was because Christians – every Christian – felt that it was his or her responsibility to tell others the gospel of Jesus. They did not pay preachers to do their work for them – they did it. It was so simple – and it worked.

Every Christian in the first century knew that if the gospel was going to be spread throughout the whole world it was going to be done by them. They took Jesus command to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every Creature” very seriously. They did not make excuses – they just did it. All without programs, gimmicks, and all of these other things that we think we can’t do without!

I hang my head in shame that I haven’t done this as effectively as I should have. Some would make the argument that they world of the first century is nothing like the world of the 21st century – and in some ways I agree. However, people are still people, sin is still sin, and the gospel is the only way whereby men might be saved.

Let us remember that our job is to teach – it is God’s job to save. If we do our part, God will do His. We don’t need gimmicks, programs and everything else – what we do need is a love for the Lord, a love for the lost, and a commitment to introduce the lost to the Lord. Will we get discouraged? Probably! But God wants us to hang in there and keep at it. There is no other way whereby people will be saved.

Tommy