There was something Jesus couldn’t do… share his life with everyone.
Jesus simply could not share his life effectively with everyone. He had to say “no” to ministry and the needs of others because he was so committed to his community of disciples (the twelve). He knew if he tried to reach everyone he wouldn’t reach anyone.
Success in church is driven by a bottom line, like a business. However, profit is not a very godly way of defining success so the church evaluates it based on attendance. This, interestingly enough, correlates with profit. You will typically hear things like, “when God is at work the crowds will come.”
We, in the church, have bought into the idea that more is better. Bigger is better. We even have Christian celebrities and those who associate themselves with Christian celebrities. It seems like more than just business principles have crept in.
But crowds are not always a definite sign of success in the economy of Jesus. In fact, the kingdom is compared to the narrow road as opposed to the popular one. It’s also compared to a mustard seed, which is small and insignificant. It is not a very good church growth strategy to be lumped in with the few and the insignificant.
Jesus’ church planting strategy was to avoid the crowds so he could effectively share his life with a few. Jesus believed investing in a few and even a few of the few (James, John, and Peter) would be the most effective way to advance the gospel.
I love Jesus and I actually think he knew what he was doing by concealing himself to the masses and deeply revealing himself to his few.
So then:
Who are your few? Who are the few you are pouring into?
Or have you based success on how many people show up?
