As a leader in my local church and soon to be in full-time ministry one of the many questions I'm asked from other leaders around the country is "What do we do to get more people to the Sunday service?" "What do we do to get more people attending the prayer meeting, to evangelise?" and the list goes on and on. You probably can relate if you attend church.
This is something I've been considering for going on the best part of a year. One of my favourite gospel stories is in Luke 7:36-50.
The story tells of were Simon the Pharisee invites Jesus to have dinner with him in his home. Jesus duly obliges Simon and arrives for dinner. A prostitute got word that Jesus was in Simon's house so makes her way with her flask of oil underarm. As both Jesus and Simon reside at the table for dinner, the prostitute sees Jesus, falls to her knees and as she weeps she washes his feet with her tears and hair and anoints His feet with the oil. Jesus knowing that Simon was struggling with this, told him a story of a creditor who had two debtors, one owing 500 denari, the other 50. The moral of the story was that when time came to pay the creditor, either of his debtors could afford to pay. However, he freely forgave them both.
Jesus then asks Simon an interesting question in relation to the debtors "Tell Me, which of them will love him more?" Simon responded with the correct answer "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." Jesus response was remarkable:
"Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven the same loves little." 44-47
In essence what Jesus was saying to Simon was that the reason why she loves much, the reason why she did all this is because she KNOWS in her heart, not her head, that she's been FORGIVEN MUCH!!
Here in lies the problem! So many people in the church today don't fully believe they've been forgiven of all their sin. So many in the church are like the Pharisee Simon. Simon did not do for Jesus what the prostitute did. Why?? He didn't fully understand Jesus loving character to forgive sin. The woman did what she did for Jesus out of a love for who He was. She made it her business to be at that house. She went prepared to give with her oil. She gave out of a love response to what Jesus already had given her... Love and acceptance!!
My role as a leader, and any other leader, and in fact any other church member is to exhibit the same love and acceptance that Christ portrayed to this prostitute. The problems of 'attending meetings' is not essentially the issue. The issue is revealing to people the true love and heart of God for His people. In doing so.. like the prostitute.... we will then see MANY give out of a love response to Jesus.... Our church buildings will not be big enough to contain our meetings, no longer will it be a struggle to find volunteers for the evangelism team or what other initiatives you run.
WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'VE BEEN FORGIVEN MUCH, YOU WILL LOVE MUCH!!
Yours in Him,
Darren
