Quote:
Originally Posted by Hope
Tonight at our gospel friends gathering we had 15 gospel guests. We have attempted to keep the number small and intimate in order to have a low key atmosphere for the gospel friends. Thus we have kept the number of believers small. Tonight we did have 10 believers also here. Three have never been to any of our church meetings or functions but have a burden for the gospel and are really a gift to help us. Where do we go from here? It seems we are being a little overwhelmed with folks who have some interest in learning about the Good News of Jesus Christ and mingling with believers in Christ.
I have never had such a realization of how much Jesus cares for people. Tonight we shared from John chapter 7, the thirsty multitude. It is so clear that the Jewish leaders cared for their rules, rituals etc. but Jesus cared for people. I am reminded of the children's song, "I am so glad that Jesus loves me."
Next up is the conference. May the Lord give light, utterance and a rich fellowship regarding the experience and development of our innerlife, that is Christ who is indwelling the believer. Secondly we desire to see more about our being in Christ for a proper daily walk living out Christ. Thirdly, we are looking to the Head, Christ, to give us light regarding His functioning body and our part as members in particular.
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Interesting aspirataion: "to try to keep numbers small". It seems diametrically opposed to the vast bulk of the christian work I've been exposed to thus far. But you may be on to something. When you stay small, you don't need to organize so much, and you can focus on caring more; the focus on what you call "rules and rituals" may be kept away from your door.
Okay, but what about the God who wants to "fill all in all"? Doesn't He want to expand beyond your small gathering? Absolutely. God does and God will. Perhaps if we stay small it allows God to grow great on the earth, and truly fill all in all. If
we try to grow beyond our measure, we create organizational structures to "meet the need", and eventually God is pushed aside.
It takes a measure of trust to care for your intimate circle, and let God do the building of the body of Christ. My view is that the hardest thing for a christian to handle is success. At some point the temptation to "take the reins" becomes too great. I pray that the Lord would stay your hand from the work, and keep His upon it.