Tuesday, March 12, 2013

What if?

What if Jesus sent a disciple or two to your church to minister there?  Would your church welcome and embrace their presence?

What if they started a support ministry for people suffering from mental health issues?  Would your church say, "No, too many liability issues. We could be sued and lose our buildings."

What if The Lord wanted your church to learn more about intimately connecting with His Father, and so He had the disciples provide a time of intimacy and quiet worship. But, what if your church decided not enough people were coming so they "suggested" it might be best to stop offering that time?  Hmm, did Jesus quit praying to His Father just because the others fell asleep? Did the abbott, priest or pastor quit worshiping the LORD God in the chapel because no one else was there? No, even more reason to remain in prayer.

What if your church started a prayer ministry & team to be available to intercede for others?  If no one comes forward, will it stop this too, will it stop praying?

What if those disciples said, "We must teach you about spiritual disciplines so that you can participate in the Holy Spirit's work of transformation in yourself, formation into the likeness of Christ? But again, what if your church says "the numbers just aren't there, it's a waste of valuable time and resources, let's table it for now."

What if those disciples were available and desired to disciple others, intimately like Jesus had done for them? By what if your church had decided "this or that" program was the only way to go, and dismissed the disciples Jesus had sent?

What if this kind of thing happened in all the churches in the Western world?!  It has, it is, and Christ has said, "Shake off the dust from those buildings, move on, go to the lost and weary outside those doors, my lambs are there, minister to them."

What if people actually chose to follow Jesus and obey all He commanded? What if?

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. (John 1:11 NIV). But He wasn't surprised, they did the same to the prophets.

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