PASSIVE CHRISTIANITY

Dr. Paul Borden, a USA church growth specialist says in one of his seminars, that regardless of the size of a church, only 40% of the congregation can be utilized in the internal ministries of the church. Unless the church is engaged in external ministries, 60% of the congregation will be passive observers, rather than participants in the life of the church.

Statements of this kind indicate how important evangelistic and caring ministries are to the church. In addition it tells us that learning is a waste of time unless we can do something with it which should not surprise us as that is what all education is about.

To demand or expect people to sit week after week listening to someone tell us what the gospel is all about and not have any opportunity to put it into practice is at the very least, a complete waste of time.

I know that every believer needs teaching on how to walk the Christian walk and in learning what that is to then do it. But that has limitations as once you have learned whatever it is you are supposed to learn, where do you go from there.

Whatever we learn it should be the good news as everything about the gospel is good news.

Let me ask you this. Do you know anyone who has got married who has tried to keep it as quiet as possible and has tried to hide the fact?

Do you know anyone who has given birth to a child then tries to hide the child from everyone?

I remember when my wife Anne was pregnant with our children. Each time I wanted the world to know because we were so excited that we were going to become parents.

As a church, we have a message and a mission. The message is Jesus Christ the son of God, saviour, redeemer, and soon coming King. The mission is to let everyone know of that fact.

Jesus said to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. Since he said it in 33AD, I cannot find anywhere where he said that was no longer necessary.

If the church is not making disciples of all nations two things are happening. One, we are disobeying God and two we are preventing 60% of the congregation being actively involved in the life and ministry of the church and please note, going to meetings is not active ministry.

We need a church that does not spend all its time sitting on the premises. We need one that is standing on the promises and if it is to do that we have to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. That is non-negotiable.