The Tribune

By Nicholas Morley

“Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.” (John 12:9-11; KJV)

Scores of books are published each year focusing on successful church growth. While most of the books have lots of great pointers for the successful growth of a church and ministry, many of them leave out a simple yet very important key that can turn a small congregation into a large one. Many church leaders week after week, month after month and year after year are faced with a congregation that can be counted on their hands. This should not be so, especially if we are sure that our ministry is led by God.

The key

Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32) Jesus himself applied this successful key to draw many unto him. Men and women of all races and all walks of life have accepted Jesus into their lives because of this key point. It was up on Golgotha Hill that Christ introduced his unique brand of love through sacrifice to a world of hate and immorality. This product of love was and is still irresistible today. Without your niche brand of love, your church’s congregation will forever remain in a slow to no-grow church.

John 12:9-11 teaches us the irresistibility of His unique approach. What starts out as a regular funeral, with a sharing of “As I knew him/her” and a delicious repast, suddenly turns into Lazarus being resurrected from the dead.

It was at that moment that Christ took advantage of an opportunity presented to Him. He brought back to life a missing key factor in the community. All of our communities have needs that have to be filled, and if we can, by any means, bring relief to these communities by filling these needs, then will our churches flourish with membership.

Our communities would rather experience our “product” than to see our faces. If we were to strive to be like Jesus, resurrect and bring some relief to our neighbourhoods with our unique ideas, then we would see our churches becoming the heart of the community. If we would but observe every growing church worldwide, we would notice that they have a product on display that their community and their targeted audience can benefit from.

We should now put this into practice. Let us search our communities intentionally and fill a hole or two. We should seek to resurrect hope and bring relief in a more practical sense. For too long we have wasted time asking God to inject our ministries and churches with more enthusiasm and bring in new members, when we should be praying for new innovative and practical ideas that can make a positive impact on our communities that even our enemies cannot resist supporting.