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“Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.”
[Luke 12:48 HCSB]
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Blessed to be a blessing
It is important to consider the implications of Jesus’ revelation in Luke 12 – a passage Randy Alcorn neatly summarizes as “blessed to be a blessing.” The inescapable conclusion is that we are endowed not merely for ourselves, but to fulfill Jesus’ great commission.
I recently began chewing the idea over with some fellow leaders. We were particularly applying this to our own area, to which hundreds of thousands of new people keep moving. This continuous influx necessitates change in our lives and our churches if we are going to fulfill Jesus’ commission in such a different environment. Below are some of our considerations…
We are here to tell new people old things, not merely new things to old people. One of the concerns everyone has in the back of the mind when responding to the Great Commission is a shift to being only outward-focused and no longer emphasizing discipleship. While I agree with the concern, it’s a false argument since serious discipleship always leads to a heart for others. Mere believers don’t lead the unsaved to the Lord; disciples do.
– Thomas Campbell
We should always be expecting growth, but even much more right now given the current circumstances of our area. Assuming that there are souls in our area who are being saved and added to the church every day and every week as we are sharing and living the gospel, we will be growing with new believers. As we are being effective at discipleship, we will be growing with existing believers who need our community. And as God is bringing tens of thousands of new residents to our area over the next few years, both types of growth will only increase and accelerate! We are in a historically rare position to know that this is coming, and to prepare ourselves for it both prayerfully and logistically.
– Randall Satchell
The world is changing, rapidly. Families, individual relationships, and churches are all facing massive obstacles – and anyone who says otherwise is pretending. Yet instead of despair we should rejoice, because these challenges represent a grand opportunity. The local churches that respond to change and lead through it will fulfill their ministry for this season and prepare wisely for the chapters yet to come. The way to respond is to live out a bold commitment to being in tune with God’s Word while in touch with God’s world. (Such was my contribution to the conversation)
Of course, I don’t know where you live. You may be in a place that is currently in decline. Nonetheless, the principles still apply since every environment on earth is always changing. You and I are blessed to be a blessing no matter what. We must sacrifice to bless others. We must reach out to fulfill the commission, taking the never-changing Message to an ever-changing people.
Doing so truly does make all the difference.
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