“For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
1 Sam 16:7
Is it just me, or do you find that one of the first questions you’re asked after someone finds out you go to church is, “How big is your church?” I hope we understand that we cannot measure the success of a church by its size. In fact, an increase in numbers may indicate a decline in a church’s spiritual health. As the old saying goes, it’s true that you attract more flies with honey, but we’re not trying to attract flies, are we? I read an article many years ago by Charles Spurgeon entitled “Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?” (You can read it at http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/amusement.htm) This article was written over 100 years ago, but this tendency was already gaining ground among the churches. In an attempt to increase numbers and appeal to the unconverted, churches were watering down the message and shortening the amount of time devoted to biblical preaching. Christ told men and women the truth, even if it offended them. (Mt 15:12-14) We are to be just as faithful to the souls around us. Our calling is not to make the Gospel presentable, but rather to present the Gospel! The effects after that are up to the Lord.
We have at least one church on record who was spiritually sick though they appeared to be thriving. In Rev 2:2-3, the church of Ephesus seemed to be all we would hope for in a church! They were recognized for their tireless labor, exposing of false doctrine, and perseverance in that which was right. But, what a bomb is dropped in v. 4! They had left their first love! We may look great outwardly and yet have left Christ by the wayside. They were probably a church rejoicing at their success, but the Lord said in v. 5 that they needed to be repenting instead of rejoicing. Their offence was serious enough that Christ said they were in danger of having their lampstand removed, that is they would no longer be named among the Lord’s churches (see Rev 1:20)! God’s not looking at our outward successes, but rather the desires and motivations in our hearts.
Some of us may feel like we’ve been spinning our spiritual wheels? We’ve followed the Lord in simple obedience, but there appears to be little fruit from our labor. Be encouraged! Your labor in the Lord is NEVER in vain! (1 Cor 15:58) Look at Noah. Peter called him a “preacher of righteousness” in 2 Pet 2:5. In other words, he was preaching the word of God to the people all those years he was building the ark, but only eight souls got on that boat. Was he a failure? No way! He obeyed God! What about Elijah? Maybe we think he had a glorious ministry–standing against the tyranny of Ahab and Jezebel and slaying the wicked prophets of Baal. Yet in Elijah’s eyes, he stood alone! In 1 Ki 19:10,14, he had no outward evidence that there had been a single convert under his ministry, yet the Lord reveals in v. 18 that the people of God were 7,000 strong! And finally, consider Christ Himself. We know nearly nothing about the first 30 years of His life. Was He spending His time unprofitably during those years because the multitudes weren’t following Him? I hope we’d never be foolish enough to think so! And sure, He had a great following when He was healing the masses and feeding thousands, but where were all of those “believers” when He was hanging on a cross? All outward indications that day suggested that Christ’s ministry had failed, but the children of faith know better. What appeared to the world to be the day of His greatest defeat is known to God and His people to be the day of Christ’s greatest victory! Take heart, dear Christian! Though your ministry may be in secret now and go unnoticed by men, it will not be ignored in the day Christ is revealed in His glory to all the world. “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Mt 6:6) because He’s looking at the heart, not the outward appearance!
Jamie