Should a Church Try to Grow in Size?

The focus of the church should be to grow in size best is one of the questions will be answering on today's edition of core Christianity will hi there, and happy Friday. This is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. We would love to hear from you and our phone lines are open for the next 25 minutes or so. If you have a question for Pastor Israel. Here is the number 833. The core 833, the court, four 833-843-2673. You can also post your question on her Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts. You can watch us right now on YouTube and send us a message. That way, and you can always email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to Debbie in Lodi, California. Debbie what your question for Pastor Israel hi, thanks for taking my call. I am wondering what it in the context of the United States, where we have easy access to churches. Is it biblical to have a home church. Well Debbie I think this is a great question of the first thing I would want to say is what what what is the church. What makes the church, a church in a worship service. A worship service will.

The question is, is the word of God being faithfully preached.

That's that's number one thing because the church is formed, created by God's word number two is is there worship in the way that Jesus instituted the ordinance is happening sometimes referred to as the sacraments that the mysteries of the faith, baptism and the Lord's supper is that taking place is there discipline are not just discipline in terms of Matthew 18, you know, when Jesus talked about church discipline but but a proper structure of a proper church structure you think about what Paul said in first Timothy three and Titus one about elders and deacons when when Paul wrote to Titus is a look.

This is the reason I left you behind so that you would appoint elders in every single churches so that that structure.

This is what makes the church.

The church and certainly you can have those things in a in a small setting a small church setting with a with a small gathering in someone's home.

A lot of times that's how how church plants get started.

In fact, you don't just in somebody's living room but one of my concerns with this is you said look, there are plenty of churches around and and probably churches that that have those three things. You know the right preaching of God's word. They're worshiping the Lord, according to the the word of God. There's this structured this discipline that we see in the New Testament. So the question is will why go off and do your own thing and could have your own home church in 11. Fear is. I've seen individuals call themselves to the ministry sale. You know what I'm tired of all the churches around here I am to be the pastor and they gather a small group of people around them and maybe they have a gift for teaching, but they've essentially establish themselves as the spiritual leader, and I've seen that go south really really quickly. There's no real accountability structure and so so I would recommend for people who are looking for drugs and just starting a church finding a church that does the things it faithfully teaches the word of God where there is that structure that discipline those ordinances that Jesus gave to his church and and committing to its and so that's that's what I was is not un-biblical necessarily to have a home church. But the question is, why, and it can be un-biblical.

If there isn't that that structure and if an individual to sort of calls himself to the ministry and and they really are even qualified to be teaching the Bible that's that's another significant concern that I would have. So Debbie, thank you for that question.

May the Lord bless you Debbie, we ought actually have a great core question on this topic. It's called how do I choose a church you can find out our website core, Christianity.com/questions slipper how do I choose a church. This is core Christianity. If you have a past a question for Pastor Israel. Here's the number 833. The core 1-833-843-2673.

He loved to talk to you. Let's go to JB in St. Louis, Missouri, JB, what's your question for Israel. So my question is a lot of pastor will empathize the death of Jesus as providing a sacrifice to paper our standard but a lot less well explained in my experience is the significance Jesus resurrection.

You know there's a lot of praise around it, but it's like sort of theological meaning is explored as much can you speak that now would left us to speak to this what you think about that. The problem of sin and death from the very beginning.

You know when when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God said, you know that the day you eat of the tree. The knowledge of good and evil.

You're going to die, so we have forgiveness of our sins right through that the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the atoning work of Christ.

But the problem of death is solved by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what what this highlights for us is the fact that God cares about our bodies. That's one of the many things it highlights was that God is not sin to leave us to decay, but these can a raise us up together as our Lord Jesus Christ himself was raised up and there's there's a lot of we do so many theological implications and an even think that the resurrection teaches us out in the first thing I was thinking of. As I was listening to your question, JB is what the apostle Paul says in the beginning of the book of Romans I in Romans chapter 1 verse three says concerning his son, who was descended from David according to the flesh, speaking of Jesus and was declared to be the son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord is something about that that the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, that was his vindication.

This evening we might refer to the justification, if you will. Now that Jesus need to be justified in the same way that we need to be justified, but the fact is death could not conquer him no through death he trampled down death, and so we have the hope of the resurrection of the body, the life of the world to come through Jesus and any other really important point in this is something that Paul teases out in particular in first Corinthians in first grade. In chapter 15, where he's talking about the resurrection is correcting an issue that was that was happening there in the Corinthian church were some people were beginning to say that the resurrection had already happened and he says no, the resurrection has Artie happened.

Jesus Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection. So he was raised in that sense it happened, but because Jesus was raised. All of us have the hope of the resurrection as well that the language of firstfruits. You know indicates that Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection, harvest, and we are in Christ. So we have the assurance of because we belong to Jesus because we are in Jesus, we need to will be raised again from the dead and so what God shows us through the resurrection of his son, is that sin is been conquered that death has been conquered. This this new age has been ushered in by the work of our Lord Jesus, and we participate in that through faith were were going to be raised as well. And so it really is central to the gospel. In fact that's what the apostle Paul says very clearly earlier in first printed 15 at the very beginning. This is what I delivered to you as a first importance what I also received that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures and so I think we really need to recover not just the preaching of the cross but the preaching of the resurrection, because that's that's the hope that we all have as believers.

Thanks for your question, JB Hunt about you later.

But I'm looking for that perfect body because I'm having a lot of aches and pains these days and yet will you not. I think that that's just practically right up all of us. You know, experience the pain in the body that kind of thing that the decay of our bodies day by day and so this this resurrection hope that we have a minute just reveals to us that God is not just the symptoms. We think of salvation is to die, to be the sort of disembodied spirit for all eternity floating around in heaven.

Not sure what that's gonna look like. But that's not it. All the Christian hope the Christian hope is yes you know when we die were in the presence of the Lord in heaven rejoicing around his throne praising him.

But there's there's more to it than that your body is to be restored. It's good to be glorified. Your you're going to experience a bodily existence without sickness without sin without death, and that is an amazing hope this is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez.

If you enjoy our program you want to mention to you that we are listener supported count on people just like you to keep this program on the air. We don't receive any government funds or were not supported by a church or denomination were listener supported. So if you like this program and you want to see it continue. We encourage you to go to our website at core, Christianity.com and learn about making a donation to keep our ministry going to go to Patricia in Gladstone, Missouri Patricia, what's your question for Pastor Israel elected a new pastor.

Our senior pastor step down in this gentleman stepped up and I was wondering how this somebody react to that to that was it was the senior pastor just retire and so this is a new guy who's coming in or was there some controversy associated with the transition.

No been doing it for a number of years and he thought it was time. He put it to turn the baton over to another gentleman. Well, I think you know it's an opportunity for you and for the rest of the congregation to spend time with and get to know this new pastor mean the relationship between a pastor and his flock is a very I think special relationship and a really important one. You know it's the job of the pastor of the minister to shepherd the flock of God to care for their souls.

And I know it's really easy to get attached to a particular pastor if you had a pastor for a really long period of time that God is used in your life and so can be really hard when there are these kinds of transitions but I would say with humility and openness praying for this pastor and saying, Lord, continue to do the great work that you've been doing already through you know that the ministry of this for pastor. Now with this new pastor is as the church continues to move forward. I do think Patricia that it really is important that we have the sort of succession plans in ministry so that so that the church is not about an individual about a personality.

It's about the preaching of the word of God and good pastors.

I think as they as they get older and as they as they prepare to retire. You know that they want to pave the way for some of the church can continue to exhibit. Another good minister can come in and continue to preach and be faithful to the word and care for the congregation. And it sounds like maybe that's what's what's taken place and so I would say is up as a member of the church receiving this this individual's ministry and cherishing it as they preach the word of God to you. Being open to listen to receive it and and getting to know this pastor and his family would probably be the right. The right approach and so was there was a vote of the congregation with getting this asked. Oh okay.I'm sorry that was about and the majority Very nice young man got a beautiful family and we all seem to come together with it.

I'm really glad to hear that and you can be a huge encouragement to him and to his family. Not it can also be difficult for for a new pastor to step into a congregation where you know there's there's been such a faithful ministry for a long period of time and everybody has really enjoyed and and cherish the previous pastor and so it's it's I think important for the congregation to to come around this pastor to encourage him to encourage his family to get to know him and to pray about.

You know what the Lord is going to continue to do there in your church to his ministry and again we we want to see the church continue to grow so that the passing of the baton I think is a good thing.

It's a thing that honors the Lord and and so I'm excited for for you and for your church as you move forward.

Patricia, thanks so much for your call and for being a regular listener to core Christianity. We really do appreciate it. By the way, we have a great resource would like to tell you about, and it deals with worship. How does the Bible define worship.

It's a free resource that talks about that and would like to offer that to you today attract resources called nine things you should know about worship and especially in light of of the pandemic of 2020 and a lot of the questions that we were getting related to worship and what what makes a worship service.

A worship service. We think that this resource will be really helpful for you and also really encouraging. We get so many questions on this broadcast about Maven, but the first question we we opened up with today. You know what what at home church is a what you worship look like that kind of a thing just does a lot of questions about this to get a hold of this resource. Nine things you should know about worship, which is one of our many core guides would like to make available to you. It's a PDF you can download for free by going to our website. Core, Christianity.com/offers that's core Christianity.com/offers. You can also call us for that resource or any one of our core guides or Bible studies, 833-843-2873. That's a 33. The court go to Benjamin in El Paso, Texas, Benjamin, what's your question for Pastor Israel Sanchez.

I just finished reading the book of Revelation with my family and I know there's a lot of controversy and even simple theories on how to view the book of Revelation how to read it out and interpreted and executed properly. Is there any hope for a young layman like me to really understand this book or this book just the result that we have in Jesus will come back in the way he sees fit all and will never understand man Benjamin line. I'm stoked to hear that your reading the book of Revelation with your family. I think some people that might hear then say why why picked up… So hard and are you kids able to even follow that kind of a thing, but there's so much rich and vivid imagery throughout the book of Revelation. I think it's one of those books you can read with your family and your family did you get the attention of the kids is your vision or hearing about these beasts and these great apocalyptic events. It really is a riveting book but it's also a book as you as you said that a lot of people have a hard time understanding. I mean, we offered our Revelation Bible study on this broadcast several times. One thing I would say is get a hold of that resource and maybe when you get off the line we can we can stick on the line with you and send you that resources so make sure that we do that, but how to get a hold of our our Revelation Bible study it's it's really accessible it's really helpful and I think a couple of the things that you want to keep in mind as you read the book of Revelation are number one the genre.

This is apocalyptic literature and so you do have a lot of that imagery. A lot of these vivid pictures and we do understand that some of it is to be symbolic and in that's just how this kind of literature was meant to be ready.

You have the symbols that point us to other things, to greater realities incense right the prayer of the saints are the prayers of the saints, for example, the seven golden lampstands were fair at referring to the seven churches.

You have a lot of imagery like that so it's important that we that we recognize that nothing I would say is just understanding the context and when this was written to the persecuted church of that time and not the goal. John's goal in the book of Revelation is twin.

Encourage them to persevere by setting their hopes on Jesus by helping them to understand that Jesus conquered through his suffering death in anyone since you think you guys are to be conquerors as well. So the book of Revelation is really so practical it's written for Christians in the middle of suffering to help them endure in the Christian life. It doesn't get more practical than that and I think you keep those two things in mind the genre and the purpose it will really help you as you continue to read through the book of Revelation and then get a hold of that that resource that I already mentioned are our Revelation Bible study and so aiming good on you for opening up the book of Revelation.

I know can be intimidating to a lot of people but I think it's great that your that your reading it that hang on the line. We will send you a copy of that Revelation Bible study, which is brand-new. We also have a core question available on this topic. It's what are the main views of the end times because there are a couple different views on this as we mentioned before in this program.

Just go to core Christianity.com/questions and look for that core correct question. What are the main views of the end times Lori in Nashville, Tennessee Lori, what's your question for Pastor Israel in Genesis chapter 1913, I had gone to commentaries about the note on my Bible but I can't find an answer. Talk about the outcry to the Lord against people is so great that he sent us to destroy the angel that were killing lock if they were going to start Sodom and Gomorrah.

I question it cried out to the Lord and I know that the Lord God knows everything.

He only knew what was going on but it cried out to him.

Thank you for that question. Lori and I hope I can help you with an answer for this when here's where I would go. I think if you look at the book of second Peter and second Peter chapter 2 there's an answer for you. Beginning in verse four is talking about God's judgment on false teachers on the start in verse four it says, for if God did not spare angels when they sin, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness, to be kept until the judgment and if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah Harold of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly, if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes. This is an organ into it. Genesis 19. There he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly and if he rescued righteous Lot greatly distressed by the central conduct of the wicked as that righteous man lived among them day after day he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment. So is what I think of it based off of what Peter says there in second Peter to his look of as lot was living there. He was crying out to the Lord. His righteous soul was being tormented by the lawless deeds that he saw all around him.

This is me. I think we can relate to that. When you when you see evil and lawlessness in society doesn't just grip you and and and frustrate you and make you angry at times even what we supposed to do in light of that, we go to the Lord in prayer we cry out to the Lord for justice for his gospel to advance for his kingdom to come. And I think that's that's what Lot was doing she would see this this central conduct this evil conduct of the people Sodom and Gomorrah and would cry out to the Lord. Not enough there were others, but I think we could definitely say lot was one of the ones who was crying out to the Lord and I and so the Lord came in judgment. Thank you for your for your question Lori, thanks so much Lori, thanks for being a regular listener to core Christianity. One of the ways that you can ask us a question is by calling us and leaving a voicemail. You can do that 24 hours a day at 833, the court hears a voicemail we received from Angie and I come from a very large market share. Generally, church that we have a relic. After church and we were excited to go, the young adult, but what we found that they were so focused on growing the church a lot. I nurturing in the church and it very hard because we we feel very overlooked. The focus is truly on growing growing growing and the church. It felt seems to be dying and I need to know what do we do do we stand by. I don't want to say anything and ruffle feathers or hurt feelings. Thank you, and you sound like a tough position to be in certainly, and I know as a minister of the gospel as a pastor.

The temptation that we face as pastors to feel like I gotta make this thing work. People need to start, we need to grow, and even a temptation to can compare yourself to other ministries to other pastors in the area to churches that are growing and it can really become this unhealthy thing where if that's your focus. If your focus is on. We just need more numbers we just need more people you can lose sight of what God is actually called you to.

And the result actually isn't more growth. It's a death, and maybe it might actually be more growth but spiritual death because the word of God is not being faithfully taught, and that's that's the primary thing is is the word of God being faithfully taught. I think for pastors what we have to go to his look, number one. What does God call me to do and and can I do that faithfully. I want to do that faithfully want to faithfully teach God's word. I want to faithfully shepherd the flock of God. The people that God is called as a part of this church, he's entrusted to my care that needs to be the priority that needs to be the focus, not getting more people or more numbers and what you find is is you if you're faithful to teach the word of God and to shepherd the flock that God is put in front of you. I think I think God handles the rest. Jesus is the one who made the promise I will build my church. Matthew chapter 16 and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

The growth of the church is a work of the Holy Spirit. It's not something that you can force or coerce as a pastor you can you can discern manifest through your skills or or no clever plan. You might be able to gather together a crowd, but ultimately that's not our our job as pastors, nothing to make a crowd is to make disciples that Jesus said in Matthew 20 and so if that's not the focus of the focus is in the pure preaching of God's word and the making of disciples and growing together under Jesus Christ the King.

I think it's it's right to ask questions and maybe to bring the somebody just just sharing it. This is kinda how I feel. I feel like like the sheep are being overlooked and were so focused on how to get people through the doors that were not being fed. It seems to me that Jesus didn't care so much about gathering a large credit when he could. He was an excellent teacher but you think about that scene I Angie and John chapter 6 were you had this enormous crowd. Hundreds of people surrounding Jesus, you just fed them to get done a miracle where he had he had made bread basically appear out of thin air. He fed them. They want more bread.

Jesus is look I'm here to just give you whatever you want I'm here to tell you I am the bread of life. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has life ending.

If you don't do that you don't want me will then can help you.

The fact of the matter is our primary calling as pastors is to give people the bread of life and sometimes that's not can attract a crowd.

It didn't. On that day in John six with Jesus were told that many people left him only the disciples stating Jesus and you got a leave to Pierce's where shall we go to whom shall we go. You have the words of eternal life. It's our job as pastors, it's, it's your pastors job to feed the sheep with those words of Jesus. The words of eternal life to be faithful in that and as we do that is ministers as pastors, God gives the increase. God gives the growth it might be more people are not. You don't know, but people are going to grow in their faith. Disciples are to be made and that needs to be our focus and so may the Lord bless you and and I say have that conversation. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this program and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together