Church Growth
November 20 , 2005
Acts 9:1-22
James 5:19-20
We are in a new season of working to grow the church. I think it’s my favorite part of being a leader in the community of faith, growing the church. And, in spite of what you’re thinking, church growth doesn’t just mean numbers or statistics. Church growth means the transformational, personal growth that comes with growing our personal faith. When we allow ourselves to be real and tell the truth about who we are and what we think and how we live. We open ourselves to the possibilities that lie within those truths. The Holy Spirit flows into those openings creating pathways that lead to opportunities allowing us to use these truths to do a new thing. A life-giving thing, a thing reflective of the light and life of God. And, it is the possibility, the hope, the light, the joy that others see in you when you come from that God place in your work that draws people to you. They want to know what you know. They want to have that peace, that presence, that light for themselves and that also grows our community of faith in number.
James leaves us today with the last but intentional direction about growing the community of faith. James reminds us that we have accepted the commitment of being truth tellers. And, we will do this from a place within the presence of God. And, James instructs, when we allow the community to deceive itself with untruths and deviate from God’s work we are not functioning as the people of God. Therefore, in our tradition, it is expected that we all accept responsibility for our actions. And, out of love of our neighbor we will work to mutually correct and hold one another accountable for being this community of faith. This is, he says, the point of this entire letter. Don’t be shy, do as I have done with you, and hold one another to it. This is crucial to growing the church as a reflection of the One who calls us.
Someone, I don’t remember who, said to me last week, “That message was so heavy, so intense. It didn’t feel good.” It was one of those moments of needing to hold one another accountable. And, it often feels unpleasant, to have light shown upon our shortcomings. But, it is crucial to transformation, to naming our truth and inviting the Spirit to dwell within that place. In our last New Church Development meeting Rev. Dr. Roger Miller our conference staffperson for New Church growth and development reminded us that our communities are only as strong as our weakest team, committee, addiction or vice. We must break open those places, find out what feeds them, name it and ask the Spirit to heal those broken places that we might move forward in deepening the presence within us.
And, this is where we meet good old Saul. Saul was part of the religious police. Remember in these Bible times the Religious governed and policed themselves. Saul was so angry at the thought of the community of faith changing and growing in a new way that he became filled with rigidity, rage and hate at the Jesus movement. Those he blamed for change. Those who embodied his fear of change. And, he got the authorities to back his hatred which met their political goals. He became a vigilante of fundamentalism, torturing and murdering any who claimed to be or whom he thought were part of the Jesus movement. He enlisted others in the work and they captured, interrogated, tortured and murdered all in the name of Yahweh and the continuance of His faith community. And, in spite of his efforts the Jesus movement was growing. Even beyond Jerusalem. So, Saul decided and got permission to take a delegation to Damascus to begin elimination of the movement there. But on the road, Saul is blinded by the light! He is filled with fear and falls to the ground. He is asked by Jesus, “Why do you persecute me?” And Saul says, “Who are you?” And the voice says, “Get up, go to Damascus and you’ll be told what to do.”
I love this story because God meets Saul right where he is. He speaks back with the same tone that Saul is speaking to the world, like an avenger of justice. It’s like Saul was kidnapped by the Holy Spirit. He was given a direction and then had to sit and wait while he felt his life hung in the balance. It smacks of “treat your neighbor as you expect to be treated.” And, to keep Saul where he was and paying attention only to himself, he was blinded from seeing the outside world. And, in good bully fashion, Saul gives up. He refuses to eat or drink and sits wasting away in Damascus for three days.
James would say, “Isn’t it just like a bully to be so scary and ruin people’s lives, but the moment they hit a challenge or a bump the totally give up! What happens to their faith then?” Someone from the faith community needed to pull Saul aside and say, “Hey, Yahweh is Creator and instructs us to love our neighbors, how do your actions promote that Saul?” It would have been a great time for Saul to get in touch with his own faith practices from the past, but he was so hardened, he just shriveled up and closed himself off and began to die. No questions to the voice. No attempts at possibility. And, nobody shows up to say, “Hey Saul! You don’t get what Yahweh has in mind at all!” nobody.
So, this transformational, growth oriented, still speaking God goes to his first string. Enter, Ananias. Poor Ananias. Can you imagine. Sitting at home. Praying. Safe. Thanking God. Loving God. Being grateful for food, breath, life, community and God calls. Beautiful Ananias says, I’m here Lord. Great! In honor of your faithfulness, your diligence, your readiness, go over to the murderer’s place and bless him. That’s right, the guy killing off all of your friends in my name, go over there right now and bless him. It’s OK, I told him you were coming with my God vision.
James reminds, we have to hold one another accountable. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when it seems dangerous. Even when it’s difficult. And because Ananias was a man of great faith, after checking in to make sure it’s the murderous, false, torturer God meant, he goes to him. Ananias goes over there, takes advantage of Saul’s blindness (a sure punishment for his misrepresentation of the faith) and beat him, and tortured him, and yelled at him for such misguided leadership. Ananias made fun of him, belittled him and made a slur out of his name, “Don’t go Saul on me!” Isn’t that how the story goes?
Absolutely not! Instead, we as the people of faith, do not do things the way that our culture does. We do not do things based on political or social goals. We do things out of the presence and place of the gospel, the love of God. Ananias goes to Saul, and lays his hands on him and prays over him, blessing him in the name of his adversary Jesus. And asks the Holy Spirit to fill him up and shine from within Saul. Immediately, scales fall from Saul’s eyes and he can see again. Saul asks to be baptized to symbolize his thanks, his confession of all that has come before and the beginning of a new life within the Jesus movement. Church growth at its best!
When God wants to do a new thing it doesn’t matter who we are, where we’ve come from, what we’ve done, God can do a new thing. When we allow our broken places to be named and we tell the truth about them transformation can and does happen. This is the season when we discern how it is we are growing our faith. Are you in an Adult Ed class, James says, get into one. Are you in an Affinity Group? James says, in January sign up for one. James says, are you coming to worship every week? Keep it up. James asks are you serving the community in gratitude for your blessings? You need to be, sign up for a place on the Flower Model. For when you do these things, you will grow. When you choose to focus on growing your faith it transforms and grows your life. And, as the people around you see you flower, they get excited and drawn to what it is you are doing. This is the day we commit our lives to growing the church. Let’s remember and hold one another accountable for that growth by signing up and following through with our own personal faith development. Amen!