Every individual and every church should strive for greatness. Every member of every church should be growing. Now, that doesn’t mean that everyone will be a millionaire or that every church will have 50,000 people in attendance, but progress is a must.
Growth simply means I am not where I was this time last week, month, or year. Growth is not an option, especially for the church. It is a divine command!
We all know the Great Commission in Matthew 28, but sometimes we act like it was a suggestion instead of an instruction from God. Matthew 28:18 18 says, “And Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”
As church leaders, we are obligated by God to seek out the lost, introduce them to the love of Jesus, and assist in the formation of Christ in them. Here’s the thing: it doesn’t randomly happen. Your church does not grow, and disciples are not made without strategy.
You Are Meant to Solve a Particular Problem
What’s not working, what’s causing pain and frustration, and what’s inhibiting your organization from growing or There is a problem on Earth for which God created you and your ministry to be the solution. Certain churches simply have an anointing for worship. Other churches have a doctrine anointing. Other churches have been anointed for signs, wonders, and miracles. Other churches have been anointed to assist people in thriving in their finances, marriages, personal lives, or whatever it may be. These are distinct gifts and anointing given by God to that pastor and his congregation.
Keep The Main Thing, The Main Thing
The issue is that your calling or anointing shouldn’t always be the primary goal of your church. I believe it is the third goal. The first goal of any church, regardless of what problem God has called them to solve, is to help lost people become found people. The second goal of every church is to assist new believers in becoming more like Jesus.
Let’s say your church is anointed for worship, called to write music, to create an atmosphere for people to encounter God and worship God. Well, how effective are you going to be if nobody’s coming? If nobody is getting saved, and those same people aren’t being discipled. You need lost people to get saved and for saved people to get discipled before a sound or album or a community of worship is created.
Don’t Throw Out the Baby With the Bathwater
Now, listen, I am not saying that you shouldn’t follow the gift God has granted your ministry; I am only saying that it should not be your primary focus. The primary focus should be for lost people to meet Jesus. And once those lost souls have encountered Jesus, we can disciple them. It’s not until then, that we can lead them into the anointing that God has placed on your ministry and life.
Let’s make sure the most important thing always remains the first thing. As ministry leaders, we exist to fulfill the great commission: to go out and make disciples.
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