Have you ever asked the question, 'why doesn't my church grow?' I think that the experience in many Reformed churches is to find ourselves asking this question.Have we thought that maybe we are not growing is because we are not really seeking God's Kingdom? Maybe we are too busy building our own wealth, worried too much about our 401K (or 403B in my case), our home, our seeking to entertain ourselves, our worrying more about our own families and lives than His Kingdom?
Well, someone says, Doesn't God call us to provide for our families, build wealth, rest, and take care of our spheres? Yes. We cannot deny that God calls us to these things- but they are ALL secondary to His Kingdom.
Why doesn't the Church grow? Here Pastor Quigley shows us from the book of Haggai, that the problem for many congregations is mixed loyalties. We are to seek His Kingdom FIRST! Many congregations go from Sabbath Day to Sabbath Day with no vision, no purpose for existing other than to exist. Pastor Quigley challenges the church to ask this question, "Do you YEARN for God to build His Kingdom in this place?"
3 comments:
This seems to be a recurrent theme in my thinking as well. I've often wondered what program or doctrine or movement would/could advance Christ's kingdom and influence society...Of course it is the Gospel of Christ, the power of God unto Salvation, but this tends to come across as a buzz word for either individual private redemption, ignoring its manifestation into the corporate realm or a social gospel which confronts the war on hunger, ignoring the problem of a fallen world full of sinners rebelling against the true and living God.
I have found books like Haggai, Nehemiah, Ezra and many passages in the Bible are often read and considered in their historic context, even as a narrative, but not much by way of application to our contemporary culture and context.
Thanks for this link. I had just seen this and looked forward to giving it a listen.
Thank you Nate for this post! Excellent topic to bring up.
When I have pondered and ask others I often get an apathetic response and it is more of a redirection towards the minister as if it is his fault and responsibility that the church i not growing.
There is an unspoken fear to take hold of the plow and back the minister up and plow next to him, so to speak. Non-ministers should go out to the byways and highways to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not just the duty of the minister.
I really think that if "laymen" took an hour each Saturday and Sunday (if possible) to go out door to door that would have very positive outcomes. First it would overcome their fear of speaking to strangers, second and more importantly people would at the very least hear the Gospel of Christ, which is better than nothing.
We all are required to be construction workers at the wall.
I will listen to audio later on. Thanks again for this topic!
It has also to do a lot with the "Presbyterian/Calvinistic" approach towards ecclesiology! (and church "running")
and in case of hype-Calvinism the whole approach towards evangelism.
not that other (more biblical) denominations don't have the same problem - God bless.
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