Pruning

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. John 15:1-2 (NASB)

Did you know that grapes only bear fruit on new growth? Old growth, the vine growth that produced fruit last year, is only good for producing more leaves. That old vine and the leaves it produces rob the new growth of nourishment and limit the fruit the new growth can produce.

God is not nearly as interested in us producing leaves (shade and comfort) as He is in us producing fruit that will last. (see John 15:16)

What does it mean then that God prunes the branches that are bearing fruit? As I pondered this I realized that when we have had success we begin depending on the method and programs that gave us that success. Prior to that success we were on our knees asking God for guidance, but now that we know what we are doing we pray less. Instead of depending on God to lead and direct, we now think we know what we’re doing and we begin depending less on God. So God prunes back that part that produced last year’s fruit. Now we are forced into something new, and because it is new we are once again on our knees before God, pleading for Him to guide us.

Yesterday’s successes are tomorrows pitfalls and failures.

Moses was so used to using his staff to perform miracles that when God told him to change methods and speak to the rock, Moses did things the same old way. He used his staff instead of obeying God and speaking to the rock. The result was that Moses sinned against God and disqualified himself from leading the people of Israel into the promised land.

Is it any wonder that God prunes us? Sure pruning is painful, but isn’t it better to be pruned and fruitful that comfortable and fruitless?

Until next time,

Pastor Jim

“Increase our faith”

I find it interesting that when the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith (Luke 17:5) He instead told them how a little bit of faith of enough.

I’ve heard other pray and ask God to increase their faith, and I’ve even prayed that prayer. I’m not sure that it’s wrong to ask for more faith, but what is Jesus really saying?

I have all sorts of faith: I’m going to get on an airplane and fly to Arequipa, Peru, this coming Friday and Saturday. I have faith that the airplane mechanics did their work correctly and that all the parts of the planes will function correctly. I have faith in the pilots know what they are doing and will fly the plane correctly. I have faith that the air traffic controllers will do their jobs and keep planes from flying into each other. I even have faith in the baggage handlers and trust them to get my checked bags to the right destinations. We all have certain degrees of faith in various things.

The real question comes down to this: In what am I placing my faith? Am I placing my faith in Almighty God, or am I placing my faith in flawed man?

If I’m depending on my own abilities, or on the abilities of other flawed humans, then I’ll need lots of faith. I’ll need enough faith to counterbalance the flaws I know exist in every human being. But what if I’m placing my faith in a perfect, all powerful, never failing, all knowing, and just God?

Jesus was telling His disciples that even a little faith placed in Almighty God was enough to move mountains.

So next time we ask God to increase our faith, lets first stop to consider the object of our faith. Do I need lots of faith because I’m going to depend on my own abilities, or will a little faith be enough because I’m depending on God?

Until next time…

Pastor Jim

How Should We Measure Church Growth?

Some time ago I was with a group of pastors and the question was asked, “What does a mature disciple look like?” In other words, how do we measure and know if we are doing what Jesus told us to do? Each of these pastors had their own slogan as to what their church did, similar to what you find on programs and web sites of many churches. We all sat around and came up with a few things, but at the end of our time we still had not nailed the answer down. The conclusion was that the answer was elusive because you cannot measure people’s hearts.

I’ve discovered that the answer isn’t elusive at all. In fact, it’s right in front of us, staring us in the face. In Matthew 28:18-19 we have what is called the Great Commission. It is the final instructions Jesus gave to His disciples before he left planet earth and returned to the Father.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

Let’s break this down so that we can understand what Jesus really is telling us.

1 - Go – don’t sit around and expect people to come to you looking for the truth.

2 - Make disciples – lead them to faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

3 - Baptize them – bring them into the church family so they can grow to maturity.

4 - Teach them all you were taught – teach them to Go, to Make disciples, to Baptize, and to Teach others all things.

It’s simple! If we are teaching people all things, then we will be teaching them these 4 steps. That means they will be teaching another person.

How do you measure if you’re doing what Jesus commanded? Here’s how: How many people have you trained who are teaching others to Go, Make disciples, Baptize, and Teach others?

Isn’t it time we stop measuring church growth by measuring the wrong things, like attendance, giving, number of small groups, number of students who went to camp, missionaries sent out, money given to missions, and all those other things. Jesus gave us clear instructions on what we are to be doing. Are we doing that? What do our numbers show?

One day Pastor Pete is going to stand before the Lord Jesus and Jesus will ask Pastor Pete what he did while here on earth. Pastor Pete is going to begin telling Jesus how many people he baptized, how large the church grew, how many people he went to visit and share the gospel with each week, how many small groups the church had, how much property the church bought, how much money the church gave to missions, how many missionaries were sent out, how many student went to camp, and all sorts of other rather meaningless numbers. When Pastor Pete is finished Jesus will ask him why he didn’t do what his Lord told him to do, to just make disciples. And at that moment Pastor Pete will realize that he wasted his years of ministry by focusing on the wrong things. Many pastors have have focused on all those things that their seminary professor told them were necessary to grow a church, but they had failed to do the one thing Jesus told them to do.

Are you obeying Jesus? Are you teaching other all that Jesus commanded to where they are teaching others? In the most basic format, are you making disciple makers?

That’s really all that matters. That one number shows if you are obeying Jesus or not.