Opportunity & Impact: A Biblical Church Planting Strategy that Works

The tenth chapter of the book of Luke begins with one of the unique stories of Scripture. It relates the experience of Jesus and the “mission” of the seventy (two) He sent “ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go.” While the textual manuscripts disagree about whether there were seventy appointed (following the Masoretic text) or seventy-two (following the Septuagint), commentators agree that the number is a symbolic reference to Genesis 10, believed to represent the entirety of the nations. It was a foreshadowing of the Gospel message for all people, including you and me.

Now I’m well aware of the fact that “church planting” is not mentioned here in this passage. What’s mentioned, though, are the heart and soul of all legitimate church planting work: evangelism, discipleship and ministry. Jesus stands at the center of it all, and the participants, while anonymous to you and me, are know to Christ and are called for this very purpose. (I love that, since it reminds us all that we don’t have to be a “Peter” or “Paul” to be chosen or valuable in Kingdom work.)

The bottom line is that when we GO, the Kingdom GROWS. When we PLANT, the King HARVESTS. As such, this is “seed work” for future church planting efforts to come, for they are tilling the soil of men’s hearts until they encounter Jesus themselves.

Note the following principles. First, relationships are the key (vv. 5-7). The second paragraph relates Jesus’ directive when entering a place and finding people (oikos/oikia). Determine the receptivity of the people you meet. How? By locating a person of peace, He says; one who will welcome you into their household, not just their home. This word is suggestive of more than a place; it includes a network of relationships. Stay there, Jesus commands; don’t move around, so that you can plant many seeds that will, over time, take root and sprout. This will take adaptability, because things will happen you will not expect (“eat whatever they give you”), but persist, and in so doing, cultivate the crops of God’s harvest field. If you do, the “household” will be reached.

Second, tie the message and the ministry together (vv. 8-12). This is the key to reaching a town, according to Jesus. “Heal the sick who are there AND tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you.’” Why? Because ministry validates the message and adds credibility to the sharer. It demonstrates the nature of the Gospel and God’s own interest in the whole person; it shows God’s people love and care as Jesus does. Ministry alone, minus the message, is only social service (not gospel at all!). Message alone, without ministry, is hypocritical, since it is loveless and fail to demonstrate the gospel for the benefit of others (see the book of James). All the other principles Jesus mentioned in the previous paragraph apply to this one as well. We must still look for receptivity and be adaptable to those we are seeking to reach; these are the most accurate barometers for initiating ministry in the town. If you do these things, you will see the town transformed.

Finally, you and I must accept our appointment (vv. 2-4). The passage tells us that our Lord actually chose–”appointed” is the word used here–His followers for this assignment. He’s still appointing us today (Ephesians 4.1)! With that in mind, Jesus actually starts this monologue with some preemptive commands. Knowing that human nature often looks for excuses not to do the things He asks, Jesus addresses the elements necessary to be successful in our service. He says we will need to pray (v.2). A lack of laborers to work the harvest field according to Him, is a result of a lack of passionate, persistent, pleading prayer. When we do our part, He suggest, the Lord of the harvest will do His part and send out more laborers into the fields. He also says we need vision, God’s vision (v. 3). He acknowledges that we are being sent out among “wolves” in our world.  But instead of “seeing” them, He suggests our sight should be focused on Him and His calling (“I am sending you”). He says we need to trust Him (v. 4a). Don’t worry about carrying provisions when you’re doing my work, Jesus says; I’ll take care of all your needs. Finally, He commands us to recognize the urgency of the assignment (“don’t greet anyone on the road”) (v. 4b). Jesus is not suggesting we be “rude;” rather, He’s challenging us not to let anything else slow us from the appointment He’s given us.

Researchers tell us that in our day every single minute 83 more people in this world die and enter a Christ-less eternity! People need to be reached with the Gospel. Towns need to see its transforming power. Churches need to be planted. So…what are you waiting for? Go! He is sending you–us–into His harvest fields.

(This message was preached at the Eastern Baptist Association Annual Meeting, October 25, 2009.)

A Church Planting Manifesto, part 2

I Believe…

16. That denominations are only helpful if they exist for the local church and not the local church for the denomination

17. That church planters can shift their love all too easily from Jesus to the church, which is a subtle but very serious form of idolatry

18. That seeking to be a “full-service” church is a sure and certain journey to plateau or decline for 9 out of every 10 churches (try to do too much and end up doing too little)

19. That the most “earthly good” the church does happens Monday through Saturday, not on Sunday

20. That planters must not be more passionate about their methodology and “being cool and hip” than they are about reaching people with the Gospel

21. That we mistake compliance for commitment all the time and it’s killing us in churches across the Western world

22. That we must use biblical models more than business models to inform our church planting efforts

23. That it’s time to measure success by how many a church releases rather than retains

24. That a new church will mirror its leadership within the first two years of its ministry

25. That a church cannot be the church that Jesus intended without reproducing disciples and congregations

26. That prayer is the most important church planting work one will ever do

27. That planters must guard their hearts and their marriages with utmost priority in time and attention

28. That effective assessment is the gateway to everything else in a church planting system

29. That coaching is the greatest leverage leaders have with those who are planting new churches

30. That planting a church is NEVER the ultimate objective

to be continued…

(This post is part two in an ongoing series; part one can be found by clicking here.)

More Thoughts on Wagner’s “Planting New Churches” Quote

(continued from a post on August 19; you can get to part one by clicking here.)

Dr. C. Peter Wagner, formerly of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, is well-known in church planting circles for his oft-quoted, emphatic declaration that “the single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven is planting new churches.” (Church Planting for a Greater Harvest, 1990.)

My gut feeling is that church planting ought to be the most effective disciple-making methodology under heaven, too. It tells me, too, that no serious transformation or impact will ever be made until we recognize and implement a strategy that acknowledges that church planting is not the objective of our efforts.

That statement alone is enough to give some people in the church planting world pause. I have met many planters and leaders in the world of church starting that believe the ultimate “end game” is to plant churches. So naturally, such a statement may rile such a person. Not me.

Now granted that Wagner’s words are not “inspired” and that he is subject to error like any other human, I still often ponder the significance of the word choice in his declaration. What especially gets my attention is his use of the word “methodology.” Dictionary.com defines this as “a set or system of methods, principles, and rules for regulating a given discipline.” Wagner acknowledges that church planting, as an method or system of evangelism, is the most effective means to be found. But if it’s method or means to an end, then what’s “the end?”

In my opinion, it’s disciple-making. This is the “end game,” the ultimate objective of our church planting efforts. After all, Jesus NEVER commanded or even suggested that his disciples plant churches; in fact, He told them HE would build His church (Matt. 16.18). What He did command them to do was to make disciples (Matt. 28.19).

The disciples under the leadership of the Holy Spirit gathered them as the church in Jerusalem (Acts 2). As a result, they quickly realized that disciples could not be made in isolation, but only in community. And the local church–wherever they went–was “the methodology” to do that.

So church planter (even the term seems somewhat misdirected), starting the church should NEVER be your ultimate objective. Even establishing it, so that it survives and thrives over time as a self-supporting, self-governing, self-propagating entity, is not enough. Be a disciple-maker; make that the “end game.”

My belief is this: you can plant a church and not make disciples (in fact, many do), but you cannot truly make disciples without it resulting in new churches. So, focus on joining the Holy Spirit in creating and shaping “fully devoted followers of Christ.” If you do that, He’ll take care of the rest.

Fridays are for Friends & Family 08.21.09

It’s the end of the week and time again for another “Friends & Family” edition! This week we begin in church planting with one of my colleagues of whom I have the utmost respect, Bob Roberts. Bob, who pastors NorthWood Church in Keller, Texas, recently blogged on “The Shape of Theology” in his own life and how it both affects his behavior and worldview as a church planter and trainer of other church planters. It’s a must read for every new church starter! Check it out here.

Speaking of theology (and social media), Leonard Sweet, author of so many thought-provoking books and articles (Soul Tsunami was a life-changer for me; thanks, Len), recently became a “Twitter-er,” and as is typical with Sweet, he jumped in with both feet and got quickly involved. He recently posted on his site an article that is definitely worth the read in regards to this:  “Twitter Theology: Five ways Twitter has changed my life and helped me be a better disciple of Jesus.” You can get to it from here.

Ed Stetzer on his blog recently interviewed Steve Addison, the Director of Church Resource Ministries (CRM) Australia, and author of a new book, Movements that Change the World. According to Ed Stetzer, Steve “is called to encourage church planting movements around the world and is therefore a student of the history of movements that spread the gospel.” Steve’s book focuses on the five common characteristics found in these historical movements that have had such far-reaching impact. You can read about the book and the movements it studied by going to Stetzer’s site from here. By the way, this book is published by Missional Press, the same company who published our book PlantLIFE, as well.

Web Picture of the Week

Speaking of Dr. Stetzer, I believe he was the one who posted this picture earlier in the week of a chapel service many years ago at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Can you tell who it is?

That’s right; Mr. Purpose-Driven himself, Dr. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California.  Wow; great picture…

Finally, this week is the LAST CHANCE for my Boston Red Sox to stay in the Eastern Division race of the American League. A pivotal three game series with the Yankees starts tonight at Fenway Park in Boston. After losing all four games last week in the Bronx, the Red Sox must sweep this series or be banished to fight for the “Wild Card” through the rest of the year. As you can see, I’m not ready to write them off, just yet; after all, they’ve won eight games in the series this year to only four for the Yankees. You can read about the series and watch a video preview here. Will they do it? Stay tuned. It all starts tonight at MLB.TV.

What Peter Wagner FAILED to Say

Dr. C. Peter Wagner, formerly of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, is well-known in church planting circles for his oft-quoted, emphatic declaration that “the single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven is planting new churches.” (Church Planting for a Greater Harvest, 1990.) I would go so far as to say that it is the most referenced statement about the value of church planting in the last twenty years, though I have nothing but anecdotal evidence to support it. What I can support is that his categorical statement has been researched multiple times since then and it has in every instance of which I am aware (Christianity Today, Fuller Seminary doctoral dissertation and LifeWay over the decade from 1991-2001) found him not only to be correct in his assessment, but rather overwhelmingly correct. By a ratio of no less than 3:1, church plants are more effective evangelistically than churches over fifteen (sometimes ten) years of age!

Such a researched FACT should rightly be shouted from the mountaintops and proclaimed in every classroom. In addition, every church planter needs to recognize the optimal opportunity they have in their infancy (years 0-3) to make enormous evangelistic impact, because this period  typically will dissipate and unfortunately, does not normally return again–at least in the same measure. This is important and should not be overlooked! In fact, our church multiplication ministry has become so convinced of its priority that we will no longer recruit church planters who fail to have the passion and fire for evangelism at the foremost of their church planting vision.

But there’s still something that haunts me about this statement. I’ve read it hundreds of times over the past two decades and I have to confess, in most of those readings, I focused on what Wagner DID say. Lately, I’ve been asking myself what he FAILED to say in that bold, brash statement: he never says in that context–or anywhere else to my knowledge–that church planting is the most effective DISCIPLE-MAKING methodology under heaven. In fact, while the scope of my research in limited to be sure, I have never seen any author say that; have you?

Ouch.

Now I quickly realize that this omission could be missing because there has not been any research on it. After all, how would you measure success in disciple-making? It’s certainly easier with evangelism (at least the “conversion” part). So maybe I need to lobby Ed Stetzer or George Barna to do some research on the subject, in hopes of putting my mind at ease. Maybe it’s just the absence of reliable data that is at the basis of my concern.

Maybe, on the other hand though, church planters are not prepared, trained and adequately equipped to facilitate the disciplemaking process through church planting in the same way they are readied in evangelism. Perhaps this, too, is why many church plants are heavily invested in the worship experience (using either a gather-the-crowd then “scatter the seed” evangelism strategy or a “feed the flock” information-dump-for-disciple-making strategy) and weak elsewhere. And maybe leaders and coordinators feed this by asking about attendance and conversion experiences without ever trying to help church planters figure out how to measure success in disciple-making.

My gut feeling is that church planting ought to be the most effective disciple-making methodology under heaven, too. It tells me, too, that no serious transformation or impact will ever be made until we…(to be continued next week)

A Church Planting Manifesto

I Believe…

1. That healthy planters are the number one key to a healthy new church
2. That we too often focus on making converts rather than disciples
3. That we educate people beyond the level of their obedience
4. That we have fallen into the subtle mis-priority of focusing on “the unchurched” rather than “the lost”
5. That seeking to make disciples that result in new churches should be a higher priority than planting churches that may result in making disciples
6. That ongoing sponsor churches in only rare instances will come from churches over fifteen years in age
7. That the problem that we have is not with the harvest, or even with the lack of laborers, but with us and our lack of prayer
8. That turfism (competition rather than cooperation) is one of the greatest sins of the North American church
9. That the DNA of churches is essentially set in the first five years of life and will only alter dramatically in times of great change
10. That the day of the attractional church is over (or at best limited) for those churches under 400 in size, and it’s necessary for the church become incarnational instead
11. That the spouse of church planters is the most neglected, and yet in some ways, most vital person in the church planting system
12. That the church still struggles with the correct order of these three verbs for dealing with lost people in new churches:  Belong, Believe, Behave
13. That God created all living organisms, including His church, to reproduce “after its own kind”
14. That the church exists as a means primarily to two ends: to advance the Kingdom of God and to be the necessary incubator community for making disciples
15. That a church planting movement can never happen if the system is built on outside funding, professional clergy, and real estate

to be continued…

Monday Morning Rewind: Daring Prayer

When we left Peter and John last week, they had exhibited bold faith in the name of Jesus to heal a lame man…and He did! Two results followed: they were able to preach the good news of Christ to the crowd that gathered so that now the number of believers grew to over 5,000 men, and they were arrested for their witness to Jesus. After keeping them in jail overnight and threatening physical harm in the future if they kept preaching in the name of Jesus (which the disciples made clear they would do regardless of the consequences), the religious leaders released them.

They returned to the “church” and what did they do first? They prayed. It was their top priority and reveals much of their passion and concerns for the days ahead. I would go so far as to say that any church that is going to be effective for Christ will pray passionately and expectantly for God to move in their midst.

The better we know God, the more mature our prayer will be. It will grow in faith, “see” greater needs, delve beneath the surface level issues of life. This is the kind of prayer the early church exhibited in the stories of Acts. In fact, there are 36 references to the church growing in the book; 21 of them are within the context of prayer.

So what do we learn from the early church about such prayer in chapter 4, verses 23-31, that can help us to be more daring in our petitions and intercessions with the Almighty?

First, daring prayer confronts the challenges of Satan with the sovereignty of God (vv. 24, 29). The believers uses a word of God here, translated “sovereign Lord,” found only five times in the entire New Testament. It is the word from which we get our word “despot,” and it is being used in a way that reflects upon His ultimate, unconditional, uncompromised authority. They find great comfort in that authority, because they know their Lord. They also find comfort in the fulfillment of prophecy they see right before their eyes (Psalm 2–a Messianic psalm–is quoted in their prayer). As a result of these realities they ask God to “consider the threats” brought against the apostles. Their request is not for vengeance, but for vindication, that others would see that they are representatives for Him.

Second, daring prayer asks in accord with God’s will (v. 29). Their second request is for continued opportunity to speak God’s word with boldness. Take note of the fact that they don’t ask for removal from persecution or threats, but for God to see and give them the courage they need to continue to speak for Him in the face of it. This request harkens back to Jesus’ words that they will be witnesses for Him when the Spirit of God comes upon them. It’s already aligned with His will for their lives and birthed out of His power. So instead of giving in to their fears, or hesitating to take action, they ask God for more of what they need to address the opposition to Christ. And in the filling of the Spirit which comes at the end of this passage, we learn that they are enabled to speak the word with boldness as they requested. God is indeed pleased with such requests.

Third, daring prayer desires to demonstrate the supernatural presence and power of God (v. 30).   The final request the early church made of God in this prayer is that He would do what only He could do (heal, miraculous signs and wonders). They wanted others to see the hand of God at work in and through them. The word “signs” is instructive here, because it suggests that they were not asking God to do these things so that others would be amazed or enamored with the miraculous; rather, these things would point to the reality behind the miracles themselves.  They would direct people to see the power of Jesus’ name alone.

So I ask you today: what unselfish, GOD-SIZED prayer have we (you) asked of the Sovereign Lord lately? When’s the last time you dared pray something so audacious, so incredible that if God didn’t show up, it wouldn’t get done?

Effective churches–and believers–offer God-honoring, daring prayers. And because they do, the world sees the difference they are making—for Jesus.

(This message is the fifth in a series on characteristics of effective churches, based on the early church’s experience as recorded in the book of Acts. Message one dealt with “dynamic community,”  message two dealt with “Holy Spirit leadership,” message three dealt with “focused purpose,”  and message four dealt with “bold faith.” You can find the notes to all of these messages also on this blog.)

Monday Morning Rewind: Focused Purpose

Acts 2.42-47 is noted by scholars as the first “summary statement” in the book–in between two specific events (Pentecost and the healing of the lame man at the Gate Beautiful)–and in so doing, gives us a glimpse into the every day, routine life of the early church. But perhaps it wasn’t so routine, at least by our modern-day standards. The church was active and engaged, and making a tremendous difference in their community.

Why you ask? In addition to being led by the Holy Spirit and cultivating dynamic community amongst themselves, they were focused, intentionally and deliberately, on accomplishing the purpose of God…and nothing else. One of the greatest sins in the church today is the sin of distraction…we too often let other things of little consequence capture our mind and steal our time, all at the expense of the significant! The early church didn’t make that mistake, and the results (verse 47, “every day the Lord was adding to them those who were being saved”) speak for themselves.

This purpose of God had been given to them in the Great Commission of Jesus (Matthew 28.18-20) and reiterated in Jesus’ last words on earth (Acts 1.8). So they focused their lives and ministry to accomplish the impossible (“for nothing is impossible with God,” Jesus had told them). And by the end of the book of Acts, this growing group of disciples were indeed well on their way to  accomplishing exactly what God had asked of them.

How did they achieve this? First, they focused their activity (v. 42). They too realized that there are hundreds of good things crying out for their attention! They were wise enough to know, though, that not all of them deserved their focus. Instead they chose to focus on four things mentioned here in this verse: learning/equipping, fellowship, worship and prayer. In addition, this passage indicates they served others and shared Christ as they could. Beyond this, they did not get sidetracked into doing other “stuff.” The key to it all for them was their “devotion” to it. The grammatical construction draws attention to the committed nature of their efforts as they sought to diligently carry out the commission of God. Lives were in the balance and there’s only so much time each person has. They determined to use it wisely, focused on helping “make disciples” while growing as disciples themselves!

Second, they centered their focus on God and others (vv. 43-44). Jesus had taught them this: to love God most and to love others as self.  They saw evidence of God at work in their midst (wonders and signs); in fact, they recognized that the signs done by the apostles were used to point people not to themselves, but to God. In addition, they did what they could do to care for others and share with them what they could to meet their needs. The key to the impact they had on their community was seen in this “anyone before self” attitude. It was evidence of their maturity in the faith and an unselfish, servant-hearted response, learned at the Master’s bidding (John 13). Through their efforts, God authenticated their message and enabled them to be used in powerful, Kingdom ways because of their “bi-focal” work…focused on God and focused on others.

Third, they demonstrated their focus by the love they showed to each other as they fulfilled the purpose of God (vv. 46-47). The Scripture indicates this was another “together” work of God’s people, grown out of loving relationships that were characterized by joy and authenticity. They were united in heart and mind; they were united in hands and feet, too. The amazing part of this is the frequency of it! The passage indicates they were together “every day!” The “continuing” activity of their lives mentioned in verse 46 is literally the same word used in verse 42, where it is translated “devoted.” What Luke is saying is that their continual “togetherness” in big group settings (temple courts) and small group settings (house to house) was a sign of their devotion to each other. Community was really, genuinely happening!

As a result, the Scripture tells us that the early church was blessed by God, enjoyed the favor of all the people and saw people saved every day. Every church should endeavor to experience the same! But to do it, you and I must stay focused on the purpose to which God has called us, and not just on “big event days,” when it’s easy to be motivated and excited about what God’s doing. Our success or failure in the end will actually depend on how we apply these truths to our lives and to God’s church during the “in-between times of life.”

(This message is the third in a series on characteristics of effective churches, based on the early church’s experience as recorded in the book of Acts. Message one dealt with “dynamic community” and message two dealt with “Holy Spirit leadership.” You can find the notes to both also on this blog.)

Monday Morning Rewind: Dynamic Community

This week we start a new series of messages, aimed at discovering characteristics of effective churches from the early church in the book of Acts. The first chapter of this historical account shares a prologue by author Luke, Jesus’ final words on earth to his disciples, His ascension and the preparatory work of these Christ-followers before the day of Pentecost. It is this last item in the chapter, found in verses 12-26, which is the focus of our learning in this post.  What did the early church do during these days in anticipation of the promised Spirit coming upon them? How did the Spirit, in fact, use these days to prepare them for what was ahead?

The answer is found in the concept of “dynamic community.” In other words, God used these days to weld them to Him and to each other. The learning that they shared in common and that, under the Holy Spirit’s direction in chapter two, enabled them to move out quickly in advancing the message they had been given (“We are witnesses of these things.“), became the foundational basis for all else in their shared, communal existence. What are the clues in this passage you ask? They are two: the use of the word “together,” a theme emphasizing their shared, interdependent “common-unity” and a grammatical construction (the genitive absolute) which emphasizes the dynamic and on-going nature of these actions.

How did they build this “community” that was so essential in their day and is considered so needed and desired today?

First, they spent time together (vv. 12-13a). Here the durative, ongoing, continual nature of their activity is emphasized by the author as he reminds us readers that they recognized the value found in being in each other’s company. The disciples had learned this with Jesus themselves as they traveled over almost three years of their lives together. They had built the foundation of relationships, learning strengths and weaknesses, but becoming closer, more intimate and more committed over time. Nothing could replace that! In fact, it’s still true today. The more we “program” church into various meetings and services, the less we allow dynamic community to take place. People need physical presence to go deep, to open up, to trust others and become interdependent within the body of Christ. This is a challenge in today’s world, yet cannot be accomplished just in our worship gatherings. It won’t happen. They must build relationships in smaller settings and in places away from the church building. Unless this happens, true, authentic community won’t take place.

Second, they prayed together (v. 14). The early disciples and other members of what would become the first church “joined together constantly in prayer.” You guessed it! It’s the same grammatical construction, reminding us that this was not a programmed or scheduled event; rather, this was the ongoing, constant, enduring, persistent nature of their activity. Understand please that praying had now taken on a new dimension and meaning to them. Before this time, Jesus had walked with them; now He was back in heaven. Before, they had tangible response to their questions; now, they had to listen much more intently. Prayer had become an integral way of connection to the Lord Jesus, their leader, and his command upon their lives. But prayer also became a conduit for linking them to each other as they prayed together. For when God’s people pray deeply and passionately, they bear their soul and show their heart; and as others intercede for brothers and sisters in Christ, they link their concerns and hearts with each other. In such times, God once again creates interdependence and dynamic community through the exercise of petition and intercession. Churches need to build times of collective intercession and petition into their life together for a variety of reasons, including this supernatural ability of God to use it in connecting us to one another.

Finally, they learned together (vv. 16-26). Peter led them in studying the Scriptures, with a special focus on Psalms 69 and 109 to understand what God was doing in their midst. They derived great comfort in learning together that God had prophesied that the events of Judas’ life would take place; it had not taken Him by surprise. They also recognized that if God had kept His promise about that many years before, that He would also keep His word of the promised Spirit who would come in a few more days. Their hope and excitement in anticipation caused them to ready themselves as a people to do what needed to be done for Him to use them on that day not far ahead. My point is this: their learning did not stop with the accumulation of knowledge from the Scriptures. They acted upon it and applied it to their lives in anticipation of God’s invitation to join Him in the great work of His mission ahead. Our churches need to make sure that our “teaching” sessions result in “learning” sessions, and that cannot happen unless we enable the body of Christ to live out these realities in real-time settings. It must change our behavior. And as “we” learn together through doing God’s will, it will in fact result in a deeper, richer, dynamic community that all churches say that want but few truly experience.

Monday Morning Rewind: Seeing Beyond Ourselves

Yesterday’s message was the last in a series of six on the Acts 1.8 Challenge–a challenge to each do our part in being a witness for Jesus in the spheres of influence in our lives. The text came from 2 Kings 7:3-16, a remarkable passage focused on four lepers during the siege of Samaria by the Aramean (Syrian) army.

This passage has come to be known by some commentators as “the Great Commission of the Old Testament.” It certainly shares the importance of opportunity and responsibility for what God has both done for us and also wants to do for others. The Scripture notes these men saying, “We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves…Let’s go at once and report this…” (2 Kings 7:9, NIV) Such a message of good news needs to be shared with everyone, as God would no doubt want.

You see, God wants to make His vision for us a reality for ALL to experience and enjoy; it’s not something for any of us to keep to ourselves. His intent is that we be a blessing to others as He has blessed us. To do that we must touch the lives of others; we must show them the love and good news of Christ. In fact, I truly believe that if we touch a life, we can change the world.

How did these four lepers do that? How did they change the world for all those who heard their message of good news?

First, they saw the possibilities (vv. 3-4). They recognized that there were three options available to them: Go back (into the walled, famined city), Stay where they were (outside but together), or Go forward (into the “enemy” camp, where their future was uncertain). They chose to go forward, the only direction where there was even a chance of success! They understood that to keep doing what they’d been doing meant they’d keep getting what they’d been getting. They also understood that even “an enemy” can’t really do anything to a man who’s willing to die! (As lepers, they had lived with that death sentence for a long time…) You see, we too must surrender self before God can and will do miraculous things through us.

Second, they stepped out in faith (vv. 5-6). It’s one thing to determine logically what they ought to do; it’s another to actually do it! But do it they did, at dusk that night. Contrast their action to the response of the king’s officer (end of chapter 6) when Elisha the prophet announced to the King’s court what God would do the next day. This officer doubted the power of God, doubted the creativity of God and also doubted the message of God! They on the other hand were “desperate” enough to step out in faith and risk it all! We too must take the initiative to step out in faith, for all the planning and analysis in the world is worthless unless it leads us to action. When we risk for God in faith, we discover what only He can and will do.

Third, they made their lives count (v. 9). Remember, when God removes an obstacle, He often gives you an opportunity. The lepers didn’t understand this at first. When they found the camp empty of “God’s doing,” they first experienced the blessing themselves. Then they tried to hoard it (Perhaps they were afraid that it might not be there for them in the future.). Finally, they were convicted by the “grace” of the blessing itself and seeing beyond themselves, they realized they had a responsibility to share this vital, life-saving knowledge and experience with others. They recognized that to stay silent would be sin. So they seized the moment, as we too must do, for the urgency of their situation and now ours, demands it.

Today we live in a world in which more people are without Jesus than ever before in history. And yet it takes over 44 people in our churches today to lead a single person to Christ. In fact, less than 25 percent of God’s people will ever even tell one person about the good news we have in Him. “We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves…Let’s go at once and report this…” (v. 9). May this become our mantra, our passion, our life in the days ahead as we strive to be on mission for our Lord.

Touch a life, change the world–for Jesus’ sake.