Acts 2:41 KJV
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

The numbers game for want of a better term, of which I am open to, started that very day; The Day of Pentecost. There were no Church buildings, no organizational structure and only one mission statement.

Matthew 28:19,20 King James Version (KJV)
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Simple, pure and to the point; the number was important to the story and notice it referred to souls. Saving souls is far more worthy than just filling pews. They had a number, they had a mission statement and now they needed a way forward and a plan. Whoa! How are we going to do this, everyone will have a way they think is best. Now past events should tell us that God’s way is often high jacked by well-meaning people but we seldom learn from history. They had a way which they received on that day…The Holy Spirit would be their guide.

This is going to be a short blog today. There is a numbers game going on in the church. We have in some instances become too caught up with structure, what kind of music people like and if we build it they will come. Yes I heard you Pastor, you said it was a numbers game, you can’t deny that. But……then you went and spoke about bringing people to Jesus. Whoa! You are counting souls. Now that is a numbers game worth playing; preaching the word to all people, loving all people, studying to grow in faith and seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance through pray and Christian fellowship. Yes I heard you Pastor. We are going to fill the pews with souls, not numbers. I will be here in the pew next week, come back and bring a soul or two with you.

We live in a world that demands we label everything and place it in it proper category. After having done this we then turn to numbers to decide if we need to change anything and what is needed to make that change, which by the way, will be good for all of us. We assume that the greater the count the better the thing. About four years ago on another blog I lamented that many of our smaller churches were being closed. Some of course because they hadn’t been successful at the numbers game and to be fair they were just dying out as the membership aged.

Here are a few of the church labels of the day. A “Mega Church” for those of you who aren’t familiar with the term is a church so large that if the last person to leave were to turn out the lights it would be the next week. Then there are “large churches”, they have valet parking, at least three morning services, Family life Center and two or more Pastors. Then there are the “big churches”. They have everything the large churches have but they’re having a hard time paying for them. That brings us to that “nice little church”. They don’t have any of the above. Everyone knows everyone; the Pastor is either a nice old guy or a brash young man filled with the spirit that preaches long and loud. The sound system if they have one came from Radio Shack and there is a piano that old Aunt Nettie played for years before she died. Now the newer younger lady is Nettie’s younger sister. Amen! Today there is something bigger than numbers, well it is said it leads to good numbers. That something is “Service”.

To grow a church has to have a lot of different programs other than worship itself. It’s all about how you present yourself; make people want to come, offer a range of services that meets every need. Family things, what do you have for the kids, is there a Youth Director, what type of Music Program do you have? Is there a Family Life Center and what does it include? What about the young adults and seniors, do you have programs for them? Now I could go on and on but the point is this. Church today is about the services it can offer to its members. Most of the things I have listed are the ones people ask about. I have never really heard anyone ask, do you preach the gospel of the Living Christ and is the pastor anointed by God preaching the word and led by the Holy Spirit? When I shared this with some friends they had a question for me. What does it matter how large or small a church is, or what services it offers its members, as long as people are saved and their lives are better? Well I can’t argue with that. I do still wonder why the success of a church is determined by its size. Religion is a weird science for lack of a better term. I think I will stick with John 14.6 Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” That’s the way it looks from my spot in the pew. Come back next week. The pews aren’t full yet.

For several weeks I have been looking at the possibility of change in the Methodist view of same-gender issues which are dividing our church leadership and creating uncertainty among us in the pew. According to Webster sin is an offense against religious or moral law or an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible an often can be a serious shortcoming. The Christian view of sin is that it is a transgression of the law of God which can tarnish the state of human nature in which a person is estranged from God. We have all heard it said that God is the same today as He was yesterday and for all the days to come. I have written about church law versus God’s Law and my belief that God’s intent was for marriage to be between a man and a woman. I do not believe that any amount of discussion however well-intentioned will change that. That brings me to the inescapable conclusion that we are about to witness the evolution of church law. Evolution by definition is a process of continuous change from a lower, simpler, or worse to a higher, more complex, or better state. It is a growth process of gradual and relatively peaceful social, political, and economic advance. I can see no better state when the cost is the perversion of God’s intent and the redefining of scripture to be more compatible with the ever changing morals of today’s life style. Many of the changes that take place in any church now days are driven by statistics.

We know as Christians that God’s Grace is for all. How do we extend that loving grace to those whom we believe to be estranged from God because their life style is not compatible with God’s Law? If there is to be any peace among us we must accept that God’s grace is available to all who seek it. We must allow God’s judgement, not ours to be decided by God not us. The question the Methodist church needs to ask and address is simply this. How do we as Christ did, eat with the tax collectors, go among the lepers, kneel in the dirt with the adulterous, and how do we go among those who because of sin are estranged from God or better yet how do we bring them among us without being caught up or enticed into the sin that holds them captive? How do we show this grace and love and not give the impression that what God found to be unacceptable is now acceptable? I have reached a point where words do not come easy. I turn to the Word….. From Romans 12: 9-13

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

We must never accept that which separates us from our God. Only that, that which the Father sent to be among us, will guide us and sustain us in the days ahead. Come Holy Spirit, Come. Next week “The Numbers Game”. Hope you come back. I’ll be waiting here in the pew.