The First Step

July 15, 2018

A milestone has come and gone, although the effects linger. The Dunkirk United Methodist church celebrated 100 years of ministry based in their Medina sandstone building. We succeeded in bringing five congregations together, and reached out to our neighborhood in ways we had not done before. We contacted over 500 families, prepared as best we could, not knowing if we would be over- or under-whelmed with people. As it was, we were somewhere in the middle.

Over 2,000 years ago, there were 120 people who had been gathering together praying, but not really knowing how God would answer their prayers, and perhaps not even knowing what they were praying for. Peter preached, and suddenly those 120 people became 3,120 people, most of whom were brand new Christians. It could have become a logistical nightmare trying to figure out how 120 people could assimilate 3,000 and train them to become fully functioning members of the fledgling church. They did it, but not by turning over the teaching ministry to the leaders.

The original twelve disciples trained the 120, who then took responsibility for the 3,000. Each of the 120 had around 25 new believers to teach and mentor in their newfound faith. The Scripture says that they met together for meals, gathering daily for prayer and encouragement. 

Years before, Jesus had told his disciples that the fields were “white, ready for harvest.” The problem wasn’t that there weren’t any people ready to come to Christ; the problem was that there weren’t enough workers to go and bring them in. He commanded his disciples to “pray to the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.” The problem with this kind of praying is that God usually throws it right back at us: “Lord, send forth laborers,” we pray.

“Very well. I’m glad you asked. I’m sending you,” is the Lord’s usual response. Here’s what I know: God is in the life-giving business. He has no desire nor intention of bringing newborn Christians into this world only to have them die of neglect at the hands of the Church. We will get an influx of people when God can trust us with them. 

We made a great start yesterday, and today I’m thanking God for all he did and is doing. I’m also praying. And scheming. Because I want the Church to be ready, equipped to nurture the baby Christians God wants to give us. When we are ready, we will find God ready and waiting to unleash blessing so great that we’ll have a hard time keeping up with it. I am praying for that day, and thanking God that we have taken these first steps on a journey that will transform us, and then transform our community.