What drives church ministry could very well be distilled into its core essence in the Great Commission found in Mathew 28:19-20. There Jesus in some of His final words to His disciples says “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (NASB)” Now upon reading this we may be likely to assume that accomplishing this task is more easily done with larger congregations and buildings which “show God’s power” and display His “awesomeness.” I am convinced however the longer I live that we may be missing some key points which are very relevant to the discussion.
Consider that Jesus’ great commandment is given to the Disciples as individuals, not as a church body, as the church had not yet been created in the form in which we have it today or even in the early church format which looked quite different from many of today’s churches. Consequently, the commandment is one given to the individual and as a result an individual mandate, wherein we take our gifts and the Holy Spirit to accomplish the task of ministering and disciple-making of the lost. We must then consider whether the method of gathering together as the largest body possible is the most effective way for the individual Christian to get the tools to go forth and accomplish the mission spoken of in the previous scripture. One of the foundational teachings of our church, The Fellowship of Jesus Christ Church, therefore is the usage of the “5 – Fold ministry (Eph 4:11-13)” for the development of Christians who can accomplish Jesus’ final mission to the Disciples.
We consider the life of the Christian to be one whereby those around you (your harvest field as it were) are harvested (brought to the church, led into a relationship with Christ) and become Christ’s Disciples through your life and relationship with Christ. As they see the fruits of the Spirit born out in your life through the various trials you endure, and your response to them, they see that God is real and the Holy Spirit’s work of transformation in your life is an actual event. We consequently do not focus on preaching messages that make you feel good, or would lead you to think that “prosperity” or a “get rich quick” is right around the corner. We instead believe the truth of the Cross demands an understanding that if your big brother Jesus carried it, you will daily have to do the same to get the reward He is working on for you. This will likely mean embracing very little comfort and understanding there will be a struggle on a regular basis, but believing that God is with you and with the Holy Spirit inside you, then you will have the strength to overcome.
Consider then the choice of not chasing numbers or the “mega-church” status, bestowed upon those with “congregations” over 2000 members. Consider now the impact of the one faithful Christian who works over the years in their community, faithfully leads their family, and is seen as a foundation of “the hard right” in their business dealings. Consider the impact of the child who befriends the small, frail, mistreated, and outcasts because of the love of Christ formed by watching the personal relationship with God from their local church. Consider the growth, and personal impact found in the small ministries whereas the ministry strives to reach as many people as possible, the members are called upon to serve in as many different ways as possible. Consider the impact of the faithful church wherein Christians can come in and develop their gifts, get custom nurturing and discipleship and training so that they can grow and lead in whatever new field God would place them in.
Jesus’ task of creating Disciples comes with the promise that while doing so He will be with us. This assures us that we can accomplish this as we have the promise of His presence which is the promise of success. The mega IMPACT we strive for in this ministry promises unity of faith, maturation, and the mind of Christ which never met a problem He could not solve including death and the grave. So if trying to decide between committing to your local small church or joining a megachurch, join the small church with the mega IMPACT.
Sometimes people are concerned about joining a small church because they worry about church hurt or being asked to do something out of the ordinary or they have heard any number of stories. Consider today visiting your local small church and plugging in and seeing how much it causes you to grow in your faith and your walk with Christ. How much, if any, are your gifts not being used because you are lost in the shuffle in and out of your local mega church? Do you want the opportunity to get out there and impact your community for Christ? Join us here for real-life training to help IMPACTing real-life problems. After all we are called to grow, and shouldn’t be afraid anytime we have the opportunity to mature and become more like Christ.
Minister Justin is one of the Ministers at the Fellowship of Jesus Christ Church. Married with three children, he believes in the development and growth of the body of Christ and that wherever you are, God dropped you there to create a ripple that would IMPACT your community to make a difference. What does IMPACT stand for you ask… Improving More People Altogether thru Christ’s Teaching. You can follow him on IG at Minister_Justin34 or catch his sermons on the Fellowship of Jesus Christ Youtube page.