Luke 5:1-11 , Mark 1:14-20 , Matthew 4:18-22
These passages relate to the calling of Jesus’ first disciples. With these few devoted men, the Gospel of Jesus would go into the entire world, reaching to the uttermost parts of civilization. In preparation for what Jesus had in store for these men, what would they need? They would need to fully understand what it means to love God and obey Him. They would need to despise sin and reject its presence in their lives. Such a mindset would, and did, change the world. As John Wesley once said,
Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergyman or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth. (from a letter in the Works of John Wesley)
What a thought! We live in an interesting era for the church, in which there is a great desire to see positive “church growth” and strong “church administration.” To be sure, the former phrases are noble ventures and vitally important to the life of the church. However, it seems that the church begins to tread on precarious ground when these things become the primary goal.
Wesley offers us two profound thoughts from the teachings of Jesus, which include desiring God and fearing sin. What if we pursued strong growth over a passionate desire for God, and strong administration over a fear of sin? Is it better to have a throng of people whose love for Jesus is rivaled by American Idol or The Biggest Loser? Is success in church ministry a well-administrated congregation of sin-oriented people? Could we dream of something more?
What if the church had a greater hope, sought for something more than a large, cutting edge, well organized congregation? What if, instead of merely seeking to be mission driven, we were driven by an unfathomable mission? What if, like Wesley, we desired to “shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth.” In his day, the very culture of England was shaken to its core, because John Wesley and a group of people called the Methodists dared to believe that such an impact could be made in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Could we see such a culture-altering event today? Lord, where are those 100? Ah, not even 100; give us 50 and this world will not know what hit it. Where are those 50?
Comments are closed