A message for Akron Alliance Fellowship Church, Akron OH, Sunday, August 20, 2023.
For the “Live in Church” audio of this message, click here.
My lovely bride and I spent some time three weeks ago in Columbus at Resonate 2023, a conference for licensed workers pursuing ordination or consecration with The Christian and Missionary Alliance. It was my first national conference with The Alliance, and it was a delightful one! Lynn and I met a number of wonderful people from different parts of the country with the same goals and aspirations to serve and perform Kingdom work in our various churches and stations to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We arrived at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in Lewis Center, Ohio on Monday afternoon, and had a wonderful dinner with other early arrivers. We then went to a worship service with music, a message and praise time to kick off the conference before retiring to our rooms. There was a schedule for everything, including all of our meals. Our praise and worship time was on the schedule, as well. Tuesday morning, we had breakfast and then went across the plaza to the meeting room for praise music and worship. After dinner, more praise music and worship. Wednesday morning after breakfast, another session of praise music and worship. After dinner, more praise and worship time. Thursday morning, praise and worship before the conclusion and benediction at noon.
You get the idea. In an event that centers around the very purpose of our gathering and learning more about our calling from God, shouldn’t the focus of our attention be on the worship and praise of the One who will enable us to be successful in glorifying His Name? There is practical reasoning behind what our praise team puts together for us prior to our own Sunday morning service. They rehearse every week to ensure that we receive the best experience in preparation for our Sunday worship time. Our praise and worship sessions for Jesus are a mere glimpse of what it will be like when we see Jesus in person in heaven. Our days will be without end, and they will be filled with worship and praise of Jesus. He is worthy of our praise!
Psalm 150:1-6 CSB
1 Hallelujah!
Praise God in his sanctuary.
Praise him in his mighty expanse.
2 Praise him for his powerful acts;
praise him for his abundant greatness.
3 Praise him with the blast of a ram’s horn;
praise him with harp and lyre.
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and flute.
5 Praise him with resounding cymbals;
praise him with clashing cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!
I don’t think we can say those words enough. He IS worthy of our praise! He is worthy because of who He is. The uncreated Creator of all that exists. He is worthy because of how He has shown His love for us. For those who ask the question—and you can ask—as to why Jesus is worthy of our praise, we can take this entire message to answer the question, but I would simply submit to you that you can answer this question as you ponder another question…
Where would you be without Jesus in your life?
That’s a question for each one of us to consider. We can answer it truthfully in a myriad of ways, but let’s focus on the importance of God’s people getting together, beyond a traditional church gathering, and explore the importance of taking your understanding of faith in Jesus and coupling it with what is required in our service for Him.
When you know who Jesus is AND you know what your purpose is, He will show you how you can serve Him. The Spirit will be your guide. Just listen to Him.
John 14:26 ESV
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name (Jesus), he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
One of the things that was most interesting to me about our gathering in Columbus is that 80 percent of our 2,000 churches in the United States have 100 or fewer members.1 One hundred or fewer than that. One of those churches is in York, South Carolina. Bible Covenant Community Church, according to their “About Us” page, has the following dialogue:
“As you spend time with us here on our website, getting to know us, looking into what we have to offer you – you will most likely conclude that we are a small church.
“There is no need to try to hide that fact. Where we gather is a small, brick church building on Lincoln Road. And we are currently a small congregation of less than 25 on regular Sundays. But we have a big heart for the Lord, a big desire to know Him and make Him known, a big faith in a big God who can do big things in us and through us.”2
They are acknowledging that they gather together and there are fewer than 25 people every Sunday. Our brains immediately go to the place where we ask the question, “How are these people still open?” “How are they operating?” The answer to these questions was already given to you…
We have a big heart for the Lord.
We have a big desire to know Him AND make Him known.
We have a big faith in a big God who can do big things in us and through us.
Since when does God care about how many people are coming together and serving Him?
We need to understand a basic premise as to the capability and the authority of every single believer under God who moves and prays in unison with members of our church congregation:
Matthew 18:15-20 NLT
15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.
19 “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
Jesus Himself reminds us that two or three believers have authority and responsibility in His kingdom.
I think that we often underestimate the impact of the smallest group of people who are operating in the power of God. We need to see that a church of 50 or 100 is just as impactful in the Kingdom as a megachurch. It all comes down to those who have a heart for God and their desire to be servants for Jesus. It all comes out in the wash with people exhibiting behaviors that emulate Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2:3-5 ESV
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.
Mark 10:45 ESV
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Let’s remind all of us here of Jesus’s words that make up our church’s Mission Statement:
Matthew 28:18-20 CSB
18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Now, let’s briefly recap what we have learned about God’s expectations for His church. We’ve discovered that (1) the size of the church is irrelevant to God for those who have faith, and (2) the church members are to move in a manner that takes God’s message outside to the world.
Knowing that the vast majority of churches in The Alliance have no more than 100 members, and quite a few of those are similar to our church size, what does this mean for us?
We have already established, on several occasions, that our church cannot do the same things that we did ten years ago, and it’s because we are ten years older. We do a decent job with outreach, but we can’t put on another carnival. We can look at our size and acknowledge that we can’t do what we did before, and to some degree that is true; however, have we given this matter over to Jesus for His consideration? If a church of twenty-five can live in a “big” manner for Jesus, can we continue to make excuses about what we are doing?
How big is your heart for Jesus?
How much do you want to learn and know about Jesus?
How confident are you as to what Jesus can do in your own life and in the lives of others?
Here is how we can challenge ourselves and move towards getting answers to these questions that will help us conform to God’s will for us and for our church:
1. Pray to God for forgiveness from sin and focus on consistency.
2. Practice obedience to Jesus.
3. Proceed in your ministry with confidence.
4. Praise God in the morning and evening.
Let’s go over these points with Scriptural references.
1. A big heart for Jesus involves a life devoted to prayer.
Believers are to pray early and often for those that the Spirit brings to mind. We are to pray for those who are lost and without a saving relationship with Jesus. Paul reminds us here in this passage that a healthy prayer life pleases Jesus:
1 Timothy 2:1-4 ESV
1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
We need to pray as we move through life even when there is uncertainty or instability in our midst. God provides the Holy Spirit as our Comforter.
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
6 …do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Do you want to ensure that God is listening to your prayers? It’s simple…take your sins directly to the throne. God will meet you where you are.
James 5:16 ESV
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Mark 11:24-25 ESV
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Prayer is best executed when it is done with consistency. Fervent prayer can lead to discoveries of those things that you had no prior knowledge of that will be effective in your outreach efforts.
Colossians 4:2 ESV
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
Jeremiah 33:3 ESV
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
2. Practice obedience to Jesus and His Word.
An effective servant of Jesus is one who loves the Lord…and it shows!
1 John 5:3 ESV
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
John 14:23b-24 ESV
23 “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.”
In order to be obedient to Jesus, you need to be in His Word every day and reflect upon what He is saying to you.
Joshua 1:7-8 NLT
7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
3. Proceed in your ministry efforts and don’t second-guess yourself. Learn from your mistakes and make adjustments. We tend to overthink our efforts because things don’t go perfectly. Let’s let the One who is perfect in every way run the show and leave the results to Him.
2 Timothy 2:15 ESV
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Acts 20:24 ESV
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
4. Praise God all day long…because He is worthy! He’s the reason why you’re here! Psalm 100 is one of dozens of the psalms that are songs of praise. They all declare the wonder and majesty of God, His holiness, His righteousness, His love for us, and His eternal lovingkindness. He is Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11).
Psalm 100:1-2 ESV
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Hebrews 13:15 ESV
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
I don’t think I need to convince anyone that God’s deserves your praise, but you ultimately have to decide about this for yourself.
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4.
What you can see here is that you and I have what we need to be successful in our service for Jesus.
- Praying continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
- Loving Jesus through obedience (Psalm 1:2; 1 John 5:3)
- Moving in faith with confidence (Philippians 4:13; 1 John 5:14; Hebrews 11:1)
- Praising Jesus day and night (Psalm 119:164; Psalm 139:14).
These things that I have shared are essential to our relationship with Jesus and in our efforts to model His servanthood for His glory.
Our big little church has a formula for success in ministry, but it requires persistence in its execution. If you’re looking for ways to effectively serve Jesus, let’s no longer look at how small we are as a church. Let’s look at how big we are in Jesus. As long as we are locked into God’s will for our church, He will direct our path.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Let’s seek God’s wisdom as His big little church.
Copyright © 2023 Melvin Gaines
1 Lewis, Terry. “State of the U.S. Church.” 1 August 2023. Resonate 2023, Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center, Lewis Center OH USA. Session.
2 About: York SC: Bible Covenant Community Church. BCCC – York, SC. (n.d.). https://www.biblecovenantcma.org/about
Melvin Gaines 