What Does It Take? – Part 1
What does it take for a congregation to grow? What does it take to have a successful gospel meeting? What does it take to have a successful VBS or Youth Rally? What does it take to have any successful endeavor within the church? Our members think about these questions. The preacher thinks about them. The deacons and elders think about them. Since the beginning of the church, Christians have thought about these questions. The Bible has the answers. Let’s examine three fundamental truths the church needs to understand and practice to be successful.
There must be a yearning on the part of everyone to do God’s will. We must want to please God and practice his word in our life more than anything else in the world. This must be our number one aim in life and should embody our greatest efforts of thought and action. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” We can and MUST seek first God’s kingdom.
There were some in New Testament times, however, that did not seek God’s kingdom first. We read about them in Revelation 3:15, 16. There Jesus says to the church at Laodicea, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Here were some that did not seek God’s kingdom first and Jesus couldn’t stand the taste of them. Let’s not be like the Laodiceans, but let’s have that yearning that we need to have to seek God’s kingdom first in our lives.
God bless you, and I love you. Kevin Cauley