GENERAL COUNCIL REFLECTION

I don’t remember who said it but I have written in the front of my Bible as a constant reminder of God’s heart for the lost. “God loves some sinners so much that He won’t send them to some of our churches.” Is ours a church that God will trust with the spiritual care of sinners? Now the fact of the matter is that we are all sinners saved by grace. But why is our church not growing daily like the New Testament church?

Charles Crabtree, Assistant Superintendent of the Assemblies of God said tonight, “Satan has not grown in power. Jesus still has all power and authority to build His church.” Let’s face it Jesus died to save sinners and that includes the sinners of the post-modern generation today. His love can reach into the hearts of people around us and transform their lives. His power to save knows no limits.

Crabtree shared that from 1995 to 2005 the Assemblies of God reported nearly 5.3 million salvations, but we only added about 250,000 people to our churches. That means we kept only about 1 in 100 people who were saved! As he put it we are aborting spiritual babies at the altars of our churches because there is no on there to lovingly take them by the hand and disciple them to grow in their new faith. God forgive us.

• [1] Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. [2] By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
  1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (NIV)

Two things stand out to me in what the Apostle Paul said. First I can’t overlook the fact that Paul told the Corinthian church that it was possible for them to believe in vain. As individuals we do have a responsibility to hold onto the word that was preached to us by which we have been saved.

But there is something else. Paul reminded this church about the gospel he had preached to them. Paul didn’t want them to forget so he reminded them. Paul would go on to write this church another letter and even make a personal visit traveling hundreds of miles without our modern conveniences. Today many of us have a hard time walking across the street to talk to a neighbor about Christ (including me). Isn’t it time we stop expecting sinners to come to us and we went to them? What do you think?