Growing
Big People
Sitting
in a meeting recently with a group of young men who were leaders in their home
churches, I was impressed that there is a next generation that is willing to
take seriously the words of Jesus “to go forth and make disciples of all
nations.” In our network of churches we have been encouraging young people to
step up into positions of leadership. Not an easy task these days.
The
focus of our discussion that day was servanthood. From a practical standpoint,
what does it mean to lay down your life to serve the Lord? As different ones
shared their life stories, it became apparent that we had an exceptional group
of people who were willing to sacrifice much to follow Jesus. There was honest,
from the heart, testimonies of God working in their lives.
Toward
the end of this sharing time, one person made a statement that really caught my
attention. I am not even sure of the context in which it was said. All I heard
were these words: “We are not in the business of growing big churches; we are in
the business of growing big people.” Wow! I had never heard it said that way
before. It made me think.
Interestingly
enough, the derivative of the word “big” in Webster’s Dictionary comes from an
archaic Scandinavian source meaning “important man.” One who is imposing, generous, of great importance,
outstandingly worthy. All of these adjectives reflect the character qualities
of men and women who give themselves to
the service of Jesus.
No
one in that meeting was promoting themselves as greater than the others. What
was obvious was a heart attitude focused on a desire to serve the Lord. With
Jesus there is no room for building my own kingdom, but only laying down my
life to serve Him.
I am reminded of these words from the Old
Testament book of Proverbs: “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens and
influence another through discussion.”
For
me, that was a meeting worth attending!
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