The Bigger the Flashier the Better! Right!?

I read somewhere that God uses the weak and foolish things to confound the wise. I also remember reading that God does not judge by outward appearances but looks at the heart. I also read that out of the heart springs the issues of life.

I'm reminded of many Bible people who were not exactly superstars in the world's eyes. Just to name a few: John the Baptist, Gideon, Noah, Abraham, Peter. Jesus accumulated quite a following but ended up basically dying alone on a cross. Our hero and founder dead. Yet that's how it all started.

Moses was just a shepherd for 40 yrs. David was also just a shepherd and was running for his life for a period of 13 years before he became king. Not exactly the ladder to success we think about in this world.

All these great men of God were not superstars in the world's eyes. How perverted is it that so many of our churches our headed by superstars of sorts. Parishoners herald their Pastor as: A GREAT MAN OF GOD! COME LISTEN TO HIM! In the Bible God said: " This is my Son, Listen to Him!"

One point in my writing this is to show that God's ways our different than what we naturally expect. He uses people that we least likely expect. A great example of that is the great Apostle Paul, who before his conversion was a persecutor of Christians and played a role in the torture and murder of many Christians. Yet he becomes a great Apostle of God and is used to write much of the New Testament and play a huge role in the formative stages of the church.

Another point is to say that our eyes and emotions often play tricks on us and we can't judge a book by its cover. I constantly hear folks say things like: "Where's the fruit?" or "What are you doing" What about what God's doing? What about an actual relationship with HIm. THe only way we bear good fruit is to really know Him. The main point is to know Christ and help others to know Christ. Christ is head and the only glory belongs to HIm so why are we so concerned with what the size of our churches is or how charismatic our leaders are? God doesn't promise us charismatic leaders and large churches. He promises us Himself and to be strong in those who are weak. How weak is the charismatic preacher? How weak is the megachurch with 20,000 members?

It just seems to me that much of the church world has things upside down. Our boast is in Him and in our weakness not in ourslelves and in our strength.This also gives me hope in the concept of organic church. Its a small grass roots movement, not a large institutionally sanctioned thing. It's largely under the radar and hard to measure the "success" of it. It seems to me that this is how God works. He's not too concerned with getting headlines or getting the approval of the pharisees (religious people). He's concerned with His people and how to best bring them to Himself. I am encouraged to hear of Brothers and Sisters in Christ who are making a go of the organic church thing. Of pressing into Him and into more authentic relationships with each other. I hear of the ups and downs. Naturally there will be ups and downs because we are humans with fallen natures. True community is hard work and not comfortable. But its the only way to be the church the way God intends.