One mistake I see new believers make is to run out and buy an expensive Bible. We are excited about Jesus and want a Bible reflecting our excitement. The result is that we buy an heirloom quality book that looks impressive.

Then we become cautious with it. The pages are delicate. The binding is expensive. It looks spectacular, and we want it to stay that way. It eventually gets displayed in a prominent place in the house where everyone knows we are Christians.

The problem is that it is not what a new believer (or an old believer either) needs. We need to dive into the Bible, reading, highlighting, making notes, and writing questions.

Some of the best advice I received 20 years ago was to buy a cheap Bible. The person that told me this actually bought them by the box full. Then he would read every page with pen and highlighter in hand. He often focused on a topic like the resurrection or light and highlighted all the passages that said anything about it. When he finished, he threw it in a box and grabbed another. The cheap Bible removed the stigma of messing it up, and he became free to read and use it. 

We want to celebrate our faith in a beautiful way, but a well-worn Bible is worth far more as a family inheritance.   

Church growth in the United States is a delicate balance of numerous facets of ministry. Multiple factors at play impact the local Church that most people never consider.

The size of a building can limit growth, along with the number of seats available. The number of parking spaces and the quality of the parking lot are another factor. The location and distance of the drive that people will have to make for each program. Local community traditions and activities will impact the various ministries a Church tries to offer. There are a myriad of things that affect the way a Church brings the message of Jesus to people today.

I know that God can overcome any of those factors at any time. But, in my experience, it is best to try to sail with the wind of the Spirit than against it. Therefore I am constantly adjusting things in the Church to follow best where God is leading.

There is so much involved in a Church reaching people for Jesus. I wish it were as easy as standing up and saying, “Thus saith the Lord,” but that is rarely the case.  

One simple rule for the Church: Don’t criticize or complain about things you did not participate in.

For example, when someone comes out and says, “The worship music was lousy today,” they usually have no idea what truly happened. Someone had to pick out the songs, and another person found the music in the correct key for the singers. People had to practice, and who knows what their minds and heart are processing. Sound people are trying to get a good mix and relying on their ears and instincts. This is not to mention the pressure of a live performance in front of your peers. Quite literally, a thousand things could go wrong on any Sunday morning. It is much more complicated than it looks.

Your criticism might be valid, but there are numerous reasons for this result. Everyone did their best, and it didn’t go as planned.

Please don’t tell people how poorly they did their ministry when you do not even know what their job entails.

Prayer is talking to God and presenting him with our requests. One of the privileges of following Jesus is our open access to the throne of grace. It is easy for a Christian to stop anywhere and pray anytime.

The problem is that I do not think most believers take it seriously enough. We throw up prayers without thinking about how God might respond.

We might pray to spend more time with our family, never thinking that it might mean my job might change and force me to stay home.

We might pray for God to give us patience and not consider that he might force us to wait in some area of our life that we find unbearable.

We might pray for greater faith, and He might respond by testing the limits of our trust in him through an illness.

We might pray for more robust relationships, and the answer might be forcing ourselves to work through issues with some difficult people.

One prayer might very well set in motion a series of events you never expected.

Be very careful what you pray for … because you just might get it.

I love learning new things. I equally find joy in discovering a unique insight into an old truth.

This desire to grow in knowledge pushes me to read numerous books each year, listen to podcasts weekly, and read blogs daily. People are writing and recording innumerable things that I want to learn.

Jesus pushes us one step further. He says his followers will “hear these words of his and put them into practice” (Matthew 7:24).

The goal of learning is not information but transformation. We are to do more of the things of God and not simply learn about them. A full mind is noble, but a new life is Jesus’ goal.

Two words change the dynamics of any endeavor: “With You.”

Whenever I go fishing, and I say that I want to go “with someone,” then everything changes. I have to make sure they have the appropriate gear, needed supplies and work around their schedule. The experience changes whenever I add another person.

There are thousands of examples. I want to go for a walk versus I want to go for a walk with you. I want to play a game compared to I want to play a game with you. I want to read the Bible is a different job than I want to read the Bible with you. I want to serve the Lord is good, but I want to serve the Lord with you is an entirely different experience.

The Bible is full of passages that teach about our connection to “one another.” There are commands, instructions, encouragements, and challenges to live out our spiritual lives in community.

I am glad you are reading, learning, growing, serving, giving, and leading, but you need to add two words to each project for the whole experience God intended.

Do you believe people without Jesus are lost and bound for a Godless eternity? Do you believe Jesus is the only way to the Father, and people must place their faith in him? Do you think the Church should do everything in its power to share the gospel with people so they can enjoy heaven and all its blessings? 

Do you? Do you really believe these truths?

If you do, I can see it in all you do. 

I can see it by noticing where you park on Sunday morning. Do you take the closest spots or save them for guests who might be at Church for the first time?

I can see it by watching who you talk to on Sunday before and after worship. Do you engage new people who might be there and see what Christians are like? Or do you only talk to people you know and ignore everyone else?

I can see it by observing where you sit. Do you immediately take seats in the back right on the aisle? Do you force new people to climb over you or walk to the front? 

Caring about people who are lost means that you are telling your neighbors about Jesus. It also means you are doing the little things that help the mission of Jesus in the local Church. 

Reaching people far from God requires a different type of ministry than one that connects with mature Christians.

These groups do not start from the same convictions, morals, or goals.

I appreciate Churches that start each week with a “thus saith the Lord” approach to their program. They read the Bible a lot and assume everyone in the room knows what they are talking about. Often the preacher picks a book to preach through and spends week after week working through those texts.   

It is different when you are reaching non-Christians. You have to start where their life is at that moment. They may be struggling in their marriage, parenting, or work environment. They may be feeling the disillusionment that comes with success. They may feel the pain of losing someone they love or the joy of a newfound love. You must start there and tell them how God speaks into their life in that situation. 

When you do, you have to take the time to define what an Ephesian is and why they should care about them. You must explain the background of the people speaking and why their story is essential. There must be a contextualization that helps everyone understand why these ideas matter to them and the people they love.   

If you attend the Church I lead or one like it, you will hear some of the same things explained weekly. These explanations are repeated in the simplest way possible. I assume that people have no Church background or Bible knowledge. There will be illustrations from people trying to live out their faith today. My professor used to say, “Put the cookies on the low shelf so that everyone can enjoy them.” 

There are many different Churches and ways to do ministry, and most have different starting points. This is important to know when you choose a Church to attend and invite the non-believers in your life to join you. 

Tell me all the ways you have tried to grow spiritually that didn’t work.

Please tell me how you tried the one-year Bible and only made it two months. 

I would love to hear about that devotional you bought and gave up before Easter.

You may have tried and failed to become closer to Jesus in a dozen ways. But for every way you have attempted, you are one step close to finding the one that works for you. 

It took me years and years of failed attempts to find a system that worked for me, but I finally found one. And I know that if you keep trying, you will one day land on a habit that helps you mature in your knowledge and love of the Lord.

Do not spend more time reading books about the Bible than you do reading your Bible.

Books can significantly help your understanding but do not make them a substitute for the real thing.