The Most Important Book
There are books in the world that tell us how many parking spaces we should have for our churches. There are books that tell us how many inches of seating space are needed for each worshipper.
There are books out there that tell us what I like to call gimmicks to get people into church when the doors are open. There are books that tell ministers how they should preach and what topics to avoid. There are books that tell speakers how to perform in the pulpit. Operating a church has become a science and a business to many.
Don’t get me wrong. I love books. They inform, but ultimately what you read in these various books must be compared to the most important book in life, the Bible— a book read by a very small percentage on a daily basis.
This is my case and point. Over the years, I have read and I have heard people teach that it is more time and resource-efficient to spend your time and resources on winning new souls to the Lord than those who have backslidden or left the church over the years. Unfortunately, a lot of churches and preachers have fallen for this teaching.
Think of your own local church. How much time and resources do you spend bringing back those who are on the roll but are no longer in attendance in comparison to the time and resources spent on bringing newcomers into the church?
Bringing unbelievers into the church is an important task for Christian pastors and people. It is very important. However, it should never be done at the risk of forgetting those who were once on the roll.
The book of James, written by someone very close to Jesus, reiterates this truth.
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
This is one of the months of the year that more folk attend worship than other months. This is a great opportunity for us as Christian believers to do our part in getting others into worship for the first time or to do our part in bringing others back into worship for the second time. The greatest gift we can offer others this month and season of the year is the gift of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the Savior. Jesus Christ is the one who was born, lived, and died so that we might all, first-timers and second-timers, experience life in heaven, not in hell.
May we do our part in helping the wanderers of this world wander into the Lord’s presence and have their sins covered, forgiven and forgotten.
We all matter to God. No book or formula should ever and can ever change this fact from the word of God.