98% Awakening
What if our expectations of being a member of a church are wrong? What if this wrong understanding is holding back churches in America from having the massive impact that God wants from his believers?
As Christians who attend church, we may expect our church leaders and staff to be responsible for growing the church through their ministry. In this regard, the quality of the Pastor and staff is critical to church growth. If we maintain this perspective, we unintentionally relegate our role as members of a church to simply “attending church.” If things aren’t going well, it becomes easy to point blame at the Pastor. If we think a decision or an approach isn’t working, we may voice our disapproval. In some instances, we may even leave our church in search of a new church. Although having a strong Pastor and church staff is important, what if the church members - the body of Christ - are the key ingredient to how God intends to spread the Gospel.
We may think that only pastors and ministers are anointed to do God’s work and spread the Gospel. But in 1 Kings 19:16, we see that the same anointing that is needed for the prophet Elisha is the same anointing needed for the king of Israel, Jehu to lead the people. This is a great example that God’s anointing is not limited to ministry, but is necessary for the believers, the members of church, to accomplish God’s will for our lives. We must be careful of the temptation to sit back and watch only our Pastors and ministers be responsible for growing the church. Whether we are preaching or going to work, we need the same anointing from God to accomplish His will.
If you take 100 Christians in America, 98 would go to church, and 2 would be ministers. We expect 2% to do all the work while 98% are grading the work. What if the 98% had the same power and anointing as the 2%? The work of God would become an unstoppable force.
Jesus Christ didn’t die so only 2% of believers could do all the work, while 98% only attend. Jesus died to give us power to build his kingdom. You have a calling. You have a gift. Jesus called you. He called all of those who believe in and follow Him. As Paul teaches in Ephesians 4:1-13, “He has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.” Why did He gift us? “So that he might fill the entire universe with himself.”
We want to fill the church; God wants to fill the Earth. 2% can do a decent job filling the church, but only when the 98% awakens and gets involved will we experience a great move of God on the Earth. The 2% ministry is meant “to equip God’s people,” so the 98% can “do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”
After watching this message from Pastor Ward, you will not view church membership the same. Pastor Ward explains how God wants ministry to empower the body, so we can win people where we work, win people over coffee, win people at the family reunion, win people in the funeral home, win people in the lawyer’s office, and win people at home, and in doing so, prepare the Earth for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As Christians who attend church, we may expect our church leaders and staff to be responsible for growing the church through their ministry. In this regard, the quality of the Pastor and staff is critical to church growth. If we maintain this perspective, we unintentionally relegate our role as members of a church to simply “attending church.” If things aren’t going well, it becomes easy to point blame at the Pastor. If we think a decision or an approach isn’t working, we may voice our disapproval. In some instances, we may even leave our church in search of a new church. Although having a strong Pastor and church staff is important, what if the church members - the body of Christ - are the key ingredient to how God intends to spread the Gospel.
We may think that only pastors and ministers are anointed to do God’s work and spread the Gospel. But in 1 Kings 19:16, we see that the same anointing that is needed for the prophet Elisha is the same anointing needed for the king of Israel, Jehu to lead the people. This is a great example that God’s anointing is not limited to ministry, but is necessary for the believers, the members of church, to accomplish God’s will for our lives. We must be careful of the temptation to sit back and watch only our Pastors and ministers be responsible for growing the church. Whether we are preaching or going to work, we need the same anointing from God to accomplish His will.
If you take 100 Christians in America, 98 would go to church, and 2 would be ministers. We expect 2% to do all the work while 98% are grading the work. What if the 98% had the same power and anointing as the 2%? The work of God would become an unstoppable force.
Jesus Christ didn’t die so only 2% of believers could do all the work, while 98% only attend. Jesus died to give us power to build his kingdom. You have a calling. You have a gift. Jesus called you. He called all of those who believe in and follow Him. As Paul teaches in Ephesians 4:1-13, “He has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.” Why did He gift us? “So that he might fill the entire universe with himself.”
We want to fill the church; God wants to fill the Earth. 2% can do a decent job filling the church, but only when the 98% awakens and gets involved will we experience a great move of God on the Earth. The 2% ministry is meant “to equip God’s people,” so the 98% can “do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”
After watching this message from Pastor Ward, you will not view church membership the same. Pastor Ward explains how God wants ministry to empower the body, so we can win people where we work, win people over coffee, win people at the family reunion, win people in the funeral home, win people in the lawyer’s office, and win people at home, and in doing so, prepare the Earth for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.