Numbers 26
The census of the new generations - the generation that will enter the promised land - now those are some numbers! I cannot even begin to imagine families so large. And.. I cannot imagine so many children of God in one place!
So often in the church we hear it said that numbers don't matter. Well, yes and no. We know that where 2 or 3 are gathered in His name, there Christ is. (Matt 18:30) That's a good and reassuring thing. But, we are also commanded to go and make disciples. It just kind of makes sense to me that if we are actively involved in the great commission (Matt 28:19-20) then the numbers will grow. The church of Jesus Christ is not about a genealogical family blood line - it is about the family that has been adopted as children of God through the blood of Christ. How does that "blood-line" fare today?
Every January our church council takes a "census" of our members. Names have been added to our rolls throughout the year as they are baptized (children and adults) or affirm their faith as adults. Some names are also taken off each January or rather they are removed from the voting member roster and placed in an inactive baptized status. We never removed the names permanently unless they request it. This inactive baptized roster are those people who for whatever reason have decided that they are spiritual enough and don't need to worship God with fellow believers. They don't need to hear the Word of God or receive the Sacrament. Sometimes it might even be that they have stayed away because they feel unworthy and they haven't quite grasped the fact that we are all unworthy and that is why we should hear the Word and receive the Sacraments. As they are put on the inactive rolls, we continue to pray for them and minister to them whenever they are in need. They are not counted; however, as official members of the church. I have been asked why we bother keeping them on any rolls. The critique is that if we keep ministering to those who have chosen not to be active disciples of Christ, then why would they want to be active? Wouldn't that be ideal to be ministered to in times of need, but not having to take responsibility as a disciple of Christ? I've been thinking about that this morning. And... the only answer to what will motivate them to return to the sheepfold that I can give is the love of Jesus Christ, active through all the disciples, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We continue to minister to them because that is what our LORD would have his followers, his shepherds to do. Are we not about praying for those in need, feeding the hungry, comforting the grieving, etc.? We continue to minister to those who are absent from our midst because our LORD would have us seek out the lost sheep and bring them safely back into the fold. (Matt 18:12-14 Luke 15:3-7)
Christians are and, at the same time, are not an elite group of people. We are elite because we belong to the family of God. We are not an elite group because we know that without Christ we are nothing. We are not elite because Jesus died for all who would believe - not just us. We welcome all people whom Jesus died for into our communities, into the family of God. We welcome all people when we leave the safety of our sanctuaries to go into the world to make disciples; baptizing and teaching all that our LORD has taught us.
I often look around me and think about how small the "remnant" might actually be. But, it does not stop me nor should it stop the church on earth from reaching out to gather in to God's family all His children. I firmly believe that if we are active disciples ourselves, following the command of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, in the great commission, the census will be great! The census of the generation of Israel that received the promised land will seem very minute in comparison.
The census of the new generations - the generation that will enter the promised land - now those are some numbers! I cannot even begin to imagine families so large. And.. I cannot imagine so many children of God in one place!
So often in the church we hear it said that numbers don't matter. Well, yes and no. We know that where 2 or 3 are gathered in His name, there Christ is. (Matt 18:30) That's a good and reassuring thing. But, we are also commanded to go and make disciples. It just kind of makes sense to me that if we are actively involved in the great commission (Matt 28:19-20) then the numbers will grow. The church of Jesus Christ is not about a genealogical family blood line - it is about the family that has been adopted as children of God through the blood of Christ. How does that "blood-line" fare today?
Every January our church council takes a "census" of our members. Names have been added to our rolls throughout the year as they are baptized (children and adults) or affirm their faith as adults. Some names are also taken off each January or rather they are removed from the voting member roster and placed in an inactive baptized status. We never removed the names permanently unless they request it. This inactive baptized roster are those people who for whatever reason have decided that they are spiritual enough and don't need to worship God with fellow believers. They don't need to hear the Word of God or receive the Sacrament. Sometimes it might even be that they have stayed away because they feel unworthy and they haven't quite grasped the fact that we are all unworthy and that is why we should hear the Word and receive the Sacraments. As they are put on the inactive rolls, we continue to pray for them and minister to them whenever they are in need. They are not counted; however, as official members of the church. I have been asked why we bother keeping them on any rolls. The critique is that if we keep ministering to those who have chosen not to be active disciples of Christ, then why would they want to be active? Wouldn't that be ideal to be ministered to in times of need, but not having to take responsibility as a disciple of Christ? I've been thinking about that this morning. And... the only answer to what will motivate them to return to the sheepfold that I can give is the love of Jesus Christ, active through all the disciples, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We continue to minister to them because that is what our LORD would have his followers, his shepherds to do. Are we not about praying for those in need, feeding the hungry, comforting the grieving, etc.? We continue to minister to those who are absent from our midst because our LORD would have us seek out the lost sheep and bring them safely back into the fold. (Matt 18:12-14 Luke 15:3-7)
Christians are and, at the same time, are not an elite group of people. We are elite because we belong to the family of God. We are not an elite group because we know that without Christ we are nothing. We are not elite because Jesus died for all who would believe - not just us. We welcome all people whom Jesus died for into our communities, into the family of God. We welcome all people when we leave the safety of our sanctuaries to go into the world to make disciples; baptizing and teaching all that our LORD has taught us.
I often look around me and think about how small the "remnant" might actually be. But, it does not stop me nor should it stop the church on earth from reaching out to gather in to God's family all His children. I firmly believe that if we are active disciples ourselves, following the command of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, in the great commission, the census will be great! The census of the generation of Israel that received the promised land will seem very minute in comparison.
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