The Bishop's Gift

Once a church had fallen upon hard times. Only five members were left: the pastor and four others, all over 60 years old. In the mountains near the church there lived a retired Bishop. It occurred to the pastor to ask the Bishop if he could offer any advice that might save the church. The pastor and the Bishop spoke at length, but when asked for advice, the Bishop simply responded by saying, "I have no advice to give. The only thing I can tell you is that the Messiah is one of you." The pastor, returning to the church, told the church members what the Bishop had said. In the months that followed, the old church members pondered the words of the Bishop. "The Messiah is one of us?" they each asked themselves. As they thought about this possibility, they all began to treat each other with extraordinary respect on the off chance that that one among them might be the Messiah. And on the off, off chance that each member himself might be the Messiah, they also began to treat themselves with extraordinary care. As time went by, people visiting the church noticed the aura of respect and gentle kindness that surrounded the five old members of the small church. Hardly knowing why, more people began to come back to the church. They began to bring their friends, and their friends brought more friends. Within a few years, the small church had once again become a thriving church, thanks to the Bishop's gift.

This fictional story is much closer to the truth than most would like to admit. Over the years I have found many churches that have found their membership dwindling. Typically the membership would find themselves in serious discussions trying to determine the reasons for their decline. Some of the time it would be blamed on leadership, so they would change leaders. At other times it would be blames on styles of worship or ministry, so they would experiment with a new style. And at other times they might even blame each other, which caused even more decline. Never did they realize that the real cause for the decline in their church could be found in their attitude toward themselves and others. For all of the books and articles written on church growth, none could be simpler than that which the Apostle Paul wrote in the first Christian century to the people of Thessalonica:

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 ESV).

The Messiah is one of us. Start today with that commitment and see if it is not contagious as it spreads to those around you.