Make Your Church a Place Where God Can Send People

What would happen if we became the kind of people God could trust with those who are searching for Him?

There’s a story about a minister who moved to a small country church.

Like anyone who has moved house, he spent the first few days surrounded by boxes, trying to work out where everything had gone. Eventually, some semblance of order returned and, looking out of the window one late-autumn day, he decided it was probably time to give the grass one final cut before winter.

He found the Flymo and got to work.

Then he noticed the roses.

They needed pruning, but after searching the shed he couldn’t find the secateurs anywhere. Eventually, frustration—or perhaps inspiration—got the better of him.

He picked up the Flymo.

And attacked the roses with it.

Bits of rose bush flew everywhere.

It certainly wasn’t the recommended method of pruning, but roses are fairly resilient. He cleared up the devastation, put the mower away and thought little more about it.

That Sunday, a man he didn’t recognise appeared at church.

The following Sunday, he came back.

Then he came again.

Before long, this man—Harry—started asking questions. Lots of them. Questions about Christianity, God and faith.

The church began praying for him.

Eventually, Harry decided to follow Jesus. Then his children started coming to Sunday school. Later, his wife came too.

Before long, the whole family had become Christians.

It was an extraordinary beginning to this minister’s time at the church.

But there was one question he still wanted answered:

Why had Harry walked through the church doors in the first place?

So he asked him.

Harry explained that everyone in the little village knew who the new minister was. One day, he had been walking to the shop to buy some milk when he passed the minister’s house.

And there he was.

Holding a lawnmower.

Pruning roses.

Harry couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

As he walked past, trying not to stare, a thought suddenly entered his mind:

If his sermons are anywhere near as interesting as his gardening…

So he went to church.

After telling that story, the minister who shared it gave the church a challenge:

“Make your church a place where God can send people. He’ll fill it up.”

That is a challenge worth taking seriously.

Where are the people?

We’ve seen glimpses of what a full church can look like.

At Easter and Christmas, the building has been buzzing. Children running around, families joining in activities, people talking, laughing and enjoying being together.

We've seen the place packed.

And that raises an uncomfortable question:

Where are they now?

We can put on great events. We can invite people. We can make an impact in our community.

But have we made ourselves ready?

Are we becoming the kind of church where God can send people?

Because when we talk about making the church ready, we’re not really talking about a building.

The church is us.

So perhaps the better question is:

Am I becoming someone God can send people to?

A masterpiece in progress

In 2007, Peter spent four weeks travelling with American evangelist Jeff Steinberg.

Jeff was born with significant physical disabilities. He stands around four feet five inches tall, has no left arm, a shortened right arm and significant differences in his legs. Yet he travelled extensively as a speaker, singer and artist—even painting with a brush held in his mouth.

During his performances, Jeff described himself as a “masterpiece in progress.”

What a great picture.

Imagine that when you're born, your life is like a blank canvas. There’s a pencil sketch there, waiting for the artist to begin filling it in.

Then life happens.

The canvas gets grubby.

There are marks and stains. Perhaps it gets bashed around a little. Maybe there are even a few tears.

But when we decide to follow Jesus, something remarkable happens.

God begins His transforming work in us.

He starts adding colour.

And from that point onwards, we become a masterpiece in progress.

Not finished.

Not perfect.

But being transformed.

Ezekiel contains this wonderful promise from God:

“I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

Following Jesus changes us from the inside out.

Our hearts begin to change.

We rejoice with people who rejoice. We hurt when we see suffering and injustice. We begin to see other people—and the world around us—more from Jesus’ perspective.

The Artist is at work.

What does your masterpiece look like?

Here’s the important thing:

You take your masterpiece everywhere you go.

Into work.

Into school.

Into the supermarket.

Into the café.

Into conversations with friends.

Into your family.

Into your community.

Everywhere you rub shoulders with the world, people encounter the picture God is painting.

Perhaps yours looks like a Rembrandt.

Maybe a Monet.

Perhaps a Constable.

Or possibly something rather more Picasso!

Every masterpiece is different because every person is different.

But there’s a more important question than which artist your life resembles:

Can people see what God is doing in you?

Maybe they can't quite work it out yet.

Perhaps the picture is only beginning to form.

But can they see enough to think:

There’s something different here.

Something is happening.

This isn't finished yet—but it's becoming something beautiful.

That is witness.

Transformation takes participation

God is the Artist, but that doesn't mean we have no responsibility for our spiritual growth.

Romans 12:2 tells us:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

There are countless pressures encouraging us to conform.

Our priorities can slowly change. Other things become more important. Our relationship with God slips down the list.

Often it doesn't happen dramatically.

We simply drift.

And that means we have a responsibility to pay attention to our own walk with God.

We can blame the sermon.

We can blame our church.

We can blame our home group.

We can say we're not being “fed.”

But ultimately, my relationship with God is my responsibility.

And yours is yours.

The masterpiece won't be completed until we meet Jesus, but there is nothing stopping us from allowing God to transform us more and more today.

Find someone who knows you

One practical way of doing that is remarkably simple:

Find someone.

Someone you trust.

Someone who knows you well enough to recognise when you're beginning to drift.

For some of us, we need someone who will gently come alongside us and say:

“Are you okay? You don't seem yourself. Come on, let's walk through this together.”

Others of us need someone slightly more direct:

“What are you doing? Come on. Get yourself back on track.”

You probably know which one you need!

The important thing is not which approach they take.

It’s having someone who knows us well enough—and whom we trust enough—to speak into our lives.

Because none of us maintains a perfect walk with God all the time.

We’re human.

There will be ups and downs.

The danger comes when our relationship with God begins slipping and we don't even notice.

Where does revival begin?

We can talk about wanting to see Stowmarket transformed.

We can look at our community and imagine what it would be like to see lives changed, addictions broken, families restored and people finding hope in Jesus.

We can pray for revival.

But where does revival start?

It starts with me.

Before asking God to transform our town, perhaps we need to ask Him to transform us.

God has given us hearts of flesh.

But if we're not careful, the pressures and priorities of the world can begin hardening them again.

So perhaps preparing for revival isn't primarily about finding the right programme.

It isn't about having the perfect event.

It isn't even about getting more people through the doors.

It begins with becoming people God can trust with those He sends.

God isn't finished with you

Of course, we're going to get things wrong.

We're masterpieces in progress, remember.

Sometimes God has just finished working on one part of the picture when we come along and make a complete mess of it again.

But God is extraordinarily patient.

We come back and say:

“Sorry. I've messed this up.”

And God, in His grace, continues His work.

He repairs.

He restores.

He keeps painting.

That doesn't mean God doesn't challenge us. Sometimes there are things we repeatedly get wrong and eventually we need to face them.

But His grace remains.

God isn't finished with you.

There are still more strokes of the brush to come.

Become a signpost

And perhaps we sometimes make sharing our faith more complicated than it needs to be.

Some people are natural evangelists.

They can knock on somebody's door and, within thirty seconds, somehow the conversation has naturally moved onto Jesus.

Not everyone is like that.

And that's okay.

Think about a road sign.

A signpost doesn't jump into the road, stop your car and demand to know where you're going.

It simply stands there.

Quietly.

Clearly.

Pointing in the right direction.

People see it and know which way to go.

Our lives can do the same.

Sometimes you don't need to preach.

Sometimes you don't need to have all the answers.

Sometimes it's simply the way you live.

The way you treat someone.

The grace you show.

The choices you make.

The priorities you hold.

The way you respond when things go wrong.

The picture of Jesus that is gradually becoming visible in you.

You may never know the difference those things make.

Perhaps one day, in eternity, someone will walk up to you and say:

“I'm here because of you.”

And you'll have no idea what they're talking about.

Maybe they saw something.

Maybe they heard something.

Maybe God used something you considered completely insignificant.

After all, if God can use a man attacking his roses with a Flymo to bring an entire family to Jesus, He can use anything.

Are we ready?

Jesus said that the fields are ready for harvest.

The community around us is enormous.

There are people all around us searching for meaning, belonging, hope and something that can genuinely transform their lives.

And we believe there is fruit to come.

So perhaps our prayer shouldn't only be:

“God, send people.”

Perhaps it should also be:

“God, make us ready for the people You send.”

Keep transforming us.

Keep softening our hearts.

Keep renewing our minds.

Keep adding colour to the masterpiece.

Help us resist simply conforming to the world around us.

And make our lives signposts pointing towards Jesus.

Because the church God wants to prepare isn't primarily a hall we meet in on Sunday morning.

It's you and me.

So, shall we make our church a place where God can send people?

We'd better get on with it.