Friday, October 21, 2011

1+1+1 = infinity!

The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place."   Judges 7:7


I was thinking this morning that God is a terrible mathematician.  He would have flunked all calculus, alegebra, and statistics classes in our high schools and universities!

Pause and consider His statistical analysis with Gideon in Judges 7 regarding battle plans and army-size -- not very wise from a human perspective.  What was God thinking when He implemented His world expansion efforts by entrusting the Gospel to under 100 followers in Matthew 28:18-20?  Surely God could have thought of a plan to instantly expose the masses!  Jesus needed some serious managerial consulting when you consider that He had 33 years to live on earth and make a global impact, and yet He spent 30 years in relative seclusion and just 3 years in public ministry.  And don't even get me started on His division skills in Matthew 14, thinking that 5 loaves and 2 fish could feed 5,000 people!

Yesterday I was in a hospital visiting a dear friend and PCC member.  On the way to his room, a divine appointment occurred as I ran into a follower of Jesus young in his faith.  In a moment of vulnerability, he shared some struggles he was facing -- large and seemingly insurmountable struggles.  It was a joy to confidently share with him about God's power to beat the odds.

I love the fact when it comes to God, He is not bound by conventional, mathematical theories and rational laws. As a matter of fact, we will learn this Sunday that Kingdom concepts are often revealed, not discovered rationally.  In the Kingdom of God, all bets are off.  Consider the following equation:

1 + 1+ 1 = _____

While 3 would be the answer that my fourth grader provides, in God's economy, the answer would be infinity!  Allow me to explain.

What would the return be if we began a 1+1+1 strategy of prayer?  What if everyone in our church took one person they are in relationship with who is not a Christ follower?  What if we committed to pray for that person's salvation for 1 minute every day at 1:00pm and trust God for the rest?

What would be the return on that investment and how would anyone be able to quantify that return?  I think of my friends who have come to Christ. Throught the years, not only has their life, but the lives of their family, friends and co-workers been transformed by Christ.  The circle spreads larger and larger as time goes on and the return on my investment of care, prayer and sharing the Gospel continues to increase until Christ Himself returns!

Maybe you are facing seemingly insurmountable odds as you read this.  I want to encourage you today not to factor out God from your circumstances.  He loves to beat the odds and prove Himself strong on behalf of those who trust Him.

This weekend we continue in our study of The Way, looking at Matthew 16:13-20. Read the passage and Chapter 4 in the book, Radical.  I look forward to being with you this Sunday.

Counting on big things from God and loving my call to be your pastor.