SUSTAINING THE LORD'S HARVEST
"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear Fruit and that your Fruit should remain." John 15:16 (NKJV)
BIBLE READING: JOHN 10:1-16; GENESIS 3:1-5; 1 CORINTHIANS 14:26
The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us as a Church and as individual Christian believers to bear Fruit and for our Fruit to remain. However, how will our Fruit remain when our Backdoor stays wide open as a Church? The Front Door represents those people coming into the Church while the Backdoor represents those people leaving the Church. The Lord Jesus is the Only Door into the Sheepfold (Jn. 10:7-10) and it is the Will and Purpose of God that those who come into the Fold remain and are established. It is possible for a Church to have their Frontdoor open as well as their Backdoor. The ramified implication here is that the Church has people coming and going and, therefore, would be unable to sustain numerical Growth.
There are several vital factors that keep the Back Door of a Church open. Let us examine some of them and find out how to prevent them:
1. A PRAYERLESS CHURCH: A prayerless Church will always constantly have the Backdoor wide open and cannot sustain Growth. During Prayer, we resist the devil from deceiving and seducing new believers from the Church (Jam. 4:7).
2. LACK OF SOUND DOCTRINE: Anytime Sound Teaching that is rooted in the Word is lacking or absent, the devil will deceive many believers and new converts, leading them to backslide (2Tim. 4:3).
3. LACK OF PROPER FOLLOW-UP STRATEGIES: Without an Effective Follow-up Strategy, new converts would leave the Church just as swiftly as they came in. Putting Systems and Structures of Follow-up and Integration in place would go a long way in keeping the Backdoor of the Church closed (Acts 11:25-26).
4. ABSENCE OF DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: Small groups like these facilitate the integration and assimilation of brand New Converts, giving them a Bible Study Platform to express themselves and to discover God for themselves (Isa. 54:13).
5. NOT ENGAGING NEW BELIEVERS IN MINISTRY: People should be involved in Ministry from day one. This would give them ample time and an opportunity to grow. An idle Christian inevitably becomes an easy prey for the devil and his deception (Eph. 4:11-16).
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, we magnify You for sustaining us. O Lord, we pray that You help us keep the Backdoor of our Church firmly shut in Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen.