By John BJ Hall
“Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD."
I just watched a podcast from First Baptist Church, Durant, Oklahoma, in which Dr. Todd Fischer (Executive Director, Treasurer of Oklahoma Baptists) said, "We have 1,700 Oklahoma Southern Baptist Churches. 58% of those churches average 50 or less in attendance each week." He also said, "90% of those churches average 150 or less in attendance."
Most of the first group of churches have to make decisions whether to maintain their facilities or pay their ministers.
I find this encouraging. Why? Because God uses people, and churches where they are, with the resources they have. God has called us to be faithful at whatever stage we are in ministry or church life.
When the children of Israel stood with their backs to the Red Sea and heard the sound of horses and chariots of Egypt thundering toward them, they cried out, "Were there no graves left in Egypt that you have led us out here to die?"
"And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:13-14 (NKJV)
Then, "And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:15-18 (NKJV)
Read these words and listen to the heart of God, in verse 13, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD." The people of Israel thought, "This was surely the end. There is no hope. We are going to die here, and no one will ever know that we even existed."
I am on staff at one of those smaller in attendance churches. I know that God is not finished with us. Yes, hard decisions have to be made. But that is true in the big churches as well. The most important and most difficult decision we will ever make as a church is to stand still and see the salvation of the LORD.
I know one thing above everything else. God used 11 men, the disciples minus Judas, to turn the world right side up. Twelve men, of whom all but one died as martyrs of the faith. They died horrible deaths, but their lives changed the world.
I know without a doubt that the Lord has a place for churches of all sizes in His work. I am now an old man. I have pastored churches with a total of only 12 members. I have pastored churches that averaged 150 in attendance. I thank God for each of those churches. Each of them had a part in making me who I am today. I have pastored churches that treated me like a king. That poured love into my life and my family. I have pastored hard churches that fought everything I tried to do. I thank God for each of them and know that they helped make me the man I am today. I made many mistakes in my life and ministry. But the God of the Bible is still my God today. He will still be my God tomorrow.
Like Moses, some of his time with the people of Israel was sweet, and some of it was like walking through a furnace heated seven times hotter than it was designed for. In all that time, God walked with him, guided him, and forgave him when he stumbled.
So to my church today, I say stand still and see the salvation of the LORD. If you are a member of a church with 25 in attendance, I say stand still and see the salvation of the LORD. If you are a church that is having to make hard decisions, I say stand still and see the salvation of the LORD.
My God is faithful. He has a plan and purpose in your life and church. Trust Him. Lean on Him. He will not fail you. He will never forsake you.
If you do not know Christ as your Lord and Savior, I pray that you will hear my heart. That you will hear the heart of God. He loves you. He wants you to have a personal relationship with Him. He wants to give you hope and peace. He wants to be your shelter in a time of storm. Please visit our page https://passagesministries.org/the-most-important-question or our churches page http://eastonheights-tulsa.org/road-map-to-heaven for information on how to know Him.