Jose Manuel Rojas Sosa sat in front of three missionaries. One of whom he knew very well - me. The others were a first and only time meeting for him, but they had sure heard of him. You see Jose was a church planter. He couldn't read or write, but he had started seven churches and was reaching for Christ those who most of the world would never see, and if they did then they would ignore. Jose's name had been featured prominently in several of my reports, and some of his stories were being shared far and wide, so the International Mission Board sent a couple of researchers to interview him in order to gleam some insights into what made him so special and successful in the eyes of those who read the monthly reports. They asked him question after question, and I sat there, a little too proudly, because every answer he gave was word for word what I had taught him, and then Jose began to teach me. . .
- Lesson 1: The researchers asked a simple question, "How many members do you have in your church?" Jose responded by giving the testimony of his members one by one. After listening to a couple of testimonies, the researchers stopped him and asked again. "No. Thank you for stories. They are very interesting, but we just need a number for our report." Jose again started telling the testimonies of those he had reached and baptized. I could see that the researchers were smiling, but anxious to get off the mountain before dark, so I said to Jose, "Jose, they have this little box to fill in with just the number of people that are members of your church. Can you just estimate the number of how many people you have reached and are worshipping in your churches?" I could see the wheels turning in Jose's mind, and after a little while he said, "Why is that important?" I said, "Yes, you're right numbers are not important, and I turned to the researchers and said, let's listen to a few more stories and then we'll just guess."
Yes, I know numbers are important. The fourth book of the Bible is called numbers for goodness sakes, but I think Jose was completely right that day. It's not about the numbers -- IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHANGE. It's about the relationship between God and His children. Every individual who is searching for Jesus' story is what's important. It's the story that changes the world. It's the story that heals a broken heart and finds a lost soul.
- Lesson 2: The researchers continued with their questions, and again I was a little too prideful, because Jose was repeating everything I had taught word for word. Then they asked this question, "What are the requirements of being a member of this church?" Jose responded quickly, "I won't let anyone come who isn't willing and doesn't share their testimony with others." Wow, where did that come from? It certainly didn't come from me. As they continued with their questions, I was wracking my brain trying to figure out where that thought came from, because it certainly must not have come from me. I began thinking, "How do I fix that?" "Where do I even begin?" Then it dawned on me. I remembered back to when Jose and I were drinking coffee and eating a cracker with butter on it and just chatting. I thought my teaching time was over, so I was just spouting random thoughts. We talked about soccer. We talked about dengue fever, and which mountain produced the best coffee beans. Then I remembered mentioning right off the top of my head as a stray thought passed through the following, "I wonder what a church would look like if every member shared with everyone else what Jesus has done for them." I smiled inwardly, you see I decided I wasn't going to fix Jose's thinking. He had it right.
Yes, I know our churches are filled with people who are completely content sitting in a pew. We even count our success by the numbers of people who fill the empty spaces on a Sunday morning. I believe Jose has it right. If all the seats are taken and no one shares their testimony then who will fill those seats tomorrow? I wonder what would a church look like who had only members who actively share their faith no matter the cost?
- Lesson 3: Most of you know that I am no longer an IMB church planting missionary. I serve Christ as a discipler with the IMFC - International Missionaries for Christ. Discipling others is what we do. We do nothing without sharing our testimony and tying it together with the story of Nicodemus. Our mission agency is not about starting churches, it's purpose is to facilitate and encourage a disciple making movement, and disciples we make. A disciple is someone who has been changed by Jesus and is actively encouraging others to follow Jesus also. As I was walking the streets with our guys and some of their guys in Kampala, I asked a man named Josef - I think it was his name, "Do you ever wish to see walls and roof around and over those that you meet with regularly?" He asked me to clarify, so I asked, "Do you ever want to build a church building?" Josef said, "Why would I want to limit what God can do?"
It all became crystal clear. You see, it's all about Jesus and our relationship to Him. It's all about us sharing the Good News that Jesus did for us, when He changed our lives. It's all about leaving the results completely up to HIM! When we live as a disciple who disciples others, then church is the inevitable result. Jesus' plan is just that simple, but it took three serious yet simple men to teach me those concepts.
Enough said,
Steve D
