INTRODUCTION—WHERE ARE YOU?

The introduction of Willow Creek's Reveal begins with one of my favorite parables, the one about the kingdom of God being like a man who throws a seed into a field, goes away and sleeps, but then comes back and finds a grown plant, “though he does not know how” (Mark 4:27).

Good stuff. God gives faith and grows it quietly, unexpectedly, inexplicably in the heart through the word of the gospel. Or as the apostle Paul puts it, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Cor. 3:6).

Knowing that God alone gives growth, Paul knows that ministry is, in fact, a pretty straightforward thing. No scheming or manipulating necessary. Just tell ‘em the truth. Paul writes, 

we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God (2 Cor. 4:2).

Gathering as churches and doing works of ministry involve us in the unseen matters of the spirit, not just matters of the flesh. Unbelief is a spiritual matter and can’t be eradicated by human ingenuity: 

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

So churches must preach the truth, but they must do so knowing that God must act. He must create:   

For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 4:5-6).

Do the authors of Reveal get all this? Well, they tell us in the introduction that the question “How many?” isn’t good enough. They say, 

“That question is a good start, but it measures only what we see. When it comes to spiritual growth, we need to be able to measure the unseen. We need a glimpse of people’s attitudes, thoughts and feelings.”

Okay, I think Paul could agree with that, sort of. And listen to this: 

“The health of your church is not just about numbers. It’s about the movement of people toward Christ, toward deep love for God and genuine love for others.”

That’s exactly what Paul is talking about. Churches are called to help people look more like Jesus, showing love toward God and neighbor, from one degree of glory to the next (2 Cor. 3:18). 

Alright. I’m tracking with Reveal.