Every Christian is called to be a light unto the world and is commanded to go and make disciples, but does that mean that God's commission is up to us? Have we missed the point of Christ being the cornerstone by making evangelism and ministry too much about human effort and not enough about the grace of God?
So many people can carry the unnecessary weight and burden of saving souls upon their shoulders. When people don't convert after we share the gospel, it eats us up inside. When we disciple people, it becomes so much about our expertise that we end up giving advice instead of good news. When we counsel people, we tend to try and solve people's problems instead of point them to Christ.
We think that human programmes, strategies and skills are what will propel evangelism and bring us to the next revival. As a result, pastors are burning out, leaders are getting frustrated, existing members are leaving by the droves because so many believe that it's up to us - that if we don't step up to the plate, God won't move.
In Matthew 4:19 we read: "And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.'"
What really struck me with Jesus' statement was the idea that it was not the expertise of the first disciples or a flawless strategy that made them fishers of men. Jesus did not say, "follow me because you are good enough to be fishers of men" or "follow me because I need skilled workers to be fishers of men." He was saying, "follow me, and then you will become fishers of men."
The premise of being a fisher of men, a light unto the world, an evangelistic force, a vibrant church that reaches the lost and broken has always been on the shoulders of just one Saviour. Jesus never said that smart, charismatic or spiritually-sensitive people would build His church, but actually said that upon rock-like people, He would build a church that would be so powerful even hell would not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18)
I don't discredit in any way the work that any evangelist, minister, pastor, small group leader, parent or guardian is doing to advance the gospel in their communities. But bringing about the salvation of God through Christ can so easily become too much about our efforts and very little about God's grace.
Here's a reality we must remind ourselves of daily: We are not the solution, Christians are not the solution and the church leadership is not the solution to the broken state of the church. Only Jesus will ever be the solution to every need, problem and trauma people face. That's why it's called good news - because we simply proclaim a victory that has been won not by us but by Jesus on the cross two thousand years ago.
