Smaller Can Be Better

Several years ago, Kristina and I went to McCloud in Northern California for a two week trout fishing vacation. On Sunday morning I attended a little church in town that had about twenty members. The worship was led by an older lady on a keyboard. I wasn’t expecting much, but as we sang and prayed, God gave me a wonderful vision of heavenly glory.

The following Sunday, Ken and Mary Sanders visited us. We drove an hour with them to a megachurch which is known worldwide for their worship songs. It was a nice service, with good worship and a message, but the main thing I remembered was the contrast with the service the week before. For me, the presence of Christ in the little church was more profound.

In the 1970s I went to Berkeley for an evening meeting to hear an evangelist preach. There were around five hundred people in the auditorium when he got up on the stage to speak. The man walked back and forth across the stage in frustration. He was upset that more people had not shown up for the event. I literally wanted to stand up and shout, “Hey man, don’t worry about who isn’t here. I’m here and I’m going to remember what you have to say!”

Unfortunately, all I remember from that night was his disappointment. I asked the Lord to help me remember to be thankful for whoever shows up when I am preaching or leading a meeting. I’ve spoken to many small groups over the years. I remind myself that whoever is present is significant in the eyes of the Lord.

I’ve lived most of my life as a pastor trying to help churches grow.  I want to reach more people for Christ. I want them to grow in their faith and accomplish great things for God as they mature spiritually. I used to feel that a larger church reflects God’s blessings on a ministry; however, I was recently asked a question that challenged this paradigm.

During a discussion in our men’s group, I was asked to explain what Jesus meant in Matthew 16 when he warned the disciples to beware of the yeast of the Scribes and Pharisees. As we opened our Bibles and focused on the passage, I realized Jesus was telling his disciples that he can accomplish more with less.

Jesus used two miracles to illustrate this truth. He reminded them that after he fed 5,000 men with five loaves they had twelve baskets left over (Matthew 14). He then fed 4,000 men with seven loaves and they had seven baskets left over (Matthew 15). In other words, Jesus fed more people with fewer loaves and had more leftovers. He accomplished more with less.

What does this have to do with the yeast of the Scribes and Pharisees? Yeast is what gives rise to flour and texture to bread. Spiritually speaking, yeast is what motivates people. It represents their priorities. Their teachings and lifestyle reflect their priorities. The Pharisees loved money (Luke 16:14). People who love money always think they need more money. Money makes them feel important and secure.

The Pharisees felt threatened when people left them and began to follow Jesus. They believed the amount of people who followed them validated them. More people made them feel more secure. Fewer people made them seem less significant.

The truth that God can do more with less is illustrated throughout Scripture.
Abraham only needed one promised child.

Gideon was told to send most of the men in his little army home when God wanted to do a miracle and defeat the Midianites.

Jesus was unconcerned when people reacted to his challenging teachings in John 6 and began to leave him. He didn’t need a crowd to validate him.

When the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, he responded by saying, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to a mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will obey you” (Luke 17:6). They didn’t need more faith, they needed to recognize the power of the faith they already had.

It is much more common for someone to thank me for what I said to them personally than what I said in a sermon, even though I speak to many more people in sermons than one on one. We don’t need bigger crowds for our lives to have more impact, we need to recognize the significance of the people we already have in our lives. Whatever, or whoever God gives us is enough to accomplish what we need to accomplish.

I want to conclude with a caveat. I recently phoned to encourage two pastors who were each dealing with significant health issues. I left voicemails for both of them. One had been the pastor of a church with many thousands of people. The other was the pastor of a church with about a hundred people. The megachurch pastor called me back later that the day and apologized for the delay in his call. The other pastor never returned my call.

Smaller does not always mean more responsible, more love, or better care. Smaller is not what makes churches, or believers, better. More of Jesus is what makes us better.

The story of Christmas is about a little baby in a manger with poor parents. It is the story of God providing all they needed and all we need through Jesus. He owned nothing but possessed everything necessary to bring salvation to those who believe.

Whatever your situation, remember God is present with you.
Merry Christmas and God bless you.