Note - this blog is a chapter taken from my ebook, “9 truths that will scale your life and leadership” CLICK HERE to download your copy.
Bigger isn't better. Better is better.
There was once a Junior High boy. He was 13 years old. When he was twelve he was five feet tall but one summer he hit a growth spurt like none other. This young man grew from five feet to six feet in less than one year. As you can imagine the basketball coach was looking forward to him being on the basketball team. I mean how many times do you get to coach a six foot tall young man in Junior High?
This young man went out for basketball. He was really tall, in fact he towered over everyone else on the team. However, there was a problem. He had grown really tall really fast, but he was not good at playing basketball. He could not shoot the ball. He could not dribble very well. He was really slow and actually very clumsy.
The young man was bigger than everyone else, but he was not better than anyone else. In fact, the players that were seven and eight inches shorter than him had skillsets that were much more skilled at the sport. He had not grown into his body yet. The young man sat on the bench most of the year and did not get to play that often.
Leading is just like this basketball player. Bigger is not better. Better is better!
God is not nearly as concerned about the size of what you lead, as he is about your love of obedience to Him.
In the book of Acts we see that Philip was experiencing a huge revival in the city area of Samaria. Here is the beginning of the story found in Acts 8:4-8,
“Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city[a] of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city”
Philip has a ministry that was growing larger and larger everyday. People were being healed and coming to Christ. However, in the middle of this expansive growth of the kingdom and Church is where we pick up the story found in Acts 8:25-39.
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the South to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”
And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
Philip was experiencing an incredible revival. Numerical and spiritual growth was happening all around him. In the middle of a season of growth, God asked Philip to leave the crowd and go minister to one person in the middle of nowhere.
To God, bigger is not better. Obedience is what He is after.
Here are a four signs you are more concerned with getting bigger rather then better:
1 - The first thing you check at the end of every event or gathering are your numbers.
2 - You pad your numbers. Rounding up so that the report looks a little better.
3 - When numbers are up, you feel like you’re succeeding.
When numbers are down you feel like a failure.
4 - You’ve taken photos of your service, meeting, or product with just the right angle to make it
look much fuller, bigger, or better than they actual are.
Jesus said to go and make disciples out of the nations, not do whatever you have to do to fill up the chairs in your room. For those reading this book that are leading a ministry, having a full room is awesome, but the God goal is full hearts, not full chairs.
When you are developing your game plan and defining your definition of success, don’t fall for the trap of trying to get bigger, simply work on getting better, and bigger will take care of itself.
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