We went to Bible Study last night at church and Pastor Evans has a Q/A session right before he begins his teaching. So you are able to write your questions out and he gives a biblical answer when warranted and if not warranted, a common sense answer.
Well, someone asked 2 questions. The first being her husband didn’t want to attend the church because he felt it was too large. Basically too many members and he felt the pastor should be able to know his members. I really liked the answer he gave and have to admit it as true. He said regardless to the size of the church, if the members are involved within the church, the size really becomes small. (I hope my repeating it is coming out like it should).
Anyway, he said when you have members that basically come to hear a message and leave and don’t desire to fellowship or get to know other members, then yes, you will not only see the number of members, but you’ll see it as large. He said it is not a Pastors job to “know” the members, but to teach them what God has instructed him to teach. God is the shepherd and He knows His sheep. Pastor Evans is not one of those stand-offish people. He talks with members, mingles, and is very sociable, as is his wife as well.
Now, why I find that to be true is this. I’ve taken 2 classes at the church and have gotten to know approx. 15-20 members. We see each other and it’s like seeing family. We are actually waiting on one of the ladies to close on her home and we will have a get together at her house and in the spring a cookout. After things are settled at my place, they want to come to the “country” and hang out (hopefully we will have all the animals then and the kids will have fun with that). Anyway, I’ve gone to LARGE churches and felt that disconnect, I’ve gone to SMALL churches and felt that same disconnect. So it’s not about the size (per Evans), it’s about the heart.
I know I am not doing his answer any justice so I will stop.
The second question was…Why would Christians vote for Obama knowing what he stands for? He explained one that we have the freedom to vote how we choose. He said, but let me try to help some of you understand. He said let’s pretend we are in America 150 years ago and we are all slaves. There is a candidate that says he will do away with slavery and make all things equal for everyone. The other candidate says he will outlaw abortion, gay rights/marriages, etc. (please don’t comment and say that these are not practical’s for that time period, I know.)
So he said to us now which candidate will you vote for? Needless to say, we all got it. He said MOST voted for him because he was black. However, a lot voted for him because he promised something that dealt with where they are at now economically. It didn’t make the other issues less important, but they could not even focus on them for focusing on their current circumstances. This, he said, also has a lot to do with their maturity in Christ. So instead of getting upset with them, it’s over, let’s get busy praying for God’s will and trusting that He is still on the throne.
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