Viva La Vida! Part One - Cast Out Your Nets, But First...

This will be the first of a series of blog posts "Viva La Vida!" (nothing to do with the Coldplay song)

A topic of constant discussion among the now 33,000 plus Christian denominations (not to mention the Christian off-shoot religions) is how to get people to fill the pews. Crusades, conferences, good music, inspirational sermons, extensive Bible studies, smoke and mirrors, lights, and modern technology have become common "methods" of getting people in the doors every Sunday. There have been numerous books, manuals, instructional videos, and even workshops on how attain the prestige of having a congregation size worthy of notice. New terms such as “megachurch” and “fellowship” have been thought up in order to set these Christian churches apart from the “traditional” churches of the past. The good thing about these tactics is that people off the streets are being attracted to the Word of God in a new way and people are flocking to Sunday services. But, as we will see getting people to fill an empty place in the pew (or in more modern churches – theater-style stadium seats) is not all we have to worry about. What is the key to attaining these numbers while retaining these souls in order to bring them to deep, life-long conversion? What is it that the original Christian church did to bring in and keep, for example, the 3,000 converts in Acts chapter 2? These are a couple out of many questions about this popular, but often misunderstood topic of Christian conversation.

“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:41-42

Imagine this day and age adding 3,000 people to a church in one day? Those are phenomenal numbers and happened on the first day of the inception of the official Christian church, by the preaching of the lead Apostle Peter formerly known as Simon son of John. Do you think they had the latest and greatest technology to aid them in spreading the message or best band to attract them? The Apostles were simple people headed up by a fisherman that couldn’t even catch fish. Peter was no polished professional speaker, he couldn’t even successfully live up to the career he had had probably his whole life. “…For it is not you who speak, by the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matt 10:20) Talk about a miracle – this guy whom our Lord put in charge, the guy that denied Jesus three times and even more than that stuck his foot in his mouth, was in union with the Holy Spirit after Pentecost Sunday. He receive an anointing, the same anointing we receive at Confirmation. He “decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2) , “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God” (1 Cor 3:19). We will talk about increasing numbers at Sunday services, but first one important word of reality.

"I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:20-23

This is the key in whatever church or ministry we may be involved in – UNITY. My thought on growing a church is based on this key fundamental principle. How are we supposed to attract the multitudes to our church, if everyone has different beliefs? Granted, there are going to be some variances in how we communicate secular principals, but we must not waver on our Christian faith! “I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” (1Cor 1:10) The Word of God calls us to “one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (Eph 4:4-6) I believe the early Church, that we traditionally declare born on the first Pentecost Sunday, really lived the principle of great unity. Sadly, this day and age with the 33,000 plus denominations and growing we are too often critical and cold towards each other. Like I previously stated, how can we expect them to know that the Father sent the Son and has a Church, the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ, physically present in their midst if we cannot come together on the simplest of Christian ideology? “For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility…that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross…” (Eph 2:14-17) Sacred Scripture clearly depicts a Church that is one and not several, much less 33,000. Now, how do we come together to begin to mend this dissention? The Cathecism of the Catholic Church states: “Christ always gives his Church the gift of unity, but the Church must always pray and work to maintain, reinforce, and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her.” (CCC 820) It is our job to join in Christ’s prayer to the father for unity as in St. John’s Gospel 17:20-23 and to exude Christian charity in the utmost way. I know unity will not come overnight, but at least we can start praying and thinking about how to work towards the ONE Christian Church founded on the Rock. Let’s stop focusing so much on how to get people into the church and turn our energy towards attaining perfect Christian unity and creating an environment of love that those we do bring into the Church will experience the Church of antiquity. It was like that before, and it’s our job to restore it back to that!

Next time we will discuss how to make Christian unity a reality! Please fell free to comment and let me know what you think. I hope this is useful for some and will appreciate your opinions.

In Christ,

John “Nick” Sena