Church Growth versus Mega Church Structure

I had an interesting dream after praying a very specific prayer.

I was in a meeting which was in a very small room but had very prominent government and Christian leaders from many countries.

There was a break when the leaders left the room and a few of us were left to while our time before they returned. It was in that intermission that we were looking through the grounds and I saw a depiction that was astounding. I looked around for my camera but had either forgotten in the room or had not had it when I came for the conference. But I had to take pictures of that model. Its message was so instructive.

I then saw a Ugandan who had a smart phone and asked whether I could borrow it to take the photos as we looked at how I would transfer the pictures to me. But it was not easy to use. Even getting to the camera was complicated. It was then that I remembered that I could use the same phone to e-mail the same photos to myself.

I took one side of the model and then went to the other side as the leaders were arriving. Then I discovered I had gone too far as the model was not as big. It only was in the midst of trees and thus the trunks made the model unable to be shot at one go. It was as I was pushing back to take the picture amidst the pressure of the arrival of presidents that the dream ended.

Let me explain what I had seen. On the left side was a tree. Then further the same tree was bigger with a few small trees. Then a few other bigger trees each with many other small other trees, eventually increasing to a forest, then the mountain like the one Nebuchadnezzar saw (Daniel 2: 35).

On the right side was a mountain that had a roof like a gigantic greenhouse. It had a forest inside. As the illustration continued the trees slowly by slowly lost their vitality and shriveled until it became a desert.

Standing side by side as they were it appeared as if one was the direct opposite of the other.

What were those models about? You may be asking. Anyone who has gone through MasterLife knows the master builder illustration. It in a very small way resembles the left side in the dream. And it explains the process of discipleship.

But the important point is the cause of flourishing and withering on each side which I think was whole message.

The left side was exposed to the elements. It received its fair share of the rain, sun, wind and all the other positive and destructive elements of nature. The other was shielded from the same. It was safe wherever you looked as any nature it encountered was sanitized. Why does that protection kill the plants whereas leaving them to the elements causes them not only to thrive but also reproduce so generously?

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5: 13 – 16)

The context of Christian life and discipleship is the world, not the church. Making the church structure the context of our lives and discipleship is living in spiritual denial. But we not only live in denial; we actually cease being witnesses.

And this explains why persecution throughout history remains the greatest contributor of Christian growth and witness. A shielded church (and by church I mean people) will shrivel and die.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16)

Incidentally that is also the arena of our ministry according to the Lord. He did not shield us from the world but prepared us to impact that world.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:15 – 17)

In summary I will say that greenhouse Christianity is a dying Christianity. Christianity shielded from confrontation persecution is a Christianity that will never bear spiritually relevant fruit.

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. (John 15: 19, 20)

I am not an expert on greenhouse technology but the little I know is that greenhouses are used to grow perishable produce. They are also not used for reproduction but for one season productivity. From what I have heard the produce from a greenhouse, though it looks perfect to the eyes and excellent in production can never match naturally grown produce in terms of taste and texture. But this is not my field.

Application question - Is that the way we disciple those Christ brings to us?

It is possible that they know all the relevant verses and can even memorize them perfectly yet are toothless when a sexual temptation comes their way because the context of their discipleship was the classroom? They could have all the right doctrine and theology concerning the rudiments of their faith but become useless should their ministry lack resources or adequate support. They could know everything concerning the conduct expected of them but completely lose track if they lack accountability partners.

And I say this from seeing people who were otherwise spiritually powerful becoming worse than unbelievers once outside their greenhouse. I have been in remote places where the chances of someone who knows you visiting are close to zero. It is interesting (sad is the right word) that people who were elders in their churches before they were sent there became drunkards and whoremongers because there was nobody to check on them. People who had been pastors steal company and government money as if there is no tomorrow because there is no way any ‘brother’ could find out.

Could we disciple like Daniel was discipled that in the midst of gross wickedness and idolatry could purpose ‘not to defile himself’ though it put his life in the line of fire? Can we disciple like Ezra was that seventy years after the captivity was excellent in teaching and applying scripture that the whole nation hung on his every word? Or are we discipled like he was that he feared putting his faith to shame by accepting security when it was easily available?

Must we always be available to our disciples because they really must have our word before making any decision? Can we trust them to completely disappear from our sight and remain confident that they are bearing fruit for Christ?

What about our own discipleship? Can we be counted on to bear fruit on hostile territory? Can we like Joseph choose prison rather than a compromise even though you are in a far off land where nobody knows you and it appears as if God has deserted you? Can you like Mordecai go against established structures and constitutions even though it appears like a futile exercise? Can we go where God orders us even if our superiors vehemently oppose us?

I believe greenhouse Christianity is the reason two millennia after the birth of the church there are still unreachable people groups yet the few disciples at the birth of the church were able to evangelize their world in a single generation and that without the conveniences we today have.

We have no option but go back to the root of our faith and ask God why we are not winning the world to Christ yet boast that our churches are thriving just because we are handling huge amounts of money. Yet we know that money is not spiritual in God’s direction.

Who will take the Gospel to ISIS and Boko Haram and Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda? Who will take the gospel to the forbidden islands of the world? Who will take the Gospel to the marketplaces of the world?

Stand with Me

My brother and I have been invited to Nigeria to minister to pastors.

We are expected at the beginning of April (we travel at the end of March). We will be expected to run seminars in three different cities for about two weeks.

This is therefore a request for you to stand with me and my brother first in prayer, secondly in prayer.

The requirement is that I raise my return fare as they will take care of all the other expenses in Nigeria. Pray for the provision of that.

As you know I have a great burden of taking discipleship to the nations and I feel this is a great opening to share this burden with our brothers in Nigeria (the pastors we will be teaching). I will therefore need about 500 copies of the discipleship BS book ‘Fruit that Lasts’ to challenge them to take it to the unreached and undiscipled nations there. It is currently out of print and it is important that God provides for the reprint. But I need to add that the reprint is needed even here.

(There also is need for the Portuguese translation which was completed some time ago and is direly needed in Mozambique, Angola and Madagascar and other Portuguese speaking countries. The Swahili translation is also in its polishing stage and will soon require funds to print. There are several vernaculars that are being translated. But these are reminders for you to pray for the challenge to disciple the nations.)

I also need to add that after Nigeria we will be responding to an invitation to Congo (DRC) with our former host who has been so insistent that we return there to train pastors. This time though our ministry includes five different towns. Again this is for your continued prayer.

The need for now is the funds to take us to Nigeria and reprint the BS books togo with. The cost for the return ticket is Ksh 90 000 (US$ 1000) and the reprint will cost Ksh 25 000 (US$ 250) for a thousand copies. The remaining copies will meet the growing demand locally.

Can you do anything else after praying? Of course you can. You can support as God leads you. I give you the challenge Mary gave to the servants at the wedding in Cana.

His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. (John 2: 5)

And this is the reason I have given you other prayer needs so that you can connect the point of your convergence to the ministry God has called me to.

Contact me if you need clarification on any of these needs.

How can you give? M-Pesa is the easiest as it is nowadays possible even outside Kenya. My cell phone number is +254 722 220 147. But you can send using the other platforms; MoneyGram, Western Union etc.

You can also deposit to my account at Equity Bank. Account number 0120 1906 6755 0, Account name Gituma M’Ikiara

God bless you

Convenient Versus Prudent, the Parable of the Two Builders

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7: 24 – 27)

I want us to look at this parable in a deeper manner so that we can be able to glean some treasures. This is because we might have heard it so often that we have lost the meaning Christ had intended.

The foolish builder was not very foolish if we looked at it from his perspective. And it will do to explain why.

I come from the slopes of Mount Kenya and as we know most hilly and mountainous areas place a premium on some naturally flat ground as it saves much time, work and money on leveling before building. Our friend must have discovered the ideal ground to build without much hassle and cost. It might have been a flood plain that had never encountered a flood. It might have been treated as a scare tactic to stop people from building on such an ideal portion of land. You see anybody who mentioned a flood said ‘once upon a time’ which is the language of folk tales. Or they would say ‘my great grandmother told me that her grandmother said…’ In any case even if it rained there was enough drainage to handle it before it got to his house.

Fellow villagers hailed him for doing what they had all desired to do yet had been too scared by the taboo associated with it.

Incidentally there was a friend who was also building around the same time but he was not as bold because he decided to build on the slope. People laughed at him because they knew that the jinx had already been broken and the taboo had been breached. He would take months before even laying the foundation of his house.

Our friend finished building in record time because he had enough assistance from people who had longed to see a house on such an ideal place. Some even volunteered materials and expertise for free because they wanted to laugh at the stories they had heard about the flood plain. Some were wondering how Noah’s flood still controlled people’s decisions.

The opening (house warming) ceremony was a grand affair. His friend who had taken the fear route was invited to be laughed at for wasting his resources on an underground nobody would see. Nothing he said could reduce the scorn directed his way. And it was worse for him because though they had started at the same time he was still at the foundation stage. When will he finish? Everybody asked.

Eventually many others decided to build along the feared ground because of the boldness of our friend. You see, apart from it being easier and cheaper to build, life there was easier and more convenient than on the slope. The house was more stable as it stood firmly on flat ground. Carrying things was easier as there were no hills to climb. Fetching water was fun since the river was not far. In fact our friend was treated as a savior of sorts to the village as he had enabled them start living a life of ease. Eventually a lot of the village uphill moved to the plain converting it to a small town.

His friend finally finished his house with considerable time and cost but his house was plain because nothing much was left after building. His house warming was also well attended by the same team of scorners who were demonstrating to him the consequences of his cowardice. He had spent a fortune and taken forever to build his house even as his friend had made his the model house with less investment.

They had enjoyed their new life of ease for some years when an unusually heavy rain descended one rainy season that the new village became scared. The river flooded its banks though it did not get near their small town. But it was enough to scare a few villagers out of that comfort that they moved up the slopes once again.

But our hero could not move even if he had wanted. He had invested his all in that house. And of course he would have looked very foolish moving to higher ground. And many of his friends were of that type. They had laughed at the fool who had built on the slope for so long that moving was out of the equation. And in any case that was the only time in their lifetime the river had burst its banks. There was therefore another lifetime before it occurred again. They boosted their courage in the face of the new threat to their choice by laughing at the cowards who were running from the comfort they had become accustomed to.

It sadly did not take a lifetime before disaster struck. One day the sky was unusually overcast and very threatening. None could remember seeing anything like it. As evening fell some light rain started and some fierce winds were blowing. But it was clear the worse would come later.

The cowards up the slopes came to plead with the families on the plain to go up or at least allow their children to move uphill. Some balked and allowed their children to go. But others, our hero included, decided that they will stick with their choice and sleep on the plain with their families.

At midnight a shrill scream was heard above the storm. And everyone heard it because they had been too scared to sleep. Their bravado had only been mouth deep. A lady had gone outside to relieve herself and seen a mountain rushing toward them. Of course she did not know what it was because it was some distance away. In fact it was because the moon was up that she saw its outline.

Everybody jumped out of bed and out of the houses.

Then they heard noises from the direction of the mountain, noises they could not place since they had never heard anything like it. It was very clear that the mountain was heading their way and everybody’s heart melted.

Those who had children quickly gathered them outside and scampered in fright to the slopes before whatever was coming could reach them. But not our hero or his henchmen! Though completely deflated by the new threat to the extent that they wanted to literally flee to the mountains with their families, they decided to laugh at those cowards who were scared just because they had heard a sound they did not understand. Some relatives, especially those who had earlier been scared enough to send their children up the slopes literally snatched the heroes’ children and fled with them to the slopes.

By the time they were able to see what that mountain was, there was no escaping from it though I doubt the heroes could have dared escape it anyway. It had rained much more on the mountains and since their valley was the place where all the water collected, (which explained why their river was the only big and permanent river around and slow enough to even have fish), the flood water had gone on gathering more and more water, uprooting trees and clearing everything in its way.

In the morning there was no trace of the once thriving town they had developed over the few years they had dared their history. None of the heroes escaped, though I suspect they chose death instead of the shame they could have had to endure for laughing at anyone who had appeared have more sense than they.

That is the parable for our times. I have reenacted it for us to get the main facts out.

The first fact is that the fool was not called a fool because he was plain foolish. The Bible looks at folly differently. Anything leaning away from God and His revelation is folly. Look at all the places the Bible talks about folly and that comes out clearly. Folly is the disconnection with God’s scheme of things. At the root of any Biblical folly is disobedience to God.

A girl decides that her prayers for a husband are taking too long to be answered and so lowers her expectations and standards. Then she will spend the rest of her life rebuking and praying against this or the other demon bringing her down instead of confronting her faulty foundation. Interestingly these are the major funders of the foolish preachers who are also investing in other foolish foundations.

A pastor discovers that preaching the cross and the sacrifice it entails does not bring in the offerings he would like and decides to settle on motivational preaching and worldly prosperity and thrives because he is able to attract other fools to sacrificially stand with him (2 Timothy 4: 3, 4).

A businessman discovers a shortcut to get the really profitable contracts and wonders why it took so long for him to discover. Since when did greasing a few gears to make the business wheels run effortlessly become sin? Since when did buying lunch and paying for a holiday become corruption? He reasons.

A Christian wonders why he has never got a promotion even as those he trains are getting one promotion after another. He discovers that the HR department goes by some unwritten qualifications in giving those promotions, explaining why he had been bypassed by at least ten people, people who came much later than him. And worse, people he trained. What is wrong with going for an outing to get a promotion? He discovers that it was his seriousness that scared people from asking him to go for those outings. He therefore decides to loosen up.

A minister has a hard time accessing support as his ministry is not very visible and pastors literally tell their congregations not to give to such as him. He decides to also become a pastor instead of continuing suffering.

A parent discovers that his children are not getting the right schools. He finds out that those schools are the preserve of people who know how to ‘greet’ teachers properly. What better investment can I give to my children? He reasons

A pastor handles many gifts from his flock. He is treated as the one who knows where they should go as he knows all the needs of the church as well as the direction of God. But he uses them to reward sycophancy and loyalty as well as punish dissent that many times is guided by his unspiritual leadership.

A leader realizes that his position is not secure. He therefore decides to divert all the resources in his sight by sharing with his campaign team instead of the legally entitled. He then ‘eats’ the rest.

We have several Biblical examples. Cain thought eliminating his brother would leave no option for God but to accept his offering. Esau thought an instant meal was better than a far off birthright. Lot’s daughters thought they may never get married and raped their father for children. Saul thought a scattering army was worse than a wrongly performed sacrifice. The rich fool thought his labors were concluded. The rich young ruler thought that his wealth was worth more than eternal life.

I will repeat. Anything we do that stands in the way of God, His word and revelation is a foundation on sand. It might be very convenient and offer very attractive and precious rewards but like the builders we have looked up will hold on until the real challenge comes.

But a faulty foundation is doubly dangerous. It is punished by the here and the forever. They will be demolished here and razed in judgment. Look at this

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1Corinthians 3: 11 – 16)

Think of those quick fixes you value. Do you treat them as foundations? What are they foundations of? Are they foundations you can go to God confidently to ask for His help in building?

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. (Deuteronomy 11:26 – 28)

This is the real determinant of the kind of foundation each of us is building on – OBEDIENCE to all that God tells each of us at the individual level as we interact with His complete revelation in His word, the Bible.

And I am not trashing preachers since I am one, but a species of preachers has emerged who have centralized God’s revelation in their person and locked out everybody else, even his loyalists. He (and many are women) is the only one who understands the Bible enough to give its application. He is the only one who can hear God’s voice.

My purpose of preaching and teaching is to help God’s people connect with God at their personal level as to make me irrelevant; otherwise I am not really serving God.

And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them! (Numbers 11: 27 - 29)

Again see this

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28, 29)

Why do preachers teach this all the while trashing it in their application? But that is also a faulty foundation on their part. I for one want to see that passage actualized in my eyes so that everybody who comes in contact to any teaching coming from my mouth establishing an actual connection to the voice and direction of God.

I know that such a connection may require them to support someone other than me which is the main problem with most preachers as they cannot bear the thought of someone feeding from the offerings of their flock, forgetting that they are Christ’s flock at the end of the day.

Hearing God will also mean challenging my leadership and preaching, and not necessarily because it is wrong but to make it better. Few leaders want to be challenged. And it is no wonder that many are spewing damnable heresies to continue building their own Babel with those who follow them more than they follow Christ.

Shortcutting a Blessing II

I had promised to further develop this message and am sorry it has taken so long. Many times other messages push and shove for attention that I have to listen to the exact one God intends for the particular day. But I did not forget.

Today we are handling the operational aspect of the shortcut, looking at things that make a shortcut that transforms a blessing into a curse possible. I will therefore use a lot of examples to get us understand the message. But it is important to go back to the first part of this message as this is its continuation.

I will start with a pastor since I also am a minister. Where does a pastor find the greatest ease to minister? Say you receive calls from two sick people. One is in a high end hospital and the other is at home since he can’t afford the cheapest hospital. Let us say you prayed and both of them got healed.

Their gratitude will know no bounds. The rich guy will have been saved a tidy sum and time through that healing prayer and will most likely splash some of it on you. The poor guy will be so grateful that he will be remembering you in prayer many times in a day though you will not know it. What will that do to you? And what will happen if both invite you for a thanksgiving meal? That may be the place two roads are ahead of you, the blessing and the shortcut.

Many pastors I know will not think twice about where they should go. They will even rationalize their choice by saying that they do not want to burden the poor. But the driving force may easily be that the poor may be unable to even fuel the pastor’s car.

Rationalizing the reason to avoid the poor may be a certain shortcut to your blessing, a shortcut that may wreck your future completely. And it many times it is a future beyond your lifetime to the beneficiaries of that shortcut.

I have handled people who are so broken because they waited for days on end to see a pastor who was completely unavailable, yet sadly was easily available to people of means. Some unsuccessfully arranged an appointment for weeks, even months, appointments that were broken at short notice, some as they waited to be called in. Yet a man in a big car could get into the pastor’s office simply by walking into that office. It becomes bitterer for these desperate people because it was evident that their appointment was cancelled when the big shot came in.

Or you are in a government or organization procurement department were you make decisions concerning were to buy. You have a very good friend who supplies what you are looking for that you really want to give the contract to supply. He might even have as competitive an edge as any other bidder. Yet he is your bosom friend and you feel he really must get that contract. You therefore give him leakage concerning how much money the government has set aside for that job and the exact requirements and so he really has no reason to lose the contract. In the process he may even become more expensive than the rest just because he knows the decision maker, you.

What do you think will happen to the other bidders? Suppose the one who ought to have got the contract fails to service a debt God had provided that contract for. He might lose his business and probably be declared bankrupt just because you had to help a friend and so gave him undue advantage.

Of course your friend will appreciate you immensely and may even give you a very huge gift, and not as a bribe. But someone’s children might be starving because you snatched the contract from them. Children might be chased from school because of that single act of yours. They might even be evicted from their residence because of what you did.

That is a shortcut to your blessing. Bending the law to favor a friend may appear very wise. But you see God retains the right to determine what it is and its result to your future.

You might occupy a very senior position in an organization that offers scholarships to the needy and you decide only you and your friends are needy and therefore siphon most scholarships there. Though your children may get to the highest levels of education due to that boost, there are other children who may cut short their education because of your wisdom. Again that is a clear short cut for your posterity that they will pay dearly for.

You could be a teacher in a public school who uses the money you earn to take your children to private schools that are many times taught by less trained teachers. The truth is that your teaching is substandard but you know that the government cares less provided you appear in school. You are preparing other parents’ children poorly even as you use the money they pay you to give your children an edge. You may even charge them for extra tuition because you do not teach adequately during the usual hours so that your children can afford even better schools.

The sad fact is that you are selling your children to the devil. You see even the poor cry out to God and their children have as much a right as your children. And God is a just God.

You may be a pastor who directs all gifts to your person at the expense of people you know are also ministering though not in as conspicuous a manner as you are. You may even block any gift from going towards those others as you are scared they may start ministering at their capacity and start accessing the support due them without your facilitation and therefore stop your facilitation allowance. It is a shortcut you will pay for dearly.

You could be a businessman who bribes to buy all the stock from the distributors so that the others have no option than buy from you at whatever price you will set, making them more like your subsidiaries. That again is a shortcut punishable from on high.

Or you may be a law enforcer who has an abundance of pardon for lawbreakers, but for a fee. Some very wise people might decide to buy that pardon in advance so that they will not waste their time negotiating for it. This is most visible with the traffic department as they interact with vehicles and drivers every single time they are on the road.

It is therefore possible for an accident waiting to happen to pass the traffic check without a fuss as the driver thought it was cheaper to buy pardon than spend on the garage repairs. The offender and forgiver have shortcut their futures as that transaction might end up taking the life or health of someone with nothing to do with the transaction.

You might be an expert at putting people in their positions, especially those who do not seem to recognize you or the position you hold. This may range from demotions to disciplinary letters to created scandals to bring those threats down to below you. That is wickedness, however effective and convenient it might be. Remember Haman?

You may be a walking hyena, looking to benefit from the carelessness or folly of someone else instead of warning him. You rejoice when someone drops his money in your sight, even thanking God for that miracle. That is also a shortcut.

And many, many other scenarios. Taking advantage to benefit self is clear evidence of a spiritual shortcut to your destiny.

I will not go on to document the results of such shortcuts as I believe I am not dealing with fools or children. I have also not included scriptures to explain for the same reason. But they are available.

And I have not talked about the openly sinful ones for the same reason. Like the rich philanthropists who finance the university education of young people for gratitude in kind so that they get excellent education accompanied by rotten morals. There are also those who give jobs, house rent and food under similar conditions.

But the safest thing is avoid shortcuts at all times, however appealing they might appear. Again I repeat this message does not stand alone as it is a completion on the first one, ‘Shortcutting the Blessing’.

Do you know the blessing God has for you? Do you know the requirements for your accessing it? Do you know the path you are required to follow to get to it? And do you know the shortcuts that may easily annul that blessing or exchange it with a curse?