To the Ends of the Earth: Reaching the Unreached — Thursday
Acts 2:46-47
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (NIV)
Someone told me that the average church size in Japan ranges from 15-30 people. At a church as large as Southland, it’s not uncommon for a small group to be between 15-30 people. I’ve been thinking about this statistic for weeks now. It blew my mind when I heard it on the second day of our trip, and it blew my mind even more as I attended Mustard Seed Tokyo on a Sunday morning. It continues to blow my mind now as I have settled back into my routine where I attend church with thousands regularly. “Small yet life-changing” has been the phrase repeating in my mind.
As we read in the book of Acts, the first church started out with 120 people. That is still about 10 times bigger than the average church in Japan! Our verse today says that the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved, and I know He is still doing that in churches all around the world today. While we were in Japan, we got to witness a baptism in Tokyo, and it was a huge moment of celebration! In a country where Christianity is scarce, one person coming to Jesus is a miracle. The Lord was adding to the number of the church in Japan right before our eyes.
As Christians, it is important for us to want the global Church to grow. And in order for the Church to grow, there must be established and healthy churches that God can multiply. This is the heart behind Southland’s church planting initiative, and it’s a big part of the reason why we support Mustard Seed. What an honor it is that God would invite us into His work of bringing hope and freedom to lost and broken people, just as we once were. Let's steward this call well and do our part in making the name of Jesus known here in Kentucky and across the world.
Thursday’s Reflection
Today, we will pray for the established church within Japan. Use this prayer as the start of your time of intercession:
God, I thank You for the church you have established in Japan. I thank You for the people in Your church and the work You are doing. Lord, add to their number daily those who are being saved.