The Father Is The Gardner!

(NLT)

John 15:1--I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.

     In my last blog, I was sharing my thoughts on why some churches don't grow.  I would like to finish those thoughts on this one.  Please do not take my remarks the wrong way.  I DO NOT say that those who serve in these churches are not Christians.  As I mentioned before, I have served as pastor in a few churches that just would not grow.  I was a sincere Christian.  The deacons, teachers and choir were all sincere Christians.  Everybody wanted the church to grow.  Everybody wanted souls to be saved.  So, why not?  Why couldn't the church grow?  In the last blog, I suggested that they were plugged into something else besides Jesus.  Next, we will deal with an even greater and more biting issue.

     Notice that Jesus says in this verse that His Father is the gardener.  In churches that don't grow, it is obvious that they someone or something else MUST be the gardener.  I can irrefutably say that because the Father has never failed at anything He was allowed to do.  Notice I said in anything He was ALLOWED to  do.  Just because you are a Christian, you are serving in a denominational church and the church has been around for ages, is NO proof that the Father is your gardener.  You can start all kinds of ministries, churches, choirs and prayer circles and it doesn't mean that the Father is the gardener of it. 

     The question you have to answer is this.  IF this church is plugged in to Jesus, and IF the Father is allowed to be the gardener, WHY AREN'T WE GROWING?  Out of the three choices you have: Jesus, the Father and you, which one has proven to be the flop?  Jesus proved Himself successful by doing exactly what the Father told Him and He got exactly what the Father had promised.  The Father has been successful in carrying out His Word EVERY time that a servant would wholly lean on Him and do as He asked.  That leaves me and you. 

     I can easily say me because I realized several years ago that there was nothing wrong with God SO there MUST be something wrong with me.  I had prayed for years for a strong revival and for souls to be saved and nothing had happened.  Nothing wrong with God must be something wrong with me.  I remember the Saturday night that I was in prayer.  I saw the utter uselessness of what I was doing.  It was obvious that there was no increase.  God dealt with me and told me to step down from my position at this particular church.  The church thought I was doing a good job, but they weren't the gardener.  The people liked the way that I lead worship, but they weren't the gardener.  They even paid me a salary, but that wasn't a gardener either.  God told me to go back to a church where I previously served as worship leader and serve in whatever capacity I was asked.  When I obeyed over all the objections of the church I was serving, THEN I was allowing God to be my gardener.

     He has pruned.  He has pointed me in a few different directions.  Even though this church that I am at right now is one of the many churches that do not grow, the Gardener is working in me.  I am where He wants me to be and doing everything He wants me to do.  Will He move me to where He needs me?  Yep.  When I am ready.  Right now, I am seeking HIM, loving HIM and listening to HIM.  I serve where He says to serve.  I minister to people that I come across in my daily walk through life.  I remain open to the Gardener and I trust Him to do whatever is necessary to His planting.  Do I wish that I was pastoring again?  You betcha!  Would I want to lead worship at a vibrant church hungry for the Lord?  Nothing gets past your lightnin' fast mind does it?  Like the apostle Paul said in Phil 4:11--for I have learned, that whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

     In essence, you don't grow because of your denomination.  You don't grow because you have been a church for 100 years or more.  You don't grow because your denomination sent you.  You don't grow JUST because you have a position in the church.  You don't grow because you have been a teacher for 25 years.  You don't grow because your daddy puts in a lot of money to the church.  You don't grow because your momma says you're called to preach.  You don't grow through anything that you can accomplish.

     Church growth comes from being plugged in to Jesus 24/7/365 and being obedient to the Gardener 24/7/365.