The first two months of this new school year have been both record breaking and greatly encouraging, as we have seen an increase in the number of people with a desire to know God more closely and to understand what He is doing.
I want to write about what is happening and then write a few paragraphs about why I think it is happening.
First, our attendance is up significantly, as we have been growing consistently for years.
What is different about this year? It is the rate of growth, and that this growth has been experienced in all areas of the church.
Maybe more important than numbers, are the amount of people who are professing faith and following Christ in baptism. Over the last two months, we have had many people join our fellowship and almost all of them as a result of baptism. This weekend we get to baptize over 20 people who have recently come to faith in Christ.
We are grateful to see these things happen and excited that people want to know God.
Second, that leads us to an even more important discussion. That is, why is this happening? Here are a few possibilities.
ONE: Many of you have taken seriously our emphasis on taking the next steps in your walk with the Lord. When we truly think about doing what pleases God and growing in Christlikeness, then you will begin to see outward changes that have come from inward experiences. That seems to be a significant part of what is taking place.
TWO: I think this also reflects our times. We all seem to recognize that things in the world are not as they should be. There is rebellion and disobedience everywhere. We have generations that are living in despair and without hope. As one of our college students said, “the world is not working.”
When people see the dysfunction and sadness all around us, we begin looking for answers. I thank God that people are looking in Scripture and in the church for real answers.
THREE: Could it be that we are seeing God moving everything to His divine conclusion? We, of course, have been living in the last days since the ascension of Jesus. Is this the conclusion of those days? Are people recognizing their need for repentance and faith?
I pray that people more and more would turn to Jesus and seek Him with all their hearts.