Coffee? What can we say, we speak French

People sat on the floor and spilled up the stairs due to lack of space. 20 people were in attendance as we discussed the "logos", the light and its implications to those who receive Him in John 1.  It was great to have such a group.  So enthusiastic. Such an expectant atmosphere. 

But... we have not yet begun to reach our goal.  What?  Everyone present was a believer.  That's not bad.  We need believers.  And considering these 20 came from an extended region of several hundred thousand, it wasn't surprising.  We praise God for each and every Christ-follower that He has sent our way thus far.  But reaching Christ-followers will only be effective if that plays a role in reaching the 135,000 non-Christ-followers in the St. Jérôme region (on the north end of the Montréal region).

I often tell the group that our goal is NOT TO PLANT A CHURCH. Everyone looks at me kind of funny when I say that.  What?  You mean to say that you DON'T WANT TO PLANT A CHURCH?  No, I respond, that is NOT what I mean.  Then they look at me even weirder.

Here's what I mean:  If in five years all we have done is effectively gathered together 40 or so Christ-followers from this region, organized and passified them into a content little club we like to refer to as a church, without seeing lives radically transformed by Jesus Christ, then we will have failed.  Our passion is to see lives radically transformed by Jesus Christ, to see a blazing light for Christ established that will "disturb" every person in this entire region.  We could easily "plant a church" without seeing that happen.

But, you ask, isn't the goal of planting a church automatically to "disturb" the entire region with the good news of Jesus Christ?  Yes.  But I've seen too many new churches quickly lose sight of this and slip into the rut of simply maintaining a small group of believers.  That is why we temper our excitement.  Our goal is not simply bodies, but lives newly transformed by Jesus Christ.

Our desire is to implant this "satisfied in Christ yet dissatisfied by the thousands who don't know Christ around us" attitude in every one of the believers who come to our place every Tuesday night.

Yes, rejoice that 20 people were at our house last Tuesday night.  But don't be satisfied.  Pray that God would create an upper-room experience here that would multiply this 20 a hundred-fold (and God knows there is more than enough room in this region for that to realistically happen).

A satisfied/dissatisfied Christ-follower,

-Rob Karch