I heard you once say that true revival will only come when you have 100 percent of the church involved in outreach. Isn’t 100 percent an impossible goal?

              Some have said that the idea of 100 percent involvement is overly idealistic. They say that you can never have everyone in the church working to see souls saved. Some will always sit on the back row refusing to get involved and do their part.

I cannot accept this philosophy. I am thoroughly convinced that the only way to have growth is to get all of the church working in the harvest field. I am equally convinced that anyone who refuses to be involved in the harvest is not in the Church!

Outreach is not an option. It is not something I can accept or reject as I wish – not if I wish to be a part of the Body of Christ. Jesus said, “I am the vine and ye are the branches.” In this context, He plainly taught that every branch that bears not fruit is cast aside (John 15:1-2). He also taught that any tree that is fruitless will be cut down (Luke 13:6-9). To be a part of Christ’s vineyard, you must bear fruit, which means you must give forth seed (the seed is in the fruit), which means you must be involved in some aspect of outreach.

Growth will only come when the total church is working together to see growth. Like on the day of Pentecost, we must be united in one accord. We must have every man, woman and child doing what they can to reach the lost. Remember that the entire human body (arms, legs, head, etc.) must grow in proportion. The Church is the “body” of Christ in today’s world, and all of its parts ( all members, ministries and programs) must grow equally, each performing its own unique function.

As Kenneth Strachan said: “The success and expansion of any movement is in direct proportion to its’ success in mobilizing its’ total membership and consistent propagation of its belief.”

(from IBC Perspectives – Volume 3 – Issue 3 – page 6)