Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
What God joins together, no man can possibly break apart (Mt. 19:6). This phrase from Jesus is mentioned often, and rightly so, in reference to marriage. But that is not by any means the only condition in life in which God puts people or things together. Important relationships are established by God, and whenever God does anything, "it shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it. And God doeth it that men should fear before Him" (Eccl. 3:14). It is impossible for man to change what God has done, and it is dangerous for man to try.
When the Spirit of God makes a child of God a part of His family, it is the work of God. It is not something that anyone, including that child of God, can change without risking his soul. Likewise, when a servant of Jesus is given the responsibility of being a shepherd over any one of God's lambs, it is for life. In the kingdom of God, there is no such thing as a church member leaving one church and joining another; neither is there any such thing as a pastor resigning from his position with one congregation and being hired by another. Such things are contrary to the ways of God and are an abomination to Him.
In Christianity, pastors are often elected to their positions after the congregation listens to several would-be pastors auditioning for the part ("trial sermons", they are called), or pastors are hired by a "board of deacons" (after those deacons have fired someone else), or they are appointed to the job by their superiors. None of this is of God, and man has the power to change such situations because of that. Christians do not even know that God actually joins saints together according to His will, apart from the will of man, and that no man can change what He has done. From what I have witnessed, Christians join the church of their choice and then just say that God put them there. Or they hire a man to be their pastor and then say that God sent him. I don't believe any of it. If God had done it, no one could ever change it.
Every child of God on earth needs a spiritual home, a place where they are responsible to others for their conduct, and a place where they are loved and wanted. I am persuaded to believe that God will give every one of His children just such a home if we all would stop doing things the way Christianity would have us to do them and wait on our heavenly Father to guide us to where we truly belong.
When God makes you a part of anything, He is in dead earnest, whether it is part of a marriage or part of His family. When God does anything, it is eternal; it becomes a condition that none but God Himself can ever change.
In my case as pastor of the saints who meet in my house, I have never once gone out into the community looking for members. A larger congregation is not my desire. Years ago, Jesus told me, "Neither expect nor desire any big thing; but make your work perfect." Since that time, he has added to the saints who meet in my house one or two at a time as it pleased him. Every person he has added to my care has been added to my care for life. I cannot refuse to minister to them the good word of God, and they cannot leave me or fire me. Our relationship is the work of God, and it is for life. The saints who meet in my house are the work of God, not of me. I did not choose a single person that is here. And none of them chose me. God put us together, one at a time over the years, and we are inseparable, unless, of course, someone among us turns from righteousness and rejects the light of God which was given to him, which unfortunately has happened a few times along the way.
The saints who gather in my home can tell you that I am not concerned about how few people come here; on the contrary, they know that it concerns me more that so many are beginning to come. Why this concern? Primarily because I know that if many people come here, soon will follow that disgusting group of believers who go only where many others go. I cannot reject anyone whom God sends, but my personal preference is that the congregation in my home remain small. I prefer to be confident that the only reason people come here is that they have heard from Jesus, that they love feeling the power of the holy Ghost, and that they love the truth that Jesus teaches. I love knowing that God has added a person to the congregation in my house rather than having to wonder why that person is really here. A large congregation in itself can be a source of much trouble.
I believe that these are the kind of thoughts any pastor will have if the saints for which he is responsible are truly given to him by God. Rather than trying to increase the size of his congregation, he will be laboring more to feed it, to keep it washed by the water of the Word, and to keep it a chaste, wise virgin, waiting for the midnight cry of the Bridegroom.