JARS OF CLAY
2 Cor. 4:7
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this
all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
I occasionally hear people say, “Why isn’t
the church run more like a business?” I guess that is an understandable
question. The truth is that the church regularly operates with workers
and leaders who would be fired on the spot in many corporations. And churches
open their doors each week in facilities that would lose businesses their
franchises after one inspection by the home office! And get this; the
church’s “customers” don’t even have to pay for the services they receive.
Clearly, that’s no way to run a business!
Well
you know what? The church isn’t a business. And you know what else?
In spite of all of the above, the church has continued, not only to
exist, but to flourish and to fulfill its purpose. Through it, multitudes
have come to know the grace of God and the redemption and peace of
Christ. Through it, multitudes have been set free from bondage to sin and
hopelessness. Through it, multitudes have received healing and
restoration; broken hearts have been mended, wayward souls have found direction
and purpose, the hungry have been fed, the lonely have been comforted, the spiritually
blind have received sight, the lost have been found.
Should
we seek to do what we do with excellence? Yes, absolutely! Is it
important to have the best facilities we can and to be as efficient in the
operation of our ministries as we can? Of course! But at the same
time we must never forget that a lopsided clay pot in a pretty box is still a
lopsided clay pot. The power to impact lives and change hearts does not
now and never will come from us. And friends, even in the best possible
surroundings, that truth will always be evident. God has chosen to work
through the church BECAUSE is it so like a clay pot. . . BECAUSE of its obvious
weaknesses. That way the true power, the power of God, can be clearly seen.
--- Pastor Keith Andrews