SIMPLE CHURCH

Simple Church

Tonight I had the privilege of preaching in Rijeka, Croatia. It is a beautiful city of about 200,000 people, the 3^rd largest city in Croatia. The church there is a new one, a church plant. Apostle Sicko Alic of Word of Life church in Zagreb didn’t send a team to Rijeka to jump start the church; just went and started winning people to Jesus. Then they sent a couple, Petar and Christina, who lead a church in Pula, over to meet with them weekly. Now there are twenty people meeting regularly every week.

The service I preached at had been advertised in the paper and on TV. So they had 50 people at the meeting. 25 of them were not yet believers in Jesus. So I preached evangelistically, the Gospel of the Kingdom. 12 of those 25 came forward to receive Jesus.

Strange thing here, they have a vision to take the nation. So they just go to a new city, a town and start preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not hell, but the Gospel, the Good News that Jesus is alive and well and He wants to transform their lives, the government of their lives. They are beginning to take a nation by changing the hearts of men and women.

I looked for some intriguing strategy that would bring such miraculous changes. Another strange things, they just keep doing what the apostles did, going into new towns and preaching the Gospel, sort of like when Paul went into Ephesus in Acts 19. They figure if you can change the government of an individual, you can change a nation.

Another thing I noticed, they just plain pray. They don’t tip their hat to God in nice little pleasant prayers, they get down and dirty with their praying. They pray fervently, loudly and daily. Every morning Christina is up to lead prayer at 6 AM. They pray for the church, for people, for souls. Another strange thing, God is answering their prayers.

I think they have figured out what Simple Church really is. As they have applied the simple truths of the New Testament church of Acts, it’s worked. Now they are on TV with a simple message, the Gospel. No slick magazines, ads, marketing, just prayer, evangelism, expectation for advancement of the church and the constant planting of new churches, little churches that grow and change the hearts of people.

For some reason, what they are doing seems possible. I don’t need a lot to do what they are doing, just faith, a radical love for God, prayer, vibrant worship and a belief that God loves people and wants to bring them into His family. They make this process look easy. Oh and I need to keep discipling new believers quickly, moving them into positions of releasing what’s in them constantly, even when they don’t think they can do it or are ready.

I heard about a book called Simple Church. I even think it may be in my library. But here I have seen the Simple Church and it is working. No glitzy programs, no stars, just the constant forward movement and progression from preaching the Gospel, prayer, evangelism, discipleship, vibrant worship. People continue to be saved. The church continues to grow. The world at large is not aware of what is going on here. Maybe it’s too simple, too folksy to get the attention of the world.

In the meantime a nation is being transformed one by one. I think I might move here. Or even better, start doing this at home. They just read the book of Acts, believed it and mobilized it.

Any takers?