Let's Be Victorious!

Photo by Quinn Dombrowski

At the start of April I challenged FBC Bowling Green to grow to an average attendance of 200 by the end of August so that we could start our 2016-2017 church calendar year with momentum.  Now I understand that two of those months are summer months.  I also know summer months are the traditional times of the year for church attendance to take a hit and for growth not to occur.  These facts got me thinking, why?

Kristy and I along with another couple went to the Dave Ramsey EntreLeadership One Day Conference in Orlando recently.  Ramsey told a story that griped my attention.  He told of singular day in which he had two conversations with people in his lobby during breaks in his show.  The first conversation was with a man who looked downcast and broken hearted.  The man told Ramsey he had just filed bankruptcy.  The year was 2008 and he was a landscaper and with the downturn in the economy, people were just not hiring landscapers.  Ramsey gave him some encouragement and the man left and Ramsey returned to his show.  Durning another break a little while later Ramsey met another man who was glowing.  The man told Ramsey his business was better than it had ever been.  He was growing so fast he did not know how he was going to keep up with the demand.  Because of the downturn in the economy he was able to purchase equipment at dirt cheap prices and was so excited about what was going on in his area of business.  You can probably guess what business the man was in, can’t you?  You got it, the man owned a landscaping business.

Why did the first guy in the midst of the same economy go bankrupt and the second guy prosper?  I think the answer is what John Maxwell calls the Law of Victory.  The second man understood the Law of Victory and was going to do whatever was necessary to win.  The first man did not understand this law and made excuses for his failure.

What does this story and the Law of Victory have to do with my opening paragraph and the challenge I have presented before FBC Bowling Green?  Why do we have to follow the trends of other churches?  Why can’t we commit to victory and say, “We will meet our goal!  We will do whatever is necessary to obey the Lord God and bring Him glory!”  Satan wants to discourage the church.  Satan wants us to think we can’t grow.  Jesus wants us to have our best days in front of us.  Let us grab hold and accept the challenge.  Let us grow and see Jesus do amazing things in our midst.  Let’s hit 200 average attendance by the end of August and with that momentum, let’s see what God would have for FBC Bowling Green in our 2016-2017 church calendar year!

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