To the Pastor of First Itty-Bitty Country Church
by Jerry Johnson, member of a small country church

Greetings in the name of our most gracious God and Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who was and is and is to come, from all the saints in Metropolis. We praise the name of Him who called you and by His guiding we make mention of you always in our prayers. We write to encourage you to keep "the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints" and to comfort you so that you will not become discouraged by the reports you hear from other parts of the world. Though your very small church cannot boast large "numbers" nor build great cathedrals with expensive decorations, we know that what the Apostle Paul wrote is true, that the "gifts and callings of God are without repentance." We are convinced that when our Lord spoke these words He had you in mind, for He saith, "I know your works; behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no one can shut it; for thou hast little strength, and has kept My word, and has not denied My name."

Reports have come to us that you may be growing weary. And yet we are confident that the good work God started in you, He will keep it until the day of redemption. Not for your sake only, but for the sake of His beloved Son. So "we ask you not to be shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us." For this is true- God is gathering His elect from the four corners of the earth. Though your efforts seem to produce little fruit by the world's reckoning, and unfortunately by some of those in the "church," it is fruit nonetheless. Besides, you do not see on this side of the veil all the godly profits your efforts and those of your congregation have produced. Do you remember the young man you sent to us a few years ago? He was full of zeal and had a desire to learn more about our great God. The fire that burned in him was a result of your faithfulness. You asked us to oversee and further develop his calling. And this, we believe, we did faithfully. That dear brother is now serving our Lord in a faraway land, teaching and instructing the sheep in the great doctrines of the faith. He has also been training others to follow in his footsteps and is sending to us two young men to train. This is a true saying, you may not be able to see the fruits with your eyes, nor be able to tout large numbers of conversions in your town, but rest assured, our Father which art in heaven not only sees these fruits, He also keeps account of them. And all this has happened because of your faithfulness.

It brought us deep regret that a man came to you from another town and boasted of all the things his church is doing. We heard that he belittled the work that the Most Blessed Spirit called you to. My brother, and this you already know, that all boasting should be done in the Lord. After hearing about his visit to you we took it upon ourselves to visit his church to find out if the things he said were so. We report to you that though this "church" seems to have more money than Solomon and a building more elaborate than the temple he built, though their Sabbath day attendance is larger than your entire community and their sanctuary is decorated with much fine gold and silver, we submit in all truthfulness that there is not any faith among them. This "church" believes that "godliness is gain" and measures success by numbers. This you know not to be true. Size is not what counts. Not all small churches faithfully preach the Word, and likewise, many large churches do. For you know this is true of us.

In the process of investigating their claim, we attended one of their worship services. After the "show" I spoke with the pastor and asked him why he did not preach from God's Word. He stated that the people in his congregation would not respond to simple Bible preaching. So he employs the world and the things of the world to keep them happy. He told me that his church is a "seeker friendly" church. I asked him was it not the command of the Lord to seek God, and was not his approach seeking to please men? He chuckled and said that I need to come into this century; the old ways of doing things will no longer work. Worship must be exciting and fun. He encouraged me to involve drums, guitars and interpretive dance in our worship. Further he suggested that we should use video clips and colorful images. He stated that if people were not entertained they would go somewhere else. I told him, "For the sake of their souls, that would be best!" At this point his frustration with me became apparent and I realized that further discussion would be futile.

So my brother, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." Remember the words of John the Baptist, "He must increase, but I must decrease." Serve in humility. Desire the best gifts. Do not boast. Be a God pleaser and not a man pleaser. Do not count growth as blessing. During His ministry did not more desert the Lord than follow? Was not Paul left with very few friends? Did not God tell Elijah the prophet, when he thought he was alone, that He has reserved for Himself seven thousand men? "Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season."

Let those who boast in their accomplishments have their glory, for now is all they have. But you wait for the great day of the Lord. Keep the faith and live as an example of humility. Then you will hear these words, "Well, done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things (your small country church), I will make you a ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord!" "This is a faithful saying and worthy of acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe."

Humbly Yours,

The Elders in Metropolis