HUMANS have been gathering from time immemorial.
Some of these gatherings have shaped the history of mankind.
One of the earliest examples is the Tower of Babel which gave rise to languages. You can find out more in Genesis 11.
About a month ago, we dealt with understanding numbers in ministry, a piece I encourage you to read on this platform.
We want to draw lessons from Christian and non-Christian gatherings.
While Christianity is not religion, I want to put it alongside religions of the world.
For clarity, Christianity is divinity in humanity or God in man or the life of the resurrected Christ in mankind.
Religion is a system of beliefs and practices aiming at reaching out to God.
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Christianity is arrival at and in God or to put it more theologically correct, it is God finding a dwelling place in man.
Religion on the other hand is a journey trying to find God but never arriving.
Wikipedia says of the 8,2 billion population of the world, 28,8% are Christians followed closely by 25,6% Muslims.
In third place, there are 24,2% unaffiliated.
This is sobering because we fight in churches to take over each other’s members instead of fighting for the two billion who are yet to make a decision.
Other sources say the world population is way more than the 8,2 billion. We have work to do.
The book of Acts records a gathering of 120 people awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The church is still riding on the power that came upon the 120 and the impact of the gathering that has superseded and transcended time.
The anointing is still carrying forward the Gospel beyond Jerusalem.
Oftentimes we are caught up in mobilising masses and forget the smaller group which is really the engine for multitudes.
We see stadia and other venues filled up to overflowing during evangelistic crusades and overlook the fact that probably only five or 10 committed and dedicated saints were praying day and night making supplications that brought the multitudes.
We see Jesus on the seen but we may ignore Anna and Simeon who were praying day and night.
We read Luke 2:36-37, New King James, “[36] Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; [37] and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.”
If you read the whole story, you will get the full picture.
I want to juxtapose the Acts gathering with the Copacabana Beach, Brazil, gathering.
This was a free musical event for Rod Stewart on New Year’s Eve in 1994.
There was an audience of 3,5 million, a number that Guinness World Records prided in for many years.
To what extent did it shape the history of mankind? Probably not much.
Attracting an estimated 76 million people or cumulative 670 million, the largest human gathering is the Hindu pilgrimage Maha Kumbh Mela.
With these numbers, Hindus stand at 14,9% of the world population.
What do we learn? We as the church have to look out for that one soul and be practical and physical in our ministry desisting from making virtual noise with no inroads on the ground.
Let’s not be carried by online numbers that can as well be bought.
Some politicians “win” elections virtually, but when actual voting comes they lose spectacularly.
One more event of note is the Azusa Pentecostal revival on April 9, 1906 which began a former African Methodist Episcopal Church building at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles in the United States of America.
It’s noteworthy because the gifts of the Holy Spirit were so evident catching on people in the streets and spreading to 1915.
Up to today, we are still riding on that wave because many preachers born out of it passed the baton.
I make a clarion call to evangelism. Jesus’ words echo in Matthew 18:12, “How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?”
Jesus left heaven and came to meet with us at personal and intimate level.
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Grace and peace be multiplied to you through knowledge.
