Low Hanging Fruit

Will Marler • February 25, 2022

What would you consider the nuts and bolts of a local Christian assembly? Does the correct answer get mixed up in the conventional American church? Traditionally, local assemblies expected all ministry to flow through its Pastor.

They are to marry and bury and preach the gospel and handle the day-to-day operations of the church. All while the congregation is relegated to financial support and providing the occasional volunteer.

However, this makes it difficult to fulfill Jesus' commission of Matthew 28:19. We are called to go into the world and make disciples of all people. To do this, the Church should look more like a well-run conglomerate than a small business. Empowering multiple ministries to move into the community and managed by its members. Senior Pastors across America are using this blueprint to get into the fabric of their local communities. And consequently, they grow thriving, influential churches.

Their assemblies offer more than Sunday service. They are energized by committed Christians with purpose-driven assignments and are positioned for success. This concept is what Jesus meant when he preached on salt and light.

Matthew 5:13-16 13 ″You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14″You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden...16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Salt

Looking at the qualities of salt gives us a great picture of what Jesus meant when he shared these words with His disciples. In His time, salt was an essential mineral for everyday life. It was crucial for food preparation and preservation. But for it to be effective, it had to be applied.

Salt in a shaker will not season anything. We must place it on the food to have an effect. This is how a church should minister. Where all members are encouraged to make a difference in the community by serving in the community. And it would be impossible for the church to operate at maximum efficiency if only a few were expected to serve. When everyone engages, transformation happens in the community and in the church.

Light

Too often churches focus only on bible studies and Sunday sermons and prayer meetings exclusive to its members. Oh yes, there is the occasional guest, but more time is spent memorizing scriptures and less time applying them. We end up shining our bright light on each other, blinding ourselves into thinking this is what Jesus wants.

“Shining our light before others,” is getting outside our church building and expressing what we learn to those who live in the dark. This brings us to low-hanging fruit.

The Path of Least Resistance

As a former salesman, I understand the principle of the path of least resistance. The easiest deal to close is the customer who desperately needs what you sell. A smart salesperson will focus their attention on potential customers who need

their product. For example, it’s not wise for a seller of home improvements to target owners living in new subdivisions. No, they should focus on older neighborhoods where houses are in need of repair.

I have seen too many churches only concerned with its members. They boast about their theology and their baptism and their plan of salvation. Too often they try to sell their brand of religion to someone who is quite comfortable with their own.

Christians answering the call of discipleship seek to win souls. They look for people who need what they have to offer—the Love of Christ.

Jesus told us when we care for the least in our community, we care for Him (Mathew 25:40). These are the poor in our community. The widows. The orphans. The fatherless.

In a recent conversation, a local pastor told me his church tripled his children's ministry by caring for foster children. Why? When visitors recognized the church cared for these kids, they knew it would care for theirs.

When the children’s ministry grows within a church, the church grows as well. Therefore, the path to least resistance is to minister to children who desperately need Jesus because they are low-hanging fruit.

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The Power of a Crumb

By Will Marler • July 12, 2022

The power of a crumb can lift every burden, heal every affliction, and answer any prayer. Jesus is the Bread of Life, and He is able.

Essential Oil

By Will Marler • July 7, 2022

Essential Oil 2 Kings 4:1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” In the fourth chapter of Second Kings, we learn of a widow left with a huge debt but only a small jar of oil to her name. A debt so insurmountable, her dead husband’s creditors were coming to enslave her sons as a reckoning. In the first verse, we begin to understand the widow’s desperation, but do we recognize the miraculous work unfolding through her faith. Circumstances do not determine our future but may reveal where our dependence lies. A Widow in Need Here we find a widow’s dependence on a miracle to be revealed. She did not seek help from a king or the governing powers, nor did she try to rectify the matter herself. Instead, she sought the help of her only connection to her creator, the prophet Elisha anointed by God. Simply put, she chose the only Savior capable of helping her in her plight. The comforts we seek, the securities we cling to, and the solutions we cultivate by our strength can create dangerous independence from God. How often do we devise well-planned solutions and present them to God? Then pray for Him to confirm our thought-out strategies to resolve our circumstances instead of releasing the problem to the Lord. Opportunity Lost In doing so, we could miss an opportunity for revelation. For God’s response to our struggles is a study in faith. In verses one through six, we find Elisha giving the woman detailed instructions to gather many vessels and fill from her limited supply of oil. Imagine this act of obedience as the desperate mother gathers all the vessels she and her sons could find. Let’s not miss the opportunity like that of the widow, whose faith was limited only by the number of vessels she collected. God’s provision is supplied by our readiness to obedience where His process allows His promises to prevail. Lesson Learned She returns home and begins pouring from her jar. One by one, she fills each vessel. Then the promise of the Father allows her to sell her abundance, pay her debts, and save her children from bondage. The Lord offers provision to all of us. One in which our debts are settled, and our lives are restored. His grace covers the debt of our past and extends to us a hopeful future. An abundance of mercy, as our sins are reconciled through the blood of Jesus. Only He is the provision that meets us where we live. Only he is the hope that sustains us. Only he is our essential oil. Not some counterfeit ideology, a government program, or a class offered in college, but a love that covers our deepest needs. He is the beginning and the end of our humanity, and there is nothing from man that should be in-between. Lord, help us to trust you. To exhibit complete dependence and obedience and the utmost faith in your plan. Help us choose your wisdom and knowledge rather than relying on my talents and resources, learning the importance of total dependence on You. Learn More If you would like more information about Legacy Acres, please contact us today . Will Marler is the executive director of Legacy Acres , a Christian non-profit that exists to provide emergency shelter to abused abandoned, and neglected children with no place to go.