I’ve been reading through Matthew lately. In several places in the first few chapters, we see a scene similar to this one:
“Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.” (Matthew 8:18)
Again, Jesus did this in several places. Why?
Jesus knew what every Christ-follower has realized from that moment until today: Following Christ is hard.
Jesus wanted real disciples. And Jesus knew that the majority of the crowd weren’t interested in following Him. They were motivated by any number of personal agendas and needs. But real discipleship wasn’t one of them.
Beware the large crowds!
If you’re drawing a huge crowd in your youth ministry, it might mean what you’re saying isn’t in line with the Gospel. It might mean that you’re feeding the senses, but not the heart. It might mean that you are delivering experiences and not calling students to follow Christ above all else.
It MIGHT mean that. But it might not. You may have a crowd of committed followers who have gravitated to you because they FEED of the true, powerful, Gospel-centered message you faithfully pour into their lives.
But, it MIGHT mean something else.
Do you have an audience? If your answer is “yes,” today would be a GREAT time to think about your message and whether the crowds are there because your message is easy on the ears, or because your message is food for the soul.
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