Having served churches in countries all over the world and throughout the US, one thing has become really clear to us: there are only two types of churches.

In the first, the leadership believes no one is coming to faith. People are choosing the world over Jesus left and right, the world is going to hell in a handbasket, and there’s really no hope. Things are in a dire state.

In the second, the church believes God is at work. He’s actively involved in people’s lives and drawing them to Himself at every moment. He’s preparing people to visit on Sunday, and all we have to do is play our part in what He’s already doing to transform lives.

And here’s the thing: the results each church gets match what it believes.

I’m not talking about the power of positive thinking. I’m talking about realizing this: if we don’t believe God is working, we won’t prepare like He is. But if we believe He is, we’ll prepare to do our part in His work and His story, and that story will play out through our church to reach many people.

It all starts with believing that God wants to send people to our church, that He is sending them, and that we have to get prepared.

So let me challenge you. What do you believe about what’s happening in your church and in your community? Do you believe everything is heading the wrong way? Or do you believe God is touching hearts throughout your community every moment? That when people lay their heads on their pillows, they’re thinking about Him, and He’s preparing them for a visit, a moment we can step into, whether through a Sunday morning service or by meeting them out in the community and loving them well?

If we build a congregation that believes God is at work and all we have to do is play our part, we’re going to see more fruit for the kingdom than we’ve ever seen before.

Thank you for what you do for the King and the kingdom.