(860) 621-6701The proverbial saying ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ suggests that a complex task or great achievement takes time and effort and should not be rushed. It takes a long time to do a task properly, and you should not rush it or expect to do it quickly. Rome was and is one of the world’s greatest cities but it was built over thousands of years as it grew from a small settlement to a buzzing metropolis.
We can easily overestimate the importance of building a Roman empire and underestimate the importance of laying another brick. Actually Rome is just the result, the bricks are the system. The system is greater than the goal. Focusing on your habits is more important than worrying about your outcomes. Of course, there’s nothing necessarily impressive about laying a brick. It’s not a fantastic amount of work. It’s not a grand feat of strength or stamina or intelligence. Nobody is going to applaud you for it. But laying a brick every day, year after year is how you build an empire. You don’t have to build everything you want today, but you do have to find a way to lay another brick.
Building a church is not accomplished in a day, a week or a year but over a lifetime. It begins by one visit and then another and another. A church is built as the preacher presents one doctrine after another and preaches one sermon after another. Time, faithfulness and effort are the primary elements in the success of building a church. The longevity of the pastor is one of the most important elements of building a strong church. Longevity in itself does not guarantee church growth but without it is almost certain the church will not reach its potential.
US Navy Seal, Admiral William H. McRaven in an inspiring speech stated, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right. If, by chance, you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made. That you made. And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”
If you want to make a difference in reaching the souls of men it will comes through your faithfulness and diligence to do the daily tasks over a long period of time. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. — Isaiah 28:13. Don’t procrastinate to do the little tasks that build a church. Start every day with determination to start and build God’s church.
