In most churches, attendance is usually higher on Sunday morning than in other services. The evening service and prayer meeting are often attended by a smaller amount of people. I remember a time during college when the only people who showed up for prayer meeting were the pastor’s family and me. While low attendance can be discouraging at times, it doesn’t need to be. That small group of people is usually made up of those who are faithful and willing to be used by God.
- What does it say?
Gideon’s army (Judges 7:1-8) – When God raised up Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites, 32,000 soldiers joined him for the battle. From God’s perspective this was too many. After a series of tests, God whittled the army down to 300 people. It was a very small army compared to the huge Midianite army. But God used that small group to defeat the Midianites in one evening.
Samson vs. 1000 (Judges 15:14-15) – When the Philistines demanded the arrest of Samson, the Israelite army delivered him over to them. When they saw him bound with ropes and being marched to them, they were excited to finally exact revenge against their enemy. But God had other plans. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, he broke the ropes, and he killed 1000 Philistines with only the jawbone of a donkey.
Jonathan and his armor bearer (1 Sam. 14:6-7) – During the reign of King Saul, Jonathan was his second in command. Many of the soldiers had fled from the Philistines and there were only 600 left. This was an impossibly small army especially when being led by a king who was no longer helped by God. But in the middle of this bad situation, there were two men who still trusted in God to do great things. When Jonathan suggested that God was not limited by many or few, his armor bearer agreed to go with him. With God’s help, they defeated twenty enemy soldiers.
David vs. Goliath (1 Sam. 17:33-37) – When David visited his brothers at the battle front, he was surprised that nobody agreed to fight Goliath. When he told Saul that he would fight the giant, the king thought it was impossible. David told King Saul that the Lord had delivered a lion and a bear into his hands. He was confident that the Lord would also deliver the giant into his hands. With God’s enablement, that is just what happened.
Elijah (1 Kings 18:20-22) – During the great apostasy of Israel, many people turned away from the Lord and worshiped idols. Elijah the prophet remained faithful to the Lord and tried to convince the people to turn back to the one, true God. When he challenged the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, it was him against 450 of them. Despite the size difference, God honored the faith of one man, answered his prayer, and sent fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice.
The church in Nymphas’ house (Col. 4:15) – At the end of his epistle to the church at Colossae, Paul sent his greetings to Nymphas and the church that was in his house. Not much is said about them—only that the church was in his house. Apparently, a small church met in Nymphas’ house. At that time, they didn’t have church buildings but met where space was available. Imagine what that would be like today. How many people could gather in a house. The number would probably be small. But that didn’t matter to Paul or to the Lord. They were still noteworthy despite their size. - What does it mean?
God is often glorified better by a small group (Judges 7:2).
One thing we learn from God’s interaction with Gideon is that large groups often think they are responsible for the victory. If God had allowed the 32,000 soldiers to attack the Midianites, it would have been impressive but also a temptation to be proud. Reducing the army to 300 made it clear that God was the reason for the victory. What else could they say? God did it not them.
God is not limited by the size of a group (1 Sam. 14:6).
The odds were against the Israelites. And yet Jonathan didn’t take that into account. He knew something that few others believed. “Nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.” In other words, it was God’s power that would give the victory even when the numbers didn’t add up. And Jonathan proved this to be true by trusting the Lord to defeat twenty people. The same could be said of David versus Goliath and Samson versus the 1000 Philistines. God was the deciding factor not the numbers involved.
God works through those who trust Him.
In each of these cases, God didn’t wait until enough people showed up to get busy. He used those who trusted Him. Elijah was all alone on Mount Carmel. David was all alone against Goliath. The church at Nymphas’ house didn’t have their own building. But in each case, the people trusted God and He used them despite regardless of the number of people involved. They trusted Him and God rewarded their faith. These are the types of people whom God has used in the past and will use today. - How does it apply?
Stop counting.
It is tempting for us to count how many people attend each service. In the past, certain groups published their attendance figures, professions of faith, baptisms, and number of church members. While it can be encouraging to see people saved and people being added to the church, is this the metric that God is looking for? Remember what Acts 2:47 says: “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” God will build His church. It may be large or it may be small. As Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. Don’t focus on numbers. Focus on what God is doing.
Choose to be faithful to God by yourself.
There may come a time when you are the only one left. Elijah felt this way. And he was the only faithful one on Mount Carmel. However, he chose to be faithful regardless of the number who followed him. We must do the same. Our goal is not to retire with the largest Sunday School class in Ohio. It is something much higher. We should be faithful over the long haul and look forward to hearing our Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” If we are focused on God’s approval, we will not be worried about the size of our church or the number of people who visit. Be faithful to the Lord.
Unite with others who are being faithful.
It is interesting how faithful people attract other faithful people. Jonathan who trusted the Lord to give him the victory over the twenty Philistines became the very close friend of David after he killed Goliath (1 Sam. 18:1). Why was this? I think it was more than just similar battle stories. Jonathan saw in David someone who trusted in the Lord and this similar focus made him want to be friends. Every Christian should seek to point others to Christ. But they should also seek out friendships that are encouraging. When two people both are focused on the Lord, they will find that they have much in common. And that friendship is called fellowship. Both are going in the same direction and find spiritual encouragement and companionship. Find someone who is being faithful to the Lord and you will find a true friend.
Conclusion
There are times when a small church may be tempted to think they are not successful based on the number of people attending. But is that truly the case? Is the size of the church what really matters? Or is God looking for faithfulness regardless of the size? After looking at these biblical examples, I am convinced that God is more interested in faithfulness than size. So, let us be faithful to God whether we are alone or accompanied by many others. God is not limited by size and is often more glorified by a small group. Keep that in mind.