Isaiah 27:12
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.
The redemption of Israel would not be as easy as some would think. God said that the gathering of Israel would be done one by one. In other words, Israel would be brought back together by getting one person at a time. No, it would not be a quick gathering, but it would be a gathering that, if they were patient, would see a great gathering.
One of the secrets to building anything is patience in the process. A bus route is not built overnight, but it is built by getting one person at a time to ride your bus. A Sunday school class is not built quickly, but it is built one by one. A church does not grow into a large church quickly, but it grows one by one.
I was talking to one of my ministry workers before our Saturday soul winning meeting, and they were talking about building their route. They were becoming a bit impatient with the growth of their route. I asked them, “Do you know how to fill your bus by the end of the year?” They looked at me a bit strange and then asked me how to do it. I told them to add one new rider a week, and by the end of the year they would have fifty-two new riders on their bus. I told them if they did this, they would likely have one of the biggest routes in our church. My friend, this is the secret to gathering a large crowd so you can spread the Gospel in a much greater manner. Let me share four thoughts about gathering one by one.
First, you can’t be content with not gathering if you are going to gather. Too many have a wrong mindset about growth. You will never lead anyone to Christ if you are just content with giving tracts and nothing else. You have to witness to people to see people get saved. Likewise, you are sure not to grow if you do not look to add to what you have.
Second, you will never get the hundreds or thousands if you don’t go after the one. Thousands are made of hundreds; hundreds of made of tens, and tens are made of ones. One person is critical to getting to a hundred. Each one you get is how you grow into a larger church. Instead of trying to get the big crowd, get one each week, and you will find that the one will grow into hundreds.
Third, your perspective of gathering is what makes it seem possible. The way to keep from becoming impatient is to see that you can get there by going after people one by one. Getting to a certain number is relatively easy when you break down what you are trying to do. For instance, there are eight hundred and four apartments in the Oklahoma City metro. If I can get two people per apartment complex to come to my church, I will be running sixteen hundred in church. It is simply the perspective that lets you realize that the big goal is reachable.
Fourth, you won’t gather a great crowd if you don’t stay to get the great crowd. It takes time to gather a big crowd, but you will only get there without gathering one person at a time. You will never gather the hundreds or the thousands if you are not willing to stay where you are for decades. It is possible for God to do something mighty in your ministry, but you must be willing to stay for decades as you gather people one by one.
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