Do Not Despise Small Beginnings

I remember my first Sunday at my last church in Ohio. There were only about 12 people there on Sunday morning. They just had a major split where there senior pastor and youth pastor both left just months apart and they went from 50 to 12 people just like that.

Some said there were even less than that before. There were talks about just closing the church down before they called another pastor there.

I get there and then after a few months we see some visitors come. An older couple see’s me on facebook inviting people to VBS. It was a retired pastor and his wife. He can sing and she can play the piano! Then her adult son comes with his family and they have like 7 kids that come. Then the other church members start inviting people. Before you know it there is about 30 people every Sunday morning.

Now at first. It was discouraging but God reminds us in His word that he rejoices at small beginnings and He speaks to this in…

Zechariah 4:1–10. Lets read it

1Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and roused me, as a man who is awakened from his sleep.

2He said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it;

3also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side.”

4Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, “What are these, my lord?”

5So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”

6Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.

7‘What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ”

8Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

9“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.

10“For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel—these are the eyes of the Lord which range to and fro throughout the earth.”

God rejoices in small beginnings because He receives the Glory

God rejoices in small beginnings because He see’s the potential not the problem.

God rejoices in small beginnings because of the process more than the end result

The days of small beginnings are not to be despised by embraced! Imagine if we as a church would rejoice in the dreams God has given us. What if we started to see the God given potential we have instead of the worldly problems and embraced the process?