IT'S TIME TO STRETCH

A few days ago Carol and I were at a weekly prayer meeting here in our community. A group of 10 to 15 gather in a home on Wednesday evenings to pray for the needs of our world.

As we were gathering, I conversed with one of the couples; the husband is ninety-four and his wife is in her late eighties. The wife excitedly told me that they are building a new home in the area, and my first reaction was, “Oh, you’re downsizing, right?” After all, they’re both advanced in age, and don’t you normally downsize when you get older?” The wife’s response left me speechless. “No” she said, “we’re building a bigger place. We need more room!”

The more I thought about this conversation, the more I realized how it illustrates an important spiritual principle that has been largely forgotten.

Most Christians, once they hit middle age, go into neutral as far as spiritual growth goes. And then, after a few years in neutral, they begin a slow slide downward as they prepare for eternity. I’m not saying they are backsliding, I’m just saying they stop pressing on, stop pushing for spiritual growth. They are downsizing or just maintaining . . . and that’s a mistake.

Let’s talk for a minute about spiritual growth and how it happens.

I like real easy growth. I enjoy being able to stay in my comfort zone, in my spiritual easy chair, without ever having to put forth any kind of effort to grow.

Say it any way you want and talk as euphemistically as you can, but putting forth an effort/stretching to grow is now, and always will be, a painful process. I am honest when I tell you that I think I have been through enough pain, and the thought of going through more does not thrill me. I think much of my apprehension of stretching/expanding is the fear of giving up my hold on the familiar, the comfortable, and stepping into the unknown of the new.

Two hundred and twenty years ago the Church was largely dominated by extreme Calvinism that said, “If God wants the heathen to be saved, He will do it without any help from us.” But swimming against the tide of prevailing thought came a young Baptist preacher who delivered a message that has become known as “the sermon that will not die.” The young preacher’s name was William Carey and his sermon text was Isaiah 54:2-3 (NIV):

 "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide,
       do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.

 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
       your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.”

Carey’s message was very simple, with only two points:

One:  EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD

Two:  ATTEMPT GREAT THINGS FOR GOD

William Carey’s message ignited a worldwide flood of missions and evangelism, and he became known as the Father of Modern Missions. It was his faith, vision, and personal sacrifice that opened nations such as India to the Gospel, and his dedication and commitment that inspired thousands of others to leave their home countries, step out in faith, and follow his example.

So when Isaiah said, “Enlarge, strengthen, lengthen and stretch,” just what was he talking about?

I believe that Isaiah was talking about the conscious desire to grow as a follower of Christ, to improve oneself, to step out in faith. Conscious growth is a choice that you make about your personal limits, about how big you want to grow in Christ. 

Unconscious growth is what happens naturally and without your decision-making process being involved. I didn’t make a decision when I was a child to grow to be six feet three inches tall. It happened naturally. Isaiah is challenging us on the level where we can choose to grow—to grow in faith and in our knowledge of God. We can choose to expand our vision. We can choose to expand our levels of commitment. Isaiah is saying, “Grow in God, grow in faith, grow in good works because you choose to. Set some new personal markers farther out than you have ever gone before and then step out and go for it.”

These areas of growth are our choice. The Apostle Paul was talking in this same way when he said, “Forgetting what lies behind and straining (stretching) forward to what lies ahead, I press on” (Philippians 3:13-14, ESV). Paul was using the illustration of a runner who leans forward and stretches toward the finish line. The Apostle was indicating that he had made a personal choice to press on, to stretch toward the goal.

I have never seen this portrayed more dramatically than during the 2004 Olympics. Michael Phelps, the champion swimmer, was in one of his final races and as the swimmers came to the finish line, it was anybody’s guess who would win. The camera shot we saw was from underwater and it looked like the swimmer on Phelps’ left was a tiny bit ahead of him. Both Phelps and the other swimmer reached for the electronic pad at the finish line at virtually the same time, but Phelps was able to push himself and stretch just a little quicker and farther than the others—and he won. It was incredible!

William Carey heard the call to stretch, and because he responded to the call, the era of modern missions in the Church was born. What area of your spiritual life is the Lord speaking to you about? Listen to Him and respond, as He says, “It’s time to step out; it’s time to stretch!”