All Things Bigger

It is in the heart of sinful man for everything to get bigger. He muses that a bigger house and a bigger car, born of his bigger corporation or government will make it better. Of course, the bigger his reputation, the easier it is to get all things bigger. He reasons, “Now that the lottery is bigger, I will play because winning it will be better.” The bigger the man, the better he must be.

This notion of bigger is one way the world infiltrates the church. Bigger named pastors lead bigger churches to get bigger because clearly, the bigger the church, the bigger the blessing from a bigger God.

This also comes with bigger theology: “You are not bigger because you ask not bigger or dream not bigger.” Thus, we surmise that the way of the world, and its lord, has now become the way of the kingdom of God.

How big is your Bible?

The truth is quite different than these machinations of mega-everything. When we open the Bible of any size, it speaks of smaller things. Not that God is not Lord over all things (Acts 10:36): big and small; but biblical proportions are smaller than most people think.

Israel, the beloved of God, is a small concept. In the Old Testament, it the smallest of people groups. Even within that small nation, the true Israel was known as “the remnant (Rom 9:27; 11:5).”

Jesus came from a small town. He had a small flock of followers, who got smaller when His teachings became too narrow (John 6). Later, He said to them, “Fear not little flock” when their big hopes of being big men in a big kingdom were thwarted.

People of the world want to be part of something bigger, but people of God want to be part of something smaller. The small church has a much longer history than the small group (some even disdain that name), but the principle remains the same.

If the truth be told, we love the intimacy of small cozy stables and upper rooms. Admittedly, it’s a little crazy being on a small boat in the storm, but we must learn to live with Jesus in the day of small things.

So, the next time you are in the mega room with the mega crowd at your mega church listening to mega man with today’s mega big (and ironic) message — a personal relationship with one Guy…well, in a small way, I hope you feel that small twinge of irony, as you listen to that still small voice. “Small”…consider it on the not-to-be-despised day of small things, and thus you have my big idea, today.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

February 2, 2022