What of Caperaum?

“And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” (Mt 4:13-16 AV)

In today’s climate, Capernaum would not be on the radar of many church plants.  In today’s climate, if a church isn’t planted and growing to over one hundred within twelve months, it is abandoned.  This results in more and more church plants being established in already saturated land.  The justification for it is some minor doctrinal difference.  The church down the road doesn’t have a strong enough stand on some issue of personal separation, so there needs to be a ‘genuine church’.  The church down the road doesn’t go soul-winning as much as the missionary thinks they should, so obviously the church is labeled as ‘back-slidden’.  So, instead of working with that church and reinvigorating their outreach, a new church plant is started.  Or the most common I have seen is a small group of families become disenchanted (translation: they are no longer the most important family in the church) so there needs to be a new church started because there are no ‘good churches’ around.  What is sad is that if the effort to start churches were focused in truly un-reached and spiritually dark areas of our nation, revival would break out!  This great nation of our would be transformed if those preachers who are led to start churches would venture out of the over-saturated bible-belt and preach the word in the Caparnaums of this country.

When Christ started His earthly ministry, he did not go to Jerusalem to do it.  He went to the one area were the distinction between the gospel and the darkness would be the most vivid.  Capernaum was the most northern major city closest to Israel’s pagan neighbors.  Jesus didn’t go where there were plenty of synagogues.  He went to the city were there wasn’t one.  He went to the city that was so spiritually dark that it took a Roman Centurion (Non-Jewish) officer to build a synagogue out of his own pocket.  Jesus went to the neediest first.  Not to the already reached yet rejecting crowd.

Years ago, when reading a thread meant to spread the word for pastorless churches seeking a shephard, a response by a preacher was predictable, but disheartening.  He remarked that no one should venture into this particular area of our nation because no one gets saved there anymore.  He defended his own geographical area as the only area where God was active.  If it wasn’t spoken out of shear ignorance, a comment like that would be both offensive and sad.  The truth of the matter is, attitudes like that is exactly why we are losing the battle.  Lack of churches is an indication the gospel needs to be preached there.  Jesus said himself the whole need not a physician.  That is why He went to the sickest of them all first!  We need more men called to the Capernaums of our nation.  We need more who will take the road less traveled and bear under the hardest of work.  What we do no need is more synagogues on every corner which only result in more, but smaller, churches.  We need those who are willing to do where the darkness is the greatest.  If it was good enough for Jesus Christ, it should be good enough for us!