It's The People

3-8-2010
It’s The People

I had the privilege of visiting with an old friend of mine yesterday, and it reminded me of one of the simplest truths: it’s all about the people! People make up the church, schools, teams, businesses, and etcetera. You can have the nicest building in the world, with all of the state of the art amenities, and the greatest business and marketing plan imaginable, but if you don’t have the right people, you will fail.

When we look at the greatest churches in the world, they were founded by God inspired people. That doesn’t mean they were perfect, but the people made things happen. The first churches in the Bible were founded by people not buildings. It’s easy to view a church as the structure where the people reside, but the Bible tells us the people are the church, and where they reside is irrelevant. Who they worship is what matters.

Two of my friends are looking at starting a business, and it was my honor to give my advice about their goals. They are very excited about moving to the next chapter in their life, and had picked out the “perfect building” for their new business. While I admit the building is very nice, and they did great job picking it out, I’m not convinced it’s the answer to what they are looking for. In my opinion, I feel they can be even more successful without such an expensive piece of property. As I explained my reasoning, the simplest truth became clear. People go bankrupt buying buildings. Other people spend their time and resources on building people and the building they should acquire becomes clear.

As much as I love baseball, I feel the movie “Field of Dreams” really led some people in the wrong direction. There’s a quote in the movie that says, “If you build it they will come.” In the move Kevin Costner builds a baseball field based on this quote. The movie of course turned out good; after all it’s a MOVIE. Unfortunately, a lot of people took this approach with their financial futures and “built it” but not enough people showed up! Years later and a lot of money out the door, the life lesson was learned.
Your life is similar to a successful church or business; it’s about the people you surround yourself with. Jesus Christ utilized everyday people like you and me to change the world. He didn’t use buildings and fancy marketing techniques. He used people! As you reflect on your life, who do you live life with? Are they the type of people that make you a better person? Is it time to find some new friends? Are you plugged in to a local church community where you can build relationships with quality like-minded believers? Remember, the quality of your life isn’t about the stuff you have, it’s about a relationship with your maker and the way in which that relationship is lived out in the lives of others!