Why Would Anyone Want to Minister in San Francisco?
Good Question! I'm glad you asked...
In the year 1996, 46% of the world's population resided in cities. Then it was estimated that by 2030, 61% of all people will be city-dwellers. In 2023 some 56% of the world’s population – 4.4 billion inhabitants – live in cities. This trend is expected to continue, with the urban population more than doubling its current size by 2050, at which point nearly 7 of 10 people will live in cities.
While we did see an exit from the cities during the 2020 Covid Crisis (because technology allowed people to work remotely, using “Zoom”, text messaging, “slack”, email, etc.) the trend is moving swiftly for more people to relocate into the great cities of the world.
Since New Testament days, the city church has been the only hope for millions of people who had no hope in these crowded cities. Godly men and women who have committed themselves to minister through the city church have been used by the Lord to reach millions for the Lord.
Cities are made up of great crowds of people.
What did Jesus see when He looked at the great crowds?
- Matthew 9:36 (NASB) Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.
Where did Jesus go first to teach and preach?
- Matthew 11:1 (NASB) When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.
What was Jesus' attitude toward crowded cities?
- Luke 19:41 (NASB) When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it.
- Matthew 14:14 (NASB) When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.
- Mark 6:34 (NASB) When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
What was Jesus' heart's desire for the great city of Jerusalem?
- Matthew 23:37 (NASB) “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling."
Where did Jesus send the seventy to minister?
- Luke 10:1 (NASB) Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.
To what city did Jesus send the apostles of the early church to begin the spread of the Gospel?
- Acts 1:4 & 8 (NASB) Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me... 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
The early church started in the cities and later spread to the countryside.
Today there are many country churches and very few city churches.
Why do you think more Christians who live outside of cities are not called to the cities? Some reasons may include personal preferences, fear of the unknown - it's not familiar to them, what they hear and see in the media and from other Christians, and maybe even expense.
Here's another questions: Why don't more Christians who already live in the cities feel called to spread the gospel in the cities? Some have the fear of losing a job for speaking up about their faith, they grow weary in well-doing, they feel overwhelmed by the size of the opportunity, they are getting their eyes on the troubles rather than the opportunities, and they are not being challenged in a good local church (which is sometimes hard to find).
In what condition did Paul find the city of Athens?
- Acts 17:16 (NASB) Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.
What was Paul's response to what he saw in the city of Athens?
- Acts 17:16-17 (NASB) Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. 17 So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present.
Paul just got busy building relationships and speaking truth to those he met as he went about his business in the city!
What kind of dangers and difficulties faced Paul and the Christians in the early church?
Acts 20:22-23 (NASB) And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.
How did Paul encourage those early Christians to respond to the dangers and difficulties they faced as they served the Lord?
Acts 20:24 (NASB) … I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
What kind of problems did Paul have to overcome to follow God's will for his life?
II Corinthians 11:26-27 (NASB) I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
Did the cities pose serious dangers for Christians like Paul? Of course they did! But can God secure our safety in the city? Of course He can!
Acts 18:9-10 (NASB) And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
Should you and I respond to the needs of the city just as the Lord Jesus, the apostles, and the early Christians did? Of course we should! Consider what often happens to people who are saved in the city. First, they are converted - they are saved. Then they begin to grow and learn to live a life pleasing to the Lord. They experience spiritual healing and begin to leave behind the sins which had devastated their lives. They begin to advance in every area of their lives: employment, education, relationships, marriage, and the rearing of children.
But then, something dramatic begins to take place. They begin to question why they are living in such an ungodly place. They notice how expensive it is to live in the city. They find better employment opportunities elsewhere. Suddenly, the city has lost its attractiveness, and they begin to think that perhaps God is leading them to "the better life" in the suburbs or the countryside.
Has God really called us to find and live "the better life"? No, He did not.
Matthew 8:19-20 (NASB) Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
There are a number of wrong reasons to leave the city.
"The city church is not a conveyor belt from the lost streets to a comfortable life somewhere a long way away."
- Dr. Christopher Cagan of Fundamental Baptist Tabernacle, Los Angeles, California
Why can too much concern about comfort, pleasure, or the pursuit of wealth be dangerous?
Luke 8:7 & 14 (NASB) Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. ... Luke 8:14 (NASB) The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
So what do we do?
The world is indeed a mess.
But the Lord has called us to be salt and light in the midst of the mess! Do you know the Lord? Do you love Him enough to live a life of consistent Christian character? Are you studying God's Word with a heart to obey what it says? Will you stand like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah? Will God be able to bless you as He blessed them? Take your stand! Be a Daniel! Be strong in the Lord!