By:  Greg Arnold

Say it with me, “one of the chief factors of success is… location, location, location.”  It’s tough to get customers to visit a shopping mall if it’s located in the dessert.  You would be hard pressed to build a successful business selling mangos to a community where mangos grow like weeds.

Do you often get frustrated with your faith life because there doesn’t seem to be anyone interested?  In Acts, Christ tells His mighty men to spread the good news to Jerusalem, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.  What He is saying here is this… take care of business at home first.  Then go tell your enemies and the people you don’t like or hang out with.  When you are done with that… go tell the strangers.

Don’t buy into the hype that in order to be a good man of God… a “good Christian” that you need to go to church and work on your “to do” list.  Your duty to God begins at home.  Leading your family to a deeper understanding of how faith pulls everything together.  We should go to church to worship God and learn from one another how to be better men of God.

If spreading the good news is your business… how successful will we be if we open up shop in a place that is already spreading the good news?   I think they call that “preaching to the choir”.

Your pastor is well equipped to build up the flock and spread the good news and give you ways to live it out on a daily basis.  The fellowship of believers is your workshop and your fuel to go and do it “out there”.

Jesus spent His ministry on the fringe. His location was among those who needed to hear His word of hope.  He demonstrated for us the best practice, the proper model.  Then He instructed His faithful few disciples on how to continue that journey.

We need to repaint the picture of faith.  God doesn’t call us to go to the church and spread the good news.  God calls us to the church for fellowship and strength.

Being a man of faith is totally about location.  If church is the only location where you demonstrate your faith… then you’ve missed it.  You’re working under a poor business model.  Growth and expansion happens when you get your location right.

Faith at home.  Faith in the face of people you don’t like.  and Faith among people you don’t know – These are your locations.

Open up shop in the best location and live your faith right where you are.  Exist in the lives of people around you who are counting on your faith to help them build their own faith.
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