GRASSHOPPERS

Just A Thought To Think About – GRASSHOPPERS.

Grasshoppers are interestingly referenced in Scripture. Sometimes they are referenced as locusts. What needs to be understood is that they are pesky creatures that can easily become a nuisance. They are described in Encyclopedia Britannica as: “any of a group of jumping insects that are found in a variety of habitats. They occur in greatest numbers in lowland tropical forests, semi-arid regions, and grass-lands…One lone grasshopper can't do too much harm, although it eats about half its body weight in plants each day—but when locusts swarm, their combined feeding habits can completely defoliate a landscape, leaving farmers without crops and people without food. In the U.S. alone, grasshoppers cause about $1.5 billion in damage to grazing lands each year.” 

The Biblical reference about the grasshopper is in Numbers 13:26-33. When the spies were sent out by Moses to assess and  explore The Promised Land, they return with a mixed report. All of the spies concur that it is a fruitful and prosperous land. That being reported, ten of the spies share a negative concern. They said: “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are. And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.” To reinforce their presentation, they tell the people about walled and fortified cities. Additionally they said: The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.”

It is at this point that they place emphasis upon the large size of the inhabitants by adding: “We seemed like GRASSHOPPERS in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” They have returned with A Grasshopper Mentality. The Grasshopper Mentality impacts the hearers negatively: (1) It will cause the people to underestimate their potential; (2) It will cause them to disregard the Power of God and forgetting their impetus: ‘I can’t - - but – God can and will’; (3) It will paralyze an entire generation – becoming wholly incapable of forward movement; (4) The ten willingly lead the people astray and to disbelieve God: and (5)  All of the people will miss out on the available blessings of God IF ONLY they had followed the Lord Wholeheartedly - only two men (Joshua and Caleb) will ultimately realize those blessings in The Promised Land.

Many church ministries are thwarted and hindered by leadership that is governed and exhibited by two non-Biblical characteristics: (1) Obviously, church officers and people with The Grasshopper Mentality, and (2) church officers and people who lack commitment to and confidence in the Lord and following Him wholeheartedly. It is the half-heartedness that has been crippling the church and hindering effective ministry. There has been a failure to align the local church with The Church of which Jesus spoke – Matthew 16:18 (MSG), “This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.”

What has become of that church that is “so expansive with energy”? Is the Church of which Jesus was speaking in need of a refresher course from Revelation 2 and 3 and comparing what they have become with that which The Head of the Church requires of His Church? Consider His first observation and questions about one of the seven churches referenced – Revelation 2:4-5 (MSG) – “You walked away from your first love—why? What’s going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you’ve fallen? A Lucifer fall!” This is where The Grasshopper Mentality will bring one – namely – confrontation with The Head of the Church, Jesus Christ – and his assessment, recommendation and/or condemnation. Will the church leaders and people in the local context listen to The Head – or – will they be content with their demise as they cherish  and cling to their Grasshopper Mentality?

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.