Are Big Lights Best?

I read and review a lot of books, and under one of my reviews at Amazon.com, someone criticized my view of mega-churches, and basically told me that “big lights shine brightest.”

I suppose that’s true. After all, look at the sun. Actually, DON’T look at the sun. You’ll go blind.

But his argument was this:

I would say the light that shines farthest is the light that shines brightest at home. If you want to EXPAND the church’s outreach, the bigger you start with, the larger your impact radius can be.

There are so many problems with this way of thinking, it’s hard to know where to begin.

First, let’s agree with his point. Big lights do shine brightest. But does that mean they’re best? It all depends on proximity and purpose. A focused laser can do more damage in less time than the giant sun. Of course, being a few inches from a surgical laser might not kill you, but being that close to the sun sure will. In fact, you’ll never get within a few inches of the sun. You’ll fry long before you get that close. But if you get too far away from the sun, it becomes nothing more than a beautiful pinprick of light in the night sky. We call them stars. Stars are good for romantic nights and navigation, but not for too much else.   

And let’s talk about usefulness also. I’ve already talked about lasers. But let’s get less technological. Imagine a man freezing to death in the Antarctic. Are you going to tell him, “Thank God the sun is shining 23 hours a day!” Of course not. It’s a huge ball of flame, for sure, but so what? It’s not helping. What he needs is a nice little fire up close. Does he need it for the light? No. He needs it for the heat. He would trade all the light of the sun right then for a pile of wood and a tiny match.

Is there a place for big lights? Yes. I really do thank God for the sun and for mega-churches. But are big lights the only ones we need? No. Should all small lights want to be big lights? No. Are big lights best? No.

The issue is not how big the light is, but what the light is doing. And what does God say our light should do? Isaiah 58 is one suggestion: 

Loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, set the oppressed free and break every yoke. …Share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter– when you see the naked, clothe him.

In other words, be a small little match to a freezing man. Big lights may be bright, but that doesn’t mean they’re best.