Last weekend I gave a seminar to hispanic pastors and leaders who were passionate and hungry for Jesus but very poor economically. The majority worked in meat-packing plants and other low paying jobs in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and South Dakota. Even the senior pastors needed to work fulltime jobs to feed their families. Although I felt for their economic condition, I also knew that their hardships actually kept them dependent on Jesus, more zealous for spiritual things, and passionate about God's work. I could sense their passion for the things of God as I taught the seminar. I've seen this same hunger for God among the poor in the Elim Church in San Salvador and in many other places in the world.

Passionate people who are on-fire for Jesus make the cell church strategy work. Cells don't have a magical formula in and of themselves. The greatest danger, in fact, is apathy. It's the attitude that  says,  "I'm very materially comfortable and don't need a thing. I don't have time to join a cell, enter the training track, etc."
 
Donald McGravran, the founder of Church Growth,  warned of a phenomenon that happens when people come to Christ, experience all the benefits of the gospel, and are lifted up economically to the point of becoming satisfied with the "things."  He used the phrase  "redemption and lift" to refer to this problem. Being redeemed and lifted up is a wonderful thing, but it's possible to becomes satisfied with possessions and lose the passion for God, the church, and reaching out.  

We who live in a materialistic culture have to continually guard against this problem, asking Jesus to allow us to live in a state of hunger, thirst and personal crisis (in a positive sense), so that we will always know our need for God. We need to pray fervently that when God lifts us up with all the benefits of the gospel that we will stay humble, zealous, and desirous of His love and grace more than anything else.

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Joel Comiskey