Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing
If you've been around these parts much lately, you've heard a consistent theme, from our InterMission to our current sermon series theme. Our mission--our Co-Mission with Jesus actually--is to "make disciples." That's not new information, but it is a helpful reminder to keep us focused on why we are here.
As someone once said, the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. So how do we do that? How do we live our lives in such a way so that we intentionally reach out to our community with the gospel and disciple them to Christian maturity? Every church asks those questions, or at least they should. But the answers we come up with are not always the same.
I read recently of a church in Georgia that was having "revival" services and as part of their outreach was giving away a raffle ticket to every person who attended one of their Sunday-to-Wednesday services. Each attendee was entered in a drawing for two $500 gas cards. It got results. The church ended up having to put in a new phone line and hire a receptionist just to answer the calls about the giveaway.
Bless their hearts. But in case you are wondering, we won't be using that kind of gimmick to draw people to a church service any time soon. I don't think that's what Jesus meant when He called us to make disciples.
The key to making disciples is...disciples being disciples, and thus being disciple-makers. The key to reaching people is...people, like you and me, who live among our neighbors, love on them in the name of Jesus, and share a life-changing message they desperately need to hear.
In his book, Leading Beyond the Walls, pastor Adam Hamilton says that every church will flounder if it does not wrestle with and answer these three questions:
Why do people need Jesus Christ?
Why do people need the church?
Why do people need thischurch?
The answers to those questions are not that complex, really. People need Jesus Christ because only in Him can be found the answers to the most serious problems that we all face--ultimately salvation from sin's curse, and the gift of eternal life with the Father. People need the church because God created us to live in community and fellowship with other Christ-followers and to be the "body of Christ" to one another. We are born with a need to belong.
Why do people need The Church at Shelby Crossings? Well, I'll let you answer that. And when you determine the answer, be sure to share it with an unchurched friend.
I'm praying for you, as you live your life "on mission" this week, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
--Pastor Ken
]]
