The Main Thing

Returning back from Australia and having coached pastors seeking church transformation it has sharpened my focus on ensuring the main thing is truly the main thing.
It is so easy to be deflected from the main thing.
No deflection more common than Christians under your charge not getting it.
I accept, as Dallas Willard writes, that "non-discipleship is the elephant in the room." But so often the correcting of that elephant leads to the main thing no longer being the main thing.

The main thing is not discipleship.

Neither is the main thing evangelism.

The main thing is the Gospel, or as Jesus defined it, the coming of the Kingdom of God.

This is bigger than discipleship, this is broader than evangelism.

Discipleship can so often be both insular and individual; evangelism can so often be formulaic and point in time oriented.

The Gospel, the coming of the Kingdom of God, is corporate and tangible, process and story.

The elephant in the room often leads to us shrinking everything, and this is the call of the Main Thing: KEEP IT GOD SIZED.

So we return from Australia and launch three emphasis:

1. Our biggest and boldest Alpha Course yet .....and on Sunday past Redeemer's Church people threw magnetic lights onto a huge wall each with names of people they are going to boldly, courageously, matter of factly invite to take a second look at faith and Jesus Christ. 942 names - 942 precious people.




2. Help guide When I Grow Up (a charity to empower children in extreme poverty - http://www.whenigrowup-global.com/) to take a huge step in seeing a High school built in the Huruma slum, Nairobi, Kenya, as well as expand our partners amazing work in Guatemala and Haiti.




3. Join with some incredible volunteers from redeemer's Church to see new initiatives begin in communities around Reedley - REACH out to extend the Kingdom of God.

It's the main thing ......and we are working hard in the next few months to keep the main thing the main thing.

Its big.