“Church - Please Do Not Lose Your Focus”

         As many of you know I grew up on a very large farm in eastern North Carolina.  In the early 70’s my Scout Troop built a three-sided cabin about a half mile into the woods behind my house.  We used the cabin and surrounding area for campouts and training.  We had an area we had cleared for shooting bows and arrows, rifles, and hand guns.

In summer of 1975 my then brother-in-law and I were at the cabin and had taken our guns to shoot some.  I had my 22 rifle and he had his new 38 revolver with him.  We were both having a lot of fun that afternoon, well, until we lost focus.  We both knew the rules of the range.  We both knew the proper procedures to follow.  We both knew the protocol or in this article, THE DOCTRINE that had been set up for all to follow.  But we lost our focus and deviated from what we knew was right.  Here is what happened.

My brother-in-law had a holster for his 38 revolver and up until this point in our shooting, the holster was being used for just that, to holster the gun when it was not being used.  BUT, after some time of shooting, focused shooting, we decided that it would be fun, exciting to “Quick Draw” his 38 revolver from the holster like the Old West shoot outs and try to hit the targets.  What a mistake.  He was going to go first with our bright plan, which by the way was against the rules set up for the range.  He stood facing the target, feet apart, eyeing the target down range, his hand on the gun grip.  Ready!  Then it happened.  He went to “Quick draw” the 38 revolver and his finger pulled the trigger while the gun was still in his holster.  I laughed out loud at first until he said, “I think I just shot myself.”  I looked down and blood was beginning to soak his pants leg.  There was an old logging road that went back partially into that area of the woods.  I helped him walk to that area and then ran back home to get my car and drive into the woods to get him.  I then drove him to the ER of the local hospital.  Luckily, the bullet had entered the top of his calf and exited the lower part of his calf without hitting any bone.  Clean in and clean out!  The doctors patched him, told him how lucky he was that it didn’t shatter the bone, and released him to go home.

Why tell you this lengthy story (though it is a great story, don’t you think)?  I’ve been seeing a statement being shared on Facebook that has continued to stick in my mind.  It has been shared by many, so I do not know the author.  Here is the statement: “The mark of an effective church is not how many people come, BUT how many people who live differently as a result of having been there.”  How true a statement this is.

I am not, please understand, am not saying that all mega churches have lost their focus nor do a good job in equipping the saints, but I have seen and heard the rhetoric from many pastors of mega churches and their first question is how many attend your church?  Oh, I have ….. number attend mine.  In many cases I believe it has become more about the numbers and they have lost focus on the church’s responsibility to make disciples, equip disciples, to send knowledgable, faithful, doctrinally sound disciples into the world to witness to the gospel of Christ.  The question for me  is, “Are those attending the church where God has placed me as pastor being equipped to live differently in a lost world?  Am I helping them grow through my teaching and preaching, so that, the power of the Holy Spirit will flourish in them so they will be Christ’s witnesses in the world?”  

The Apostle Paul gave instruction to Timothy on how to lead.  Here are just a few verses of his instruction.  “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.” 1 Tim. 4:6 “For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.” 1 Tim.4:10 “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share…” 1 Tim. 6:18

On the shooting range that day, we lost focus, setting protocol aside, and decided to do our own thing.  That didn’t work out so well.  We, in the church today, cannot afford to lose focus of His call and make church about anything else, numbers or self.  As Paul states, we need to “fix our hope on the living God.”

Blessings my friends, 

Pastor Marty

Worship, Grow, Serve