This is true in other areas of life. In education, if you’re not focused on attaining a particular degree, the likelihood of attaining that degree decreases. In health, if you’re not focused on reaching a target weight (in my experience, it’s easier to go up than down), you’re not likely to reach that weight. In business, if you’re not focused upon gaining a certain number of new customers, growth is not likely to just happen on its own. It takes focus. You have to aim for a target to hit the target.
This week I was having a discussion with someone who began the conversation with an observation that it had been a long time since their church had held a baptism service. This observation led the individual to ponder the question “do we still believe in making disciples?” It’s a great question to ask. We belong to a group of people who believe that one of our chief aims in life is to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Most of us would say that is our target. This is why we exist as a church: to make disciples. How is your local church doing at hitting the target? How are you doing at hitting the target?
It’s easy to get distracted or lose focus. It’s easy to get sidetracked. It’s easy to get busy or become tired. If we believe that Jesus was serious about giving us a target, to make disciples of all the nations, are we hitting that target? When was the last time you witnessed someone move from darkness to light? When was the last time you saw a life radically transformed by God’s grace? When was the last time your church got to use the baptistery? Are you hitting your target?
When’s the last time your congregation had an honest discussion about whether or not you’re hitting your target? Are people becoming disciples of Jesus here because of the ministry happening at this church? Are people hearing and seeing the Good News of Jesus Christ? Are lives being transformed because we’re taking careful aim at the target that Jesus gave us?
If you’re not hitting your target, why? Do you know what’s distracting you? Do you know what’s keeping you from attaining the goal? Are you willing to face that reality, repent and do the work that God calls us to do?
I think many of us are waking up to the fact that we’re not hitting the target that Jesus gave us. Owning our failure to hit the target is an important part of moving forward.
Are you hitting the target?
Christ’s Peace,
Lance