I believe it was Stephen Covey who first said that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. I have now walked with Christ for 47 years, and I have seen that the Body of Christ (the Church) is multi-faceted. Like a diamond with its many cuts glimmering in different colors, the Body of Christ in each location emphasizes different goals and priorities in ministry, reaching beyond the local area to the world. Sometimes, we find that the main thing ceases to be the main thing. What should the "main thing" be in each local body of Christ? Plans and strategies are good, but they are merely tools. A strategy or mission should support the Great Commission that the Church has been given. I want to highlight this point with a story I came across.
The Parable of the Lifesaving Station
Once, there was a humble little lifesaving station on a treacherous seacoast where shipwrecks frequently occurred. The building was merely a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few dedicated members maintained a vigilant watch over the sea. Without considering their own safety, they ventured out day or night, tirelessly searching for the lost. This remarkable little station saved many lives and, as a result, became well-known. Some of those saved, along with others from the surrounding areas, wished to associate themselves with the station and contribute their time, money, and effort to support its mission. They purchased new boats and trained new crews, leading to the growth of the little lifesaving station. However, some of the newer members expressed dissatisfaction with the building's crude and poorly equipped conditions. They believed that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge for those rescued from the sea.
They replaced the emergency cots with beds and upgraded the furniture in a larger building. Now, the lifesaving station has become a beloved gathering place for its members, who have redecorated it beautifully and furnished it like a club. Few members were now interested in heading out to sea on lifesaving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to perform this work. The purpose of lifesaving is still discussed, but most team members are either too busy or lack the necessary commitment to personally engage in lifesaving activities. Around this time, a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold, wet, and half-drowned people.
They were dirty and sick; some had different skin colors, others spoke a strange language, and the beautiful new club was significantly messed up. Consequently, the property committee quickly arranged for a shower house to be built outside the club, where shipwreck victims could clean up before coming inside. At the next meeting, the club membership was divided. Most members wanted to halt the club's lifesaving activities, as they were unpleasant and disrupted the club's routine. However, some members argued that lifesaving was their main purpose and reminded everyone that they were still known as a lifesaving station. Ultimately, they were outvoted and told that if they wished to save the lives of various shipwrecked individuals in those waters, they could establish another lifesaving station down the coast. They did.
As the years passed, the new station underwent the same transformations as the old one. They developed into a club, and yet another lifesaving station emerged. If you visit the seacoast today, you will discover many exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks still occur frequently in those waters, but now most people drown. My brothers and sisters, we must keep the main thing the main thing. People are drowning all around us. Keith Thomas
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Taken from the Discipleship series, study 7, The Main Thing
Here’s the YouTube video talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbqQ2YPSt4I&t=4213s