The Joy of the Journey: Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing
Life has a way of becoming complicated. Our calendars fill up, responsibilities increase, problems demand our attention, and before long, things that were never meant to be the center of our lives begin occupying the center. Even in the church, we can become so busy with programs, activities, preferences, and opinions that we lose sight of what matters most. As followers of Christ, we must continually remind ourselves to keep the main thing the main thing—and the main thing is Jesus and the gospel. Paul made this unmistakably clear in 1 Corinthians 15:3–4: “3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
Notice Paul’s words: “of first importance.” Many important things matter in the Christian life, but one message stands above them all: Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. That is the gospel. That is our hope. That is our message. That is the main thing.
It Has Always Been About Jesus! Christianity is not primarily about rules, traditions, buildings, denominations, personalities, or programs. Christianity is about a Person…Jesus Christ. Paul wrote in Colossians 1:18 that Christ is to be “preeminent” in everything. Jesus isn’t supposed to simply have a place in our lives; He is supposed to have first place.
When everything else is stripped away, Jesus is enough.
- Our churches must be about Jesus.
- Our families must be pointed toward Jesus.
- Our preaching must proclaim Jesus.
- Our worship must exalt Jesus.
- Our lives must reflect Jesus.
The moment something else becomes more important than Jesus, we have lost sight of the main thing.
The word “gospel” means “the good news”! The gospel is still the answer. The world desperately needs hope. People are hurting, families are struggling, addictions are destroying lives, fear is gripping hearts, and sin continues to separate humanity from God. Our answer is not merely better politics, better programs, or better philosophies. People need Jesus. Paul declared in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
- The gospel still changes lives.
- The gospel still breaks chains.
- The gospel still restores families.
- The gospel still gives hope to the hopeless.
- The gospel still brings sinners into a relationship with God.
We don’t need to make the gospel more impressive. We simply need to faithfully proclaim it. We don’t need to become distracted. One of the enemy’s greatest strategies is distraction. He doesn’t always have to make us deny Jesus; sometimes he simply gets us focused on everything except Jesus. Churches can argue over preferences while people around them need salvation. Christians can spend hours debating secondary issues while never sharing the gospel with their neighbor.
Paul warned Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:4, “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”
We must refuse to become so entangled with temporary things that we neglect eternal things.
Our world needs the gospel! The mission of the church has not changed. Before Jesus returned to heaven, He gave His church clear instructions. Matthew 28:19 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
Our assignment remains the same: know Jesus, follow Jesus, proclaim Jesus, and help others follow Jesus. Programs may change. Methods may change. Music styles may change. Culture will certainly change. But Jesus does not change, the gospel does not change, and our mission does not change. At the end of the day, we must ask ourselves: Are people seeing Jesus through my life? Am I sharing the gospel? Am I helping others know Him?
May we never become so busy doing good things that we neglect the greatest thing. Because when everything else fades away, Jesus is still the main thing.
