Sometimes we can be so busy “doing church” that we forget the reason for it all.
When the seventeenth-century ruler, the Shah Jahan, built the famous Taj Mahal, he intended it as an elaborate memorial for the Shah’s deceased wife. In fact, he ordered her coffin placed in the center of the site and the temple built around it.
As the work progressed, Jahan became obsessed with the project. One day while attending to the many details of construction, he stumbled over a wooden box covered with dust and workman’s tools. Angered at the inconvenience, he ordered the work site cleared of all the clutter. Later, to his horror, he realized he had ordered the disposal of the coffin of his beloved wife.
Imagine that: he accidentally cast out of the shrine the very reason for the construction of the shrine.
Leaders in churches do that with our own church projects sometimes. So, let’s recommit to focus on our aim. Playing football without an end zone or playing billiards without pockets wouldn’t be any fun. And church work without a target isn’t any fun either.
In Colossians 1:27-28 Paul set this as our goal: “We proclaim him…so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”
So, we present Christ to people now so that we can present people to Christ in eternity.
Imagine standing before the throne of God surrounded by the people we led and influenced and impacted. And we’re presenting them to Jesus saying, “Here they are, Lord. They are just as you hoped they would be.” That’s our goal.
What does a fully mature believer look like? At our church we use the acronym HILL to help us remember that: Honor God. Invite others to him. Love each other. Live the Word. For Hillcrest, that’s the HILL we crest.
Getting people up that HILL is why we do what we do as staff, teachers, musicians, deacons, Life Group leaders, and volunteers. That’s where we should be taking everyone so that they can be fully mature believers.
Pray for your church’s leaders and volunteers as we pursue that goal!
--Tom
Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.