The One Thing

As her mother headed out the door, she gave Evangela one solitary task to perform before she returned – wash the dishes. So Evangela turned on the faucet, squeezed in the dishsoap and placed the glasses and silverware into the water. She dutifully watched until the sink was filled to the top. Then her stomach grumbled.

Feeling a little hungry, she made herself a scrumptious turkey sandwich. Since she couldn’t eat it with wet hands, she decided to sit and watch a little TV while the dishes soaked. Just as she took the last bite, her friend called to make sure their early afternoon shopping trip was still on…

We know how the story ends, don’t we? Mom returns home to find the dishes still soaking in the sink – unwashed. The one task Evangela had been given was left undone. She had started it, but had gotten distracted. The church has been given one solitary task as well. That one thing is to make more and better followers of Jesus. How are we doing?

There is a concept that – if we could just see the great need to engage it – can revitalize our church and help us stay focused on getting that one job done. The term used to describe that concept is “Missional”. What does it mean? Simply put, it means that the local church functions as a missionary to the community in which God has planted it.

As a missionary, the church should do all within its God-given power to make more and better disciples. As a missionary, we should evaluate every task we perform, every dollar we spend, every change we consider and every decision we make based on the Great Commission. If it will help us make more and better disciples, then we should do it. If it will not help us complete this one task, then we should leave it alone!

Are we, as a church, washing the dishes? Or have we just thrown them in the sink and forgotten about them? Are we doing the one thing we have been commanded to do? Or have we gotten off-track with tasty food, entertaining distractions, chatting with our friends and going on shopping sprees? If we’re going to be the church at all, let’s be the real thing! Daddy’s coming home soon… We need to be about the Father’s business and stay focused on that one thing He has told us to do.