What would it take for you to turn your back on God? What would it take for you to quit the church? In the 17th century, a tinker named John Bunyan trusted in Christ. Before long, he recognized that error had infiltrated the church of England. Desiring to restore the church to its proper focus, he began to hold services in his hometown of Bedford. He was an ordinary man with little education. But he longed to serve God and do what was right. However, the church of England did not agree. They had him arrested and thrown into prison, where he spent the next twelve years. He tried to do what was right; he tried to serve God. Yet, he spent years in prison away from his wife, young children, and friends. Put yourself in that situation. If you were punished for doing right, if you faced criticism and persecution for doing right, if you couldn’t see your family because you did right, how would you respond? Would you be tempted to turn your back on God? Would you be tempted to give in to the sinful demands of others? Would you be overcome by bitterness or depression? John Bunyan spent twelve years in prison because he did what was right. But Bunyan did not turn his back on God. Bunyan did not give up on the church. Instead, John Bunyan continued to preach every day from his prison cell. People would gather outside the cell window and listen to him preach. He also took the time to write a book that for centuries became the second-best-selling book only to the Bible: Pilgrim’s Progress. He and his church stayed on task and target. How was this possible? Every believer and every church will face challenges that will cause them to question their faith.
Our church sits in the middle of a confused culture. The battles of the culture easily draw the Christian and steal their focus. In turn, this lost focus drags the church down with it. Further, over the next year, our church seeks to expand our impact for the Gospel in several ways. Without staying on task and target, these advances can threaten the unity of the church. So we must examine how we can stay on task and target in every situation.
Philippians 2:12-18 contains Paul’s secret to staying on task and target in every situation. Take a moment to read the section. Over the next few weeks, we will walk through this text and seek to understand how we can stay on task and target. For this week, simply read through the text several times and ask the question, “What was Paul’s secret to maintaining a proper focus?”
As you examine the text you will discover that a proper focus keeps the church on task and target when facing difficult situations, difficult people, and when we respond properly. Keep the Kingdom first!