KEEP THE MAIN THING, THE MAIN THING

Paul writes in Galatians 6:14, "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."  Paul got the main thing! Paul got the gospel! Paul understood that "to live is Christ..." That apart from Jesus Christ and the "peace made by the blood of His cross,"(Col. 1:20) who are we? NOTHING!!!

So as a worship pastor in a church, it is vital that I keep the main thing, the Gospel, the main thing. Am I winning people to good music, or to emotionalism and experientialism, or are people faced with the Gospel in worship? It's only through Jesus Christ, and the cross where he died for OUR sins, that we can truly worship. True worshipers see their life without Christ, run to the blood of the cross, and in surrender offer up adoration to the triune God!

We live in such a programatic culture today. Just look at our churches! Their are women's programs, men's programs, worship programs, kids programs, evangelism programs, Sunday mornings, plus many more, and all of them meet and go at a certain time weekly.  That's great! But if the Gospel is not the main thing in each of them, what good are they? It is vital that all we do concerning ministry confronts people with the preeminence of Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful to hear my wife come home from her Thursday morning women's Bible Study on parenting, pumped and convicted to better live the gospel out to our daughter as she is home with her daily! Her women's Bible Study keeps the main thing the main thing! And there is fruit from it, as worshipers are being made who boast in the cross of Jesus alone and focus their parenting on the foundation of Christ! PRAISE GOD!

EPHESIANS 2:19-22~ You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God. 


Jesus is the cornerstone of the church.  When a program is not built on the one foundation of Jesus Christ, it is meaningless.  When our worship is not rooted in the foundation of Jesus Christ, IT IS MEANINGLESS!!!  "If Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of worship, we will speak his name, designate regular worship time as belonging to him, and allow his person and work to form the content of our worship," (C.M. Cherry in "The Worship Architect").  Jesus must be the priority of all our programs, for He is the priority of our worship!