The Main Thing
Letters to a State, Volume 3, No. 1
“The salvation of one soul is worth more than the framing of a Magna Charta of a thousand worlds.” —John Keble
In 1989 Stephen R. Covey published a book entitled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. At his death in 2012 the book had sold more than 20 million copies and it is still a standard for any library for self-improvement and leadership.
I remember taking a Lee College extension course that was held at the old Laurens Road Church of God in Greenville, SC. We meet down in the basement and the course was truly a game-changer for me.
That was the first time I’d ever heard the word paradigm and synergize and I still think about his illustration about first sharpen the saw before you start cutting wood.
But there is one statement that he made that was not one of the seven habits but it is of paramount importance for to miss heeding his counsel is to ensure ultimate failure.
He stated: Keep the main thing the main thing.
The main thing…
The thing that matter most.
The thing that, if not done, sinks the ship.
The thing that, if not done, make all the rest meaningless.
But also, the thing that, if done, means that if you fail at everything else, you’re still a success.
Long before Covey came alone, Jesus said it better: For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)
Illinois Church of God, why do we exist? What is our mission? What is our purpose? Pastors, ministers, teachers, and church leaders, why did God call you into the ministerial leadership? Why does it all matter?
There’s ultimately only one thing that answers these questions. That one thing is the main thing that all other things must flow from. The apostle Paul stated it this way: I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22)
That, my dear ILCOG family is the main thing.
In all you do, in all your activities and programs, don’t lose sight of winning souls.
Sacrifice, do without, compromise on nonessentials, lose arguments over trivialities, adapt, adjust, take stands on the important things; be willing to be criticized, mocked, and misunderstood. Turn down promotion, notoriety, and fame if you must. But don’t lose the souls that have been placed under your care.
Ministers and members, drive through your communities and wept for soul. Beg God to give you souls. Agree that a “good service” is only when a soul has been saved or baptized. We can have helpful services, inspiring service, but to be a “good” service – as in well done good and faithful servant – the thing that matters most to our Lord, the main thing for Him, is souls being redeemed and saved from eternal death.
As the great pastor and soul-winner Charles Spurgeon stated: “If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”
Ministers and members of the Church in God in Illinois, and caring Christians everywhere…
Keep the main thing the main thing this year.
For the Gospel’s, Run to win…souls.
David L. Kemp
