I remember as a small child watching sporting events like the Super Bowl and the World series in the early 1970s. Sooner or later, the cameraman would find a young man with a rainbow-colored afro holding up a sign with the simple message “John 3:16”. A picture is worth a thousand words. Many years later, my wife and I began our training to become foster parents in 2006. Along with the initial training, we had to do continuing education each year. I remember listening to a cassette tape about parenting by Zig Ziglar. In that context, he said, “The main thing in life is keeping the main thing the main thing.”
At that same time, I was pastoring a church and feeling prompted by God to reach the lost and to encourage believers to join me in this outreach. While there are many important activities for churches and believers to engage in, the message of John 3:16 is central to our faith. “For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” I believe this is “The main thing”. Not that other activities and ministries aren’t important. However, as the body of Christ, we must guard against secondary activities crowding out “The main thing”.
Most believers are not called to be an evangelist. Most believers may not even spend a large part of their time witnessing to lost people. But I am committed to encouraging and equipping all believers to share their faith with the lost on a regular basis. My suggested starting point is to encourage each and every believer to designate between 1 and 2 hours a week for witnessing and reaching out to people who are not faithfully following the Lord Jesus Christ.