I’m a simple guy, so repetition is a good learning tool for me. I know I just preached this sermon, but I want to stretch the application more than I was able in the sermon. I said in the sermon on August 2 that many of our problems in life are caused by a simple lack of focus on God. Just as Israel had done in Judges 6, we forget God, we disobey him, and then we experience suffering because of our disobedience. Israel’s solution was to focus on God; Gideon’s strategy was found in Judges 7:17, where he told his scant army “Watch me. Follow my lead. Do as I do.”
This is the basis for discipleship as well, as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” When I said that we can all be leaders, this is exactly the model we must follow. We must follow those who follow Christ as we lead others to follow Christ.
This is demonstrated best in the family. Christian moms and dads have a tough job to raise their kids to become followers of Jesus. Many parents just don’t feel up to the job, and so they bring them to church and hope that the church can do the job effectively. However, the church has an average of 40 hours of influence per year on each child, where parents have about 2000 hours of influence on their children each year. The best hope parents have for their children becoming Christians and maturing as Christians and remaining Christians through their lives is to model the Christian life for their children. The church, then, can help parents develop their own focus on God and encourage them as they model that focus for their kids.
All of us can model this focus for everyone with whom we have influence. We know that people are watching us: our kids, our coworkers, our classmates, our neighbors. When they see our lives being transformed because of our focus on God, they will want to follow us and do as we do.