The very thing most churches are afraid to do is probably what's keeping them from entering their next season of growth.

When you look back at Scripture and see Jesus sending out the first disciples to do their own missionary work in Matthew 10, what does He say to them? "Go only to the lost sheep of Israel." Not "go talk to everyone." He says, "I want you to pursue the lost sheep of Israel and tell them that the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

What Jesus equipped them with was clarity about who they were pursuing and the message they were there to proclaim. Those two components are sometimes the hardest things for churches to decide.

I love those disciples, but if Jesus had not given them that instruction, they would have gone everywhere and said everything. And that's our challenge in the church today. We feel compelled to go everywhere and say everything.

Church leader, I want to challenge you: you cannot boil the ocean. You need to understand who God has called you to reach.

A lot of times we run into a church that says, "We just want to reach our city for Jesus." The reality is, that can't be your calling. Why? Because if you're in a community with 200 other churches and that's your calling, what you're saying is that no other church has a job. But they all have a job.

What we need to do as church leaders is understand our distinct job. What role are we supposed to play in the fabric of the church in our community? The clearer we are on that, the easier our decisions become, and the more powerful our pursuit of those who are lost coming into the kingdom of God. That is what it's all about.

I know it's a challenging thought to ask, "Who are we trying to reach, and what is our message for them?" But that's the foundation of ministry. It's the foundation of what Jesus gave the disciples. And if we don't have it, we'll never be able to do it.

Thank you for what you do for the King and the kingdom.