Thursday, January 27, 2011
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I was speaking in a city out west, and went back to my hotel room and I flipped on the evening news. And I saw the most incredible police chase I think I've ever seen recorded on a camera. It just so happened that after a burglar robbed a local savings and loan that the news helicopter happened to catch sight of him. And as the police were pursuing him, the helicopter was overhead filming this. It was almost like a TV show, but it wasn't fiction; it was really happening.
Well, this burglar literally ran over and killed a local policeman who tried to stop him. Finally the chopper came in. He began to hover right in front of the vehicle of that burglar. And as he came across the parking lot, he wouldn't let him go any further. It's a pretty daring thing to do! Well, then the police were able to catch up with the burglar. There was a gun fight, and actually the burglar was killed. But what happened to the pilot? Well, he really was the hero.
"The cameraman pointed out to me that we didn't have very much fuel. And you know what? We also might get shot at." Well, the pilot said, "You know, all of a sudden I didn't care." He said, "I wasn't thinking about the fuel. I wasn't thinking about the danger. I think something took over that they taught us about in flight training in Vietnam." He said, "It's called target fixation."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Target Fixation."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Joshua 8. I'm going to begin at verse 18. The Jewish army has overrun Jericho, but they haven't done so well against the smaller city of Ai because of sin in the camp. Well, they cleared up the sin, and they go back this time and they...they conquer the city of Ai. Here's what General Joshua is doing during all of that.
"Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand. For into your hand I will deliver the city.' So, Joshua held out his javelin toward Ai." Verse 26 tells us, "Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until they had destroyed all who lived in Ai." Now, there's an interesting view of Joshua. He knew his objective, and he kept pointing that direction. He had target fixation, like that pilot.
That's a common trait in make-a-difference people, in make-a-difference churches, in make-a-difference ministries. They know what the target is, and they're fixated on it. Now, Jesus told us what it should be. He said, "You are My witnesses." His target, live for reaching lost people. Jesus said, "Other sheep I have that I must bring." The ones that are not in the fold yet. He said He'd go after one sheep; 99 weren't enough for Him. He said, "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost."
He said, "As the Father has sent Me, so send I you. Go and teach all nations, baptizing them and making disciples of them." He said you and I are here for the lost. Like Joshua, we should be pointing all our energies toward the unreached and rallying other Christians to leave the comfort of the Christian cocoon; to take risks to reach people.
It's so easy to lose our focus and our reason for being here. Just getting by, the pace of surviving, the tendency to enjoy our Christianity but not to spread it, to just keep cranking the church machine. But we forget that we're supposed to be for reaching people, not reproducing programs. We just settle back into the Christian subculture and enjoy the ride. That's not how our Lord lived. He was always pursuing a lost sheep.
And maybe, the seductions of busyness and laziness have caused you to lose your focus. You've got another target other than His target. The reason why we're here is to get Christ to lost people. Now, you may be busy for the Lord, but forgetting the lost. They're who He came to seek and save.
How about you? Point the rest of your life toward the people who are in the darkness, outside of Christ. And no matter what the risks, live your life for the Lord and for the lost. You are a pilot on a combat mission. You've got target fixation, and the target is all that matters.