One of the largest task of any leader is to clarify the answer to the question “why!?” I have been listening to the book “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Leif participated in many of the missions to regain the Iraqi city of Ramadi. Under heavy fighting in hostile territory he went and did his job with strong leadership and skill as a warrior. He executed each novel mission to the best of his ability. And yet it wasn’t until he was nearing the end of his deployment, sitting in a briefing room looking at before and after maps, that he realized that there was a bigger picture plan to all of the weekly missions. He has done his part, and yet his part was missing the big picture.

For Leif, it was a map showing the areas that they had set free from the control of the radical mujahadeen that allowed him to recognize that all along he had been participating in a coordinated plan.

I wonder if the church sees the part they play in the battle? Our’s is not a battle for territory, so a map will not suffice. Our’s is not a battle with flesh and blood, and so there will be no obvious clarity to our victories. Advancement, motivation, and clarity regarding our mission can be tough to measure. As a pastor, I am tempted to settle for lesser motivations. How many meetings have I had this month? Did I preach a good message all the Sundays? Did I keep up with communication well? We so quickly want to exchange the higher, but unseen motivations, for the lesser but measurable.

I believe that God has given us a picture of our target in Scripture that we ought to keep ever before us as our motivation:

Revelation 7:9-10 says:

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

The success of the church will not be a map overlayed with green safe zones. The success of the people of God is measured by a multitude that no one could number, standing around His throne. The success of the church will be measured in worship given to the Lamb. The success of the church will be measured in reaching MORE to worship Him.

My goal in the coming years is to keep the vision of the end goal before the church and in front of the staff of ReCAST. Why do we do what we do? For the glory of Jesus expressed in a multitude around His throne! Why do we make coffee on Sunday morning? For the sake of those who are being called to worship Him and enter his eternal kingdom. Why do we teach kids in ReCAST kids? That they may be there on that glorious day pictured in Revelation 7. Why do we greet people at the door, or work with teens, or help with the food pantry, or work in A/V? Because God has called all of us up into His purposes that terminate at the place where people from every nation, tribe, people, and language are worshiping around his throne. And although many will struggle to connect a cup of coffee on Sunday morning to that vision of the throne room of God in the end, I do not.

I have seen the way that God has orchestrated a lot of complex people, with various gifts and skills to engage in service in His church for His amazing and glorious purposes. Why keep serving? Why keep doing life together? Why keep proclaiming the good news? Why keep inviting more?

God has given us a glorious vision to answer the question “why?” He has a plan for his people that takes us all up into his worship. This is motivating to me. And I hope that you catch that vision as well!