It is always important to put first things first because the main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing.

In Jesus’ mission statement he revealed the main thing.

Luke 4: 18 – 19

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor; He has sent Me to preach deliverance [announce release] to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty [send forth as delivered] those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], 19 to proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favours of God profusely abound].

Jesus is building his church – a victorious, prevailing, and overcoming church – and he is building it through those who recognise that their freedom and purpose is embodied in the outworking of his mission statement.

The main thing is not a what but a who – the Spirit of the LORD. You can’t be the church in real-time – real, relevant, and radical – without the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “He has anointed me”.

anointing = supernatural enablement, grace, manifested presence of the Holy Spirit operating upon an individual or corporate group to produce the works of Jesus – the works of the Father.

Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes upon us we will do the same works that he is doing – not in a copycat historical context but in a now context, the works that he is doing now. Jesus said you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

But first things first because the main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing.

The power is not the main thing, although we have often foolishly thought that it is, and have ended up in lots of trouble and much frustration as a result.