“So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” (Luke 5:24b-26)

I was a brand new church worker with a role in both contemporary worship and youth. Because of my former work in the Christian music industry, I was able to secure several nationally known Christian youth bands to come and play at our church’s historic 565-seat auditorium.

These concerts were generating excitement and opened up some incredible ministry opportunities with some youth that our youth team would have never reached otherwise. However, ‘too much of a good thing’ can be true and it certainly was on one particular concert night.

The auditorium had been going through a renovation and all of the chairs had been removed while this work was going on. This left a large floor of open space for standing and of course, a bigger space for the popular mosh pit. That particular night we had booked three of the biggest Christian youth bands all on the same ticket. All of the bands and all of our team were beyond excited! We knew the auditorium would be full and the expectations were for a sell-out!

We finished praying altogether and I still remember opening the doors to allow the fans to enter. The number of kids was amazing as they flowed past me through the doors and into the auditorium. They just kept pouring in! And pouring in! And that is when I knew there was something wrong. Heading into the ticket booth we began counting and soon realized that because of an oversight on the number of tickets released, we had actually oversold the concert. Our team was amazing in response and the bands played on.

I still recall the moment that one of the bands brought the loud rock down to a sanctuary quiet praise song and testimony. I stood off stage and peered out into the many tear-filled eyes of the youth with hands raised in worship.

The next day I returned to work. I was in my office when I got a call from the Senior Pastor. He asked me to come see him in the auditorium. To say that my heart was pounding is an understatement. I began to panic wondering what could be wrong. As I walked into the open space he was standing there waiting for me. He didn’t say anything until I was standing next to him. Then he asked, “Tell me what happened in here?”

I could barely breathe. My eyes quickly scanned the room and that is when I saw it. Right to his left there was a huge gash in the wall. I immediately started apologizing and explaining that it must have happened when the strike crew was doing their load out after the show. He interrupted me. “No, tell me what happened in here.” Well, now I began looking closer trying to see what else might have been damaged. I started explaining our clean-up process and how there may have been something we missed. He interrupted me again. “No, tell me what ministry happened in here the other night.”

I stepped back and let my mind catch up to realize what he was asking. I began sharing with him the number of kids that had shown up and been ministered to through the music and by our team.

He looked back at me and smiled. He pointed to the wall and said, “Let this be a lesson to you that I never want you to forget. Don’t ever let a building be more precious than the Gospel.” With that, he walked out of the auditorium. I exhaled relief that I hadn’t been fired!

With my next breath I took, I realized that I had just received one of the most important lessons for ministry:

ALWAYS HAVE A GOSPEL FIRST PRIORITY.

It reminds me of an event early in Jesus’ ministry. The place He was teaching was oversold. And some destruction of property happened for the sake of the Gospel.

“One day Jesus was teaching…Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

This man who needed Jesus would have been kept away had it not been for the heart of those friends who gave the Gospel the First Priority. They damaged the roof in order that their friend could be brought to Jesus.

As a child, I always wondered why Jesus isn’t recorded saying anything about the damage. Maybe He did? Maybe before leaving, He waved His hand and the tiles came back together. Or maybe He came back later and fixed it Himself. He was a carpenter after all, right? Well, what we do know is that the Gospel came to that man when Jesus said, “Friend your sins are forgiven.”

I guess the Pharisees weren’t concerned about the building at that point either. It can happen to even the best theologians. They were concerned about proper dogma giving it the higher priority over this man’s forgiveness. They also didn’t understand the Gospel. (Luke 5:21)

So Jesus answers them with a miraculous healing.
“So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” (Luke 5:24b-26)

Never let a building be more precious than the Gospel. May we all give the Gospel First Priority in our lives.

Prayer
Lord God, so oftentimes we do get our priorities mixed up. And yet You came to make sure that the most important thing – love and forgiveness, the salvation that You brought – was the top order and the top priority of Your mission. And You have entrusted that mission to us.

Would You please help us to make sure that in our lives, we also recognize Gospel as a priority? And that You would help us to not allow anything to stand in the way of Your Gospel, reaching those who need to hear the great news of your love and salvation. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.