by Dr. Paul Chappell

"And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat."

Mark 6:33-37

The church is all about people-work, not paperwork.

In his book The Book of Business Anecdotes, Peter Hay tells the story of a company's desire to pitch an idea to business investors:

In the 1950s, marketing whiz Stanley Arnold was working at Young & Rubicam, where he was asked to come up with a marketing campaign for Remington Rand. The company was among the most conservative in America. Its chairman at the time was retired General Douglas MacArthur. Intimidated at first by a company that was so much a part of America, Arnold also found in that phrase the first inspiration for a campaign. After thinking about it, he went to the New York offices of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Beane, and placed the ultimate odd-lot order:

"I want to purchase," he told the broker, "one share of every single stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange." After a vice president tried to talk him out of it, the order was finally placed. It came to more than $42,000 for one share in each of the 1098 companies listed on the Big Board at the time. Arnold now took his diversified portfolio into a meeting of Remington Rand's board of directors, where he argued passionately for a sweepstakes campaign with the top prize called A Share in America. The conservative old gentlemen shifted around in their seats and discussed the idea for a while. "But Mr. Arnold," said one, "we are not in the securities business." Said another, "We are in the shaver business." "I agree that you are not in the securities business," said Arnold, "but I think you also ought to realize that you are not in the shaver business either. You are in the people business." The company bought the idea.

Just as the business executives at Remington Rand mistakenly focused on marketing their shavers, sometimes as Christians we can mistakenly focus on the business side of a church-the work, service, and details that go into running a church-yet forget the goal of Christianity-to reach people.

While Jesus was busy traveling and ministering in different cities, He took time to notice the crowds of people around Him. They were more than simply listeners, more than just followers. They were real people with real problems who needed real solutions. Jesus had compassion on the people when He stopped to realize their situation.

The disciples were busy shuffling Jesus off to the next city, sticking to the schedule and following the plan. They didn't see the people who needed help, but thought of the next item on their proverbial to-do list. They were blind to the true purpose of Jesus' earthly ministry.

When was the last time you stopped and looked at the people around you? Are you so busy with your schedule and to-do lists that you forget your main purpose for being on earth? Take time today to readjust your focus. Notice the people around you as you go about your day. Take time to minister to the hurting, help the needy, and tell the lost of God's hope.

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
Psalms 94-96 | Romans 15:14-33