An Audience of One

As we continue our series at Park Community Church on Missional Living in the city, I was reminded in Jackson Crum’s message today that in everything I do and am, I only have an audience of one. Not to fear man, or others, I need to fear and worship the God of the Universe. We are all called to missional living for an audience of One. Now we know that to non-Christians, an audience of one may sound absurd. Even to modern day Christians, this is not something truly practiced or emphasized. Christ wants our undivided attention. He wants us to be captivated only to him. Maybe you wonder why we do we need to focus on an audience of one?

Many times I envision life as a big playing field…and each of us gets a chance to play in front of a huge crowd, who create lots of noise and clatter, but ultimately each one of us will pass by ourselves through the curtain of death, stand before the One true God and be held accountable for what we did and did not do. None of those people in the crowd will be there as we stand in judgement.

In Os Guinness’ book, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life, Guinness says, “A life lived listening to the decisive call of God is a life lived before one audience that trumps all others—the Audience of One”. Each of us must be about pleasing only one person, and that person is God. You have to get to the point where you do what you do for Jesus—you only want to please Him. It is not about pleasing your boss, or neighbors, or co-workers. It is, however, about following hard after God.

So, as we think about missional living in the city, we all need to commit to playing for an audience of One! Do whatever it takes! Read your Bible, spend time alone with God, journal, get into a small group, get accountability, and pray, pray, pray. As you go to work every day, seek Him with all your heart. God is so faithful when we sincerely seek Him–He NEVER leaves us high and dry.