Distractions

Last week my brother posted a quote on his facebook that said, "anything outside of the gospel is a distraction for the mission of the church". Another friend posted a quote from somebody else that said the main focus of the church is developing leadership. Its funny that when we read about the forty days between the resurrection and ascension, we don't see too many leadership summits taking place. Now I believe that good leadership is essential to building Christian communities, but central focus? not too sure about that. The last words of Jesus I read are a command to his followers to go and share the good news that Jesus Christ is alive and that mankinds guilt and sin is paid for... I watched a little bit of a tv preacher the other day (I wouldn't recommend too much of that, I was snowed in and Saved By the Bell was at a commercial) who was trying to rally the Christian troops to "support Israel and take back the promise land"... now I'm for Israel and the Palestinians getting along, but again, I look at the last words of Jesus and I see him sending his followers, many who were Jews "into all the world" (kind of a command to leave Jerusalem) and share the good news. It seems like there are good causes everywhere we turn, but it makes me wonder sometimes how many good causes I'm part of that are really just distractions from the gospel.