Jesus Driven Church, part 1
We often feel driven in our job, ministry, or work. We may even neglect our family, our church, and our God. If we are not careful, we will burnout and lose our passion. Churches can also burnout and lose their passion by losing their focus on Jesus and being captured by attendance and service.
One of the top five Comeback Church factors is “Renewed Belief in Jesus Christ and the Mission of the Church.” The Church in Ephesus mentioned in Revelation 2:2-4, says: “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” How many churches today have lost their first love? The church is doing good things, working hard, reaching out and serving but they have lost their first love for Jesus.
Everything in the church should be measured by Jesus and his words and actions. Herbert Brokering wrote these words in a short skit about “words, thoughts, deeds” – Someone is looking to buy a Bible and gets into a dialogue with the store clerk:
“How much should it cost?
As little as possible, so long as it has what Jesus said in red.
Why are you so sold on red?
‘Cause it’s easy to find all things Jesus said. You know, the familiar sayings, the stories He told, and the Sermon on the Mount.
How does it help?
It helps to pick these out as you read along.
Are they more important?
What do you mean?
Are the things Jesus said more important than the rest?
The rest of what?
The rest of His life. Is what Jesus said more important than what Jesus did?
Come again.
Are parables and stories more important than miracles?
What are you getting at?
Nothing in particular. Just wondering why all the red ink for His speeches when He was really famous for what He did.
Oh.
And famous for who He was.
Then change the order.
Meaning what?
Get me one that prints all those things Jesus did in red.
There is no such Bible.
But why not?
Are you suggesting that what He did is more important than what He said?
Now we’re right back where we started.
I don’t think so.
Ajith Fernando has written a book entitled “Jesus Driven Ministry”. Is our church Jesus Driven? Or is it deacon driven, pastor driven, staff driven, committee driven or me driven?
Fernando uses the words of a simple chorus:
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me:
All his wondrous compassion and purity,
O thou spirit divine, all my nature refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus is seen in me.
Consider doing a sermon series built around Jesus and His Encounters in the gospels. Show how he related to people: Some people came to Jesus, other people find Jesus on the way, and Jesus sometimes went out of his way to meet people.
In Jesus Driven Church part 2, I will share a sermon series relating to Jesus.
The hymn says, “Oh, how I love Jesus”.