Jesus Is Enough
“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:4-5 ESV)
When was the last time you attended a church other than the one you call home? Until a few weeks ago, I couldn’t remember the last time I went to a church service outside our usual place of worship. We are deeply invested in our church community. Gathering with fellow members feels essential and right to us. We spend part of almost every weekend there without a second thought.
Recently, however, we traveled to see one of my best friends preach at another church in our denomination. She was filling in as pastor for a few weekends. She had told us this church looked and felt much different than the church we attend together.
Our home church regularly welcomes over one thousand people at four services each weekend. Children are placed into multiple-age divided rooms via electronic check-in systems. Elaborate lighting systems, fog machines, and amplified sound provide the backdrop of the worship experience at our church. Our church has many digital enhancements, including a paperless bulletin and text-to-give offering option.
The church we visited looked remarkably different from our home church. We joined approximately forty people in a large room in an office complex. Announcements and prayer requests were shared orally among the small congregation at the beginning of the service. A lone young man with a guitar and a kick drum led us in worship. The children’s ministry consisted of one woman who took two of my children and the two other children in attendance to a small back room. When my friend, Kate, got up to preach, she simply stood a few feet in front of us, no stage or special lighting. The service was very different from what I’ve become accustomed to, but its simplicity was beautiful and meaningful.
It took going to a new church for me to see my own church with fresh eyes. Seeing this small congregation with its uncomplicated service routines gave me an appreciation for all the staff and volunteers at my own church who make our large gatherings each week welcoming and robust. At the same time, having the extra stripped away and just a small group singing and learning together reminded me that we don’t need all the bells and whistles to lift Jesus high.
Whether we attend megachurches or gather in basements, office complexes, or high school gyms, when Jesus is loved and proclaimed, it is enough.
Just as individuals have unique gifts, each congregation has unique features that allow it to reach people for Christ in a way another group may not be able. Small doesn’t mean less than, and larger doesn’t mean more significant. This fits so well with the upside-down way of the kingdom of heaven where the first are last, and the least are the greatest.
The church was never meant to be about the building we visit each week. The church has always been a people committed to looking and living like the most radical lover of humanity: Jesus. Whether we gather in large or small groups each week to worship, learn, and remember our Lord, we are reminded of his desire for us to be the bearers of his love to the world wherever he has placed us. Embrace the way of Jesus. It will always be enough.
Father, thank you for the gift of diversity both in individuals and in our communities. Help us to embrace the unique callings you have placed on us as followers of Jesus, not comparing them to the gifts and callings you have given other believers. Remind us that Jesus is enough and that when we share his perfect love, lives will be changed. Give us unity with other believers to make your name known. Amen.
Scripture for Reflection
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV).
“So Christ gave himself to the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teacher, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV)
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)
What unique advantages does your church home have to reach people for Christ?
Are you living into the gifts God has given you to do his work in the world?
Reach for More
Attending a different church gave me a new perspective on both my home church and the advantages of a church different from mine. We can be quick to judge things that are unlike our norms. Try attending a church with a different style of worship, size, or other features from your home church. Celebrate what God is doing in both the other church and your home church to bring people into a relationship with him.
is a small-scale farmer, home educator, chicken chaser, kitchen dancer, and mediocre knitter. Her favorite things include spending time with her family, exploring the natural world, reading, eating spicy food, and singing loudly in the car (to the embarrassment of her children). Lindsay believes sharing our stories will change the world. She writes about farming, homeschooling, faith, mental health, sobriety, and living an unconventional life. You can follow her adventures at peckandpetalfarm.com.
Photograph © Nicole Honeywill, used with permission
