Jesus: Your Pocket or Your Platform?

I've been fascinated over the last few years to observe the body of Christ become 'the body of everything else'. When the local church of the living God becomes the local church of anything and everything else it loses its spiritual power and worth.

On a regular basis I remind the people of Captivate that while there are many ‘good’ things we could do, we are intent to focus on being ministers of reconciliation. We are not the Boy Scouts, we're not the 4H club, we're not a social justice organization, and we are not a social welfare agency. Those groups have a purpose and are intentional about their scope. They don't apologize about their focus and they work hard not to shift from their focus. The church has a focus. Jesus. We are a local expression of the body of Christ who is charged to use everything we have to be Christ's ambassadors.

There is nothing more powerful, more relevant or more exciting than the local church focused on the glory of God through His son, Jesus Christ. Conversely there is nothing more pathetic than to see a Pastor put Jesus in their back pocket and use the pulpit and platform to point to something else.

One of the most powerful verses of scripture is found in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.

The passage of scripture focuses on the final few verses:

²⁰ We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

When church is about something else and not about reconciling men to God as its primary and ultimate focus... it is no longer a church. It may 'look' like a church. It may 'feel' like a church. There may be music and there may be a person who talks but if it's not a body of believers acting as Christ's ambassadors... it's not a church.

What is the unmistakable message of your church? In your church could someone do what is asked of them without Christ? Could they 'do' what is taught and not speak the name of Christ? When your Pastor preaches this week, is Salvation in Christ his focus or something else?

No matter what you're talking about it must ultimately be about the person and purpose of the gospel, Jesus Christ.

The church has life when the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not only invited into the room but invited to the front and given the spotlight.

Pastors, please take Jesus from your back pocket and put Him on the platform. Jesus is the first, last and only reason for the church to exist. Don't allow your church or yourself to become spiritually bankrupt by maintaining a focus on anything else. Many things are good for the church to do but there is only one who should get our worship. Let no one be confused about who or what you worship.