IS JESUS ENOUGH?
"After they had eaten, Jesus
asked Simon Peter, 'Simon, son
of Jonah, do you love Me
more than these other things?'"
(John 21:15).
If Jesus was all you had,
would Jesus be enough for you?
Many precious believers are
in love with the things of the
Lord, but they are not in
love with the Lord Himself.
Many Christian workers and
ministers are in love with the
Lord's work. Almost
without realizing it, the work of the
Lord becomes more important
than the Lord of the work.
There are prophets and teachers
who hold words from God in
higher esteem than the God
Who speaks the words they
attribute as being from Him.
People seek these words and
teachings. The more
they receive, the more they want.
Before one word is digested
they are craving another. They
are seeking "things" - words,
prophecies, teachings,
visions, dreams - but
they are not seeking the Lord
Himself.
Is Jesus enough?
When the saints gather together
most of the activity is
focused on "one another".
This is important, but it is not
the most important thing.
Fellowship is good: but is Jesus
enough? Gatherings
are good: but is Jesus enough? Meetings
are good: but is Jesus enough?
Special speakers and special
music are good: but is Jesus
enough?
Even with praise and worship
it is possible to sing "about"
Jesus and not truly worship
Jesus. With preaching and
teaching it is possible to
talk "about" Jesus and not truly
meet Jesus in what is shared.
In prayer it is possible to
talk "about" our needs and
never actually commune with Jesus
Himself.
Among Christians I have discovered
something. There is
Jesus, and then there are
all the things ABOUT Jesus that
are NOT Jesus. Jesus
Himself occupies only a small portion
of what is said and done
in Christian circles. Most of what
is said and done is merely
ABOUT Jesus, but it is NOT Jesus.
I have learned that stress,
strife, disillusionment,
dissatisfaction, bitterness,
anger, hurt, misunderstanding,
and confusion comes from
everything said and done by
religious people ABOUT the
Lord, and IN THE NAME of the
Lord, that does not, in fact,
have anything to do with Jesus
Himself.
How much of your focus is
directed to the things of God, and
not to God Himself?
How much of your discussion centers on
things about Jesus, and not
Jesus Himself?
Just look around. This
brother is focused on end-time
events, and that sister is
devoted to inner healing. This
brother is primarily concerned
with prophetic things, while
another sister is keenly interested
in spiritual warfare.
That brother is deeply involved
with theological
discussions, while that sister
is in love with Christian
music. One movement
emphasizes this particular thing, and
another group stands for
another thing.
There may be diversities of
gifts and callings. There may
be various and sundry things
to be involved with. There may
be many topics to study and
discuss. Many things compete
for our time, attention,
affection, energy, and money.
But there is only one Lord
Jesus.
Just as some people cannot
see the forest for the trees, I
believe most sinners cannot
see Jesus for the Christians.
And I believe most Christians
cannot see Jesus for the
"church".
Is Jesus enough?
Whenever I am ministering
to pastors, whatever they think
their calling is, I always
have them turn to Mark 3:14:
"And he ordained twelve,
that they should BE WITH HIM, and
that He might send them forth
to preach."
You are called to be with
Jesus. That is your calling.
That is the primary thing,
the highest ministry. Going
forth to preach or do anything
else is of secondary
importance. We should
be with Jesus; after that, He might
send us forth to preach.
But before Jesus said, "Go into
all the world" He said, "Be
with Me."
The call of the Lord is not
more important than the Lord of
the call. The work
of the Lord must not replace the Lord of
the work. No amount
of ministering FOR the Lord will make
up for a lack of ministering
TO the Lord. And knowing the
Word of God does not necessarily
mean that we know the God
of the Word.
Everyone wants to go and do
something for God, but few
people are willing to stay
and do "nothing" for Him.
Jesus asked Peter, "Am I enough
for You? Do you love Me
more than everything else?
Do you love Me more than you
love the things about Me?"
A few weeks later, when Peter stood
with John before the
religious rulers to explain
the healing of a man who had
never walked, "...they marveled;
and they took knowledge of
[Peter and John], that THEY
HAD BEEN WITH JESUS" (Acts
4:13b).
If we will be with Jesus,
then Jesus will be with us.
The reason the New Testament
church had power was not
because they spoke in tongues,
or held meetings in their
living rooms, or had a certain
system for planting churches.
The secret was they had been
with Jesus.
But some Christians are more in
love with methods and
ministries than they are
in love with the Man.
The prophets and teachers
in the church of Antioch were
gathered together: not to
have a house church conference,
not to begin a new ministry,
not to discuss the latest
prophetic word or the newest
teaching, not to exchange ideas
on how to grow the church,
not to fellowship, not to share a
meal, not to minister to
one another. But "as they
ministered TO THE LORD, and fasted,
the Holy Ghost said..."
(Acts 13:2a).
Paul and his fellow workers
had many souls to save, many
disciples to make, many churches
to plant, many places to
visit, many messages to deliver,
many letters to write.
There were many needs to
be met, many doors of opportunity
before them.
But the work was suspended.
Activity ceased. Ministry came
to a standstill. Fellowship
and food were forgotten. The
prophets were there, but
the prophets did not prophesy. The
teachers were there, but
the teachers did not teach.
Instead, they ministered to
the Lord. The focus shifted
from horizontal to vertical.
The emphasis was directed away
from man and man's needs,
and onto the Lord and His Need.
They were busy being with
Jesus. They were at His feet.
So when the Holy Ghost finally
spoke, they were ready to go
forth. Thus began the
first missionary journey of Paul.
When apostles love church
planting and mission work more
than Jesus, then they are saying
that Jesus is not enough.
When prophets love their
prophecies, dreams, and visions
more than they love Jesus,
then they are saying that Jesus
is not enough.
When evangelists love traveling,
preaching, and holding
meetings more than they love
Jesus, then they are saying
that Jesus is not enough.
When pastors love their church
services and building
programs more than they love Jesus,
then they are saying
that Jesus is not enough.
When teachers love their teachings
more than they love
Jesus, then they are saying
that Jesus is not enough.
When preachers love their
preaching more than they love
Jesus, then they are saying
that Jesus is not enough.
When ministers love their
ministry more than they love
Jesus, then they are saying
that Jesus is not enough.
When musicians love their
music more than they love Jesus,
then they are saying that
Jesus is not enough.
When writers love their writings
more than they love Jesus,
then they are saying that
Jesus is not enough.
And when the simplest disciples
grow tired of "just" being
with Jesus, and begin to
long for something bigger,
something better, something greater,
something more
powerful, something other
than what they have in Jesus
already, then they are saying
that Jesus is not enough.
If Jesus was all you had,
would Jesus be enough for you? Or
do you have to have all the "trappings"
of Christianity, all
the bells and whistles, all
the toys and trinkets?
Make no mistake: there is
no life in the things that are
ABOUT Jesus. There
is life only in Jesus Himself.
May I speak candidly?
If you are dissatisfied and
disappointed with your Christian
walk today, it is only
because of one thing: Jesus
is not enough for you.
Somewhere along the line,
something else became more
important than Jesus.
Maybe you have become focused on the
things ABOUT Jesus that are
NOT Jesus.
There is only one solution.
You do not need more of the
Lord, because He has already
given Himself completely to you
already. You just need
less of everything else.
Remember.
Remember what it was like
to hear His Voice, to be so filled
with passion and love for Him,
that you wanted nothing more
than to sit at His feet,
and hear His Word.
Remember when you were so infatuated
with Him that you did
not want to do anything else.
Remember what it was like to just
be with Jesus.
Go back to when Jesus first called
you to be with Him.
Go back to the time when all
you had was Him.
Go back to the time before
you were planting churches,
speaking prophetic words,
preaching to the unsaved,
pastoring the congregation,
teaching the people, or leading
worship.
Go back to the time when there
was no work, no ministry, no
vision, no special calling
- except Jesus calling you to be
with Him.
Remember when you said, "He's
all I need!"
So what happened?
I pray the Lord will draw
us after Himself and make us
thoroughly sick and tired
of things - especially the things
that are ABOUT Him, but are
NOT Him.
God so loved the world that
He gave His Only Son, Jesus.
Well... is Jesus enough?
IS JESUS ENOUGH?
by Chip Brogden