Jesus. That’s all.

Talk about being distracted in ministry. Sometimes those of us in ministry need to be reintroduced to Jesus, the Christ – you know, our boss?!  Oh, don’t get all sanctimonious on us now. We know how it is – we get busy playing counselor, activity organizer, message preparer, administrator, email answerer, text replier, IT specialist, janitor, or, heaven help us, bulletin stuffer – and we forget who we work for, love, serve, and should be introducing people to!

Last night I (Jeff) was working with some 5th graders in our kid’s program, and one of the questions he was working on said “How can you do that?” It was in the context of sharing the Gospel with another person, and how we should do it. He looked at me and said, “What’s the answer to this question?”

Well again, the question to this 5th grader was, how could he do that? How could he share the Gospel with a friend? Now, just how do I answer that question? Give him the four steps to eternal life? Recite the Roman’s Road and suggest he memorize it canned and parrot it back to his friend? Was he to deliver information to another person? Probably none of the above.

I asked him “What about Jesus is good news to you?” None of his answers were satisfactory. I don’t think he had ever internalized it, the Gospel message, or him, Jesus. What was I doing in that moment? How could I get him to understand just how very much this Jesus, the Son of God, loved him, Jack – with such reckless and grace-filled abandon? And how could I get Jack to understand that until Jesus meant much to him personally, he could never really share him, Jesus, with another?

Today I thought about how much Jesus means to me. Yeah, that’s the ticket, just how much does Jesus mean to me? Then I was reminded how very much I fear forgetting Jesus in all the hustle and bustle of ministry details, people, events, tasks, deadlines, and worship services. Usually during the song/music time in the service I focus on Jesus… mostly. But I want to be focused on him all week long.

It’s a challenge to remember Jesus in everything and at all times. He bled and died to call us to heaven, and make us fit to enter. A friend of mine once said, many years ago, “God doesn’t call the fit, he fits the called.” That’s true from the moment of salvation to the last message I’ll ever preach on this earth. Jesus fits the called. And you and I as 200church pastors are among the called, and are specifically, the “called to ministry.” And Jesus fits us, the called, for ministry. Thank God!

So, Jonny and I wanted to take this opportunity to say, “Grace and Peace to you this weekend!”, and to remind you about Jesus. Jesus.

Jesus. That’s all.