Jesus at the Center

The last couple of weeks, I’ve found myself repeatedly singing this incredible song made popular by Israel and New Breed.  Here’s the core lyrics:

"Jesus at the center of it all,
Jesus at the center of it all,
From beginning to the end,
It will always be, it’s always been You
Jesus, Jesus
Nothing else matters, 
nothing in this world will do,
Jesus You’re the center,
and everything revolves around You."

I can’t help but ask the question, “Does everything in my life revolve around Jesus?”  Then there’s the corporate take, “Does everything we are doing in the church revolve around Jesus?”

The circumference of anything is anchored by its center.  Whether the breadth of our circle of ministry is small or large, it must have a solid anchor point, or it will eventually implode.

Sometimes the focus of a church is preoccupied with negative issues.  Financial struggles, poor location, the current culture war, opposition to homosexual marriage and liberal politics, hurts, hangups and history can all come to dominate the center of a church.

In other churches, the emphasis is on any number of things that we would all consider to be good.  How could any of us be opposed to feeding and clothing the poor, recovery ministries, small groups, drama teams, fellowship meals and building improvements?  Yet, 2,000 years ago, Jesus commended the church at Ephesus for all their good works, and then had to call them to repentance for leaving their “first love“ (Rev.2:1-7).

We need to make sure that Jesus is at the center of the church and all that it does.  It is okay to stand against sinful activities and an unbiblical worldview.  It is certainly appropriate for the church to engage in wholesome and positive activities that will benefit others.  But remember that everything we do must be centered in Jesus Christ, and point others to Him.  We must love Him supremely (Matthew 22:34-40) and then allow ministry to flow from Him, through us, to others.  That’s what you see in the New Testament and that’s what we need to make sure is happening in the church today.  So at the beginning of 2016, let’s all ask “Jesus to be the center of it all”!