It's About Jesus

One of the things that God reminds me of on a regular basis is that this thing that Jesus and I have is a relationship. And the relationship is to center on Jesus, not me. I once had a person who had just became a part of our church tell me that our church was a Jesus church. I asked him if all churches weren’t Jesus churches and he assured me the church he had just come from was not a Jesus church. I want my church, my family, and my life to be Jesus. I want Jesus. I don’t want to seek Jesus’ blessings, miracles, power, or anything that Jesus gives. I want to seek Him, His presence.

In Galatians 2:6-10 Paul shares three things that he has experienced because of his relationship with Jesus.

Galatians 2:6-10

And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality) – those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for He who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

First, God does not show partiality.

The fact that God does not show partiality means two things.

It means that God doesn’t play favorites. He does not love you more than He loves me. He doesn’t love certain people or certain kinds of people more than other people or kinds of people.

Does God love Muslims? Yes!

Does God love Republicans and Democrats? – Yes!

Does God love the people who don’t love Him? – Yes!

Does God love the people I don’t? – Yes!

It also means that God doesn’t just look at the outward appearance of a person.

God looks beyond our appearance and our words. He looks at our hearts, our inner thoughts, our inner attitudes, our inner desires.

In 1 Samuel 16 Samuel comes to Jesse’ s family to anoint the new king. Jesse brings his sons one at a time before Samuel. None of the sons are chosen even though some outwardly impressed Samuel. God chose the youngest one, David because, according to 1 Samuel 16:7, God looks at the heart, not the outward appearance.

This means that God’s judgment is always right. It is always based on complete knowledge of the truth. And it means that no one can fool God.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing that God is focused on who we really are.

Second, God is the one who calls us and equips us for the ministry He wants us to do.

The ministry that I have been called to do and the ministry that you have been called to do are Jesus’ ministries, not yours or mine.

I love the church I pastor. Church at the Butte belongs to Jesus. It is His church, not mine. When it becomes “my” church or “my” ministry, then we have the wrong viewpoint and attitude.

Paul recognized that his ministry to the Gentiles and Peter’s ministry had the same source – Jesus. Paul recognized that both his ministry and Peter’s were legitimate because both were initiated, established, and empowered by Jesus.

There are no two ministries that are exactly alike.

There are no two churches that are exactly alike.

But all ministries that are initiated by God, established by God, and empowered by God have the same goal – to bring people into relationship with Jesus.

Ministry is about building God’s kingdom, not our own personal kingdom.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is acknowledging Jesus as the initiator of, the one who establishes, and the one who empowers ministry.

Third, God is the provider of grace.

Grace is the truth that God loves you just because He loves you.

Grace is the truth that God loves you because He has chosen to love you.

Grace means that it is about God, not me.

Grace allows the reality of Jesus to fill our lives every single day.

Grace brings:

Joy

Pleasure

Delight

Peace

Hope

And all that comes to us through grace is undeserved and unearned. Grace declares that we are loved to the max all the time by Jesus and nothing can or ever will change that.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living based in the grace of Jesus and nothing else.

If you think of yourself as a self-made man or woman, then you have missed a great freedom. You have missed the freedom of living a life with the knowledge that gives you a purpose, an unbiased view of yourself, and an undeserved love.

May you experience the fullness of Jesus’ presence, love, and power all the time.

Letting Jesus Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls

Joe