Jesus is really all we need, Isn't He?

Michelle and I were privileged some time ago to visit Haiti with the goal of building school desks for Haitian children. Our team built over 120 desks that would seat two children each so that the children wouldn't have to sit on earthen floors while at school. We delivered the desks around the city of Puerto Prince and beyond to remote villages. What a thrill.

The most significant observation was not the poverty (although we were broken by the poverty). What bothered us about the poverty did not seem to bother Haitian Christians. We could not imagine how those Christians could be so joyful in spite of no guarantee of their next meal, the fact that they lived on less than $300. per year per family, that they had no indoor toilets (they used the street or fields) and no running pure water, they often took showers outside when it rained (as lightning flashed one night we would see whole families in the shower of rainfall). Yet they were the most joyful and victororious pople I have ever seen. What touched us more was this fact, "When Jesus is all you have, Jesus is all you need." As was their case, it was a total submission to Jesus that I longer for.

Yet in America there is a growing trend that bigger, more, and upscale programing/worship is better. Michael Frost in "Exiles" talks about visiting a church in Texas where the Pastor drove a tank into the worship auditorium during a service of worship. Michael said, "Driving a tank into the service might be cool, but is it a reflection of the Christ?" Later he writes, "What has happened to a Christian minister, presumably a keen student of the Gospel, could think that driving a tank was an appropiate illustration of the ministry of Jesus?"

Michael Frost reminds us of the Gospel stories of the life and activity of Jesus. He then writes, "These stories (Gospel accounts) are the standard by which we judge all other stories, all other descriptions of life today. If, after reading these dangerous biblical stories, you can't imagine Jesus the Messiah as a televangelist, strutting around on stage in a flashy suit, playing it up for the cameras, then you are forced to reject this image and seek another mode for Christ today. If you can't picture Jesus driving a tank or pouring millions of dollars into building projects, then you are forced to allow the dangerous ancient stories to judge the insipid comtemporary ones."

While I used to be in that boat, I choose not to be today. While I contributed to this problem, I repent for it and choose to revisit the ancient stories and life of Jesus who has shown me that when He is all I have, He certainly is all I need. In America where believers have become dualistic or the result in practical polytheism (different gods for differing segments of our lives, something we refuse to admit) we need to confess and repent. We need to become monotheistic in that we worship Jesus in all sheres of life, which is a Christocentric monotheism that is a true denial of self and where Jesus reigns supremely in all the areas that are consumed by other gods which have differing labels but are still the same as always. Alan Hirsch has much more to say about this as well. That's a later post, possibly.

Jesus is all I need (Christocentric monotheism - the sold out follower who totally worships the one and only Jesus). I am not moved by my past ministerial success of buildings, budgets and bodies (butts) and bigger and better programs. Instead, I choose to show Jesus as the only One I have to offer. When I present Jesus, I'm finding that people are drawn to Him. As they are drawn to Him they prove willling to pay the price of following Him supremely.

Is Jesus or isn't He enough?