John 1:1 tells us that, “In the beginning was the Word.”
Now any person in ministry has probably done some kind of study on this passage and found it a well of theological truth. In the beginning of John's gospel, we know that he was presenting Jesus as God, creator, self existent, all knowing, all loving, part of the triune God, and so on, and so on. We could all go on with the richness of this passage and spend many hours talking about the implications of this verse. I don't want to talk to you all about the intellectual implications of this passage, but of a simple truth that I almost missed.
As a church planter, I find that I am often trying to take large theological concepts and break them down into bite sized pieces to feed hungry sheep and understand them myself—as well as present the gospel to lost people. I was once again looking at this passage in that light when I almost missed something that Jesus was telling me. Jesus knows more than I do.
You're probably thinking that this is not new information. It's not. I have always believed that Jesus knew more than I do, although I have not always acted that way. It was not that I was learning something new. This simple truth that is sometimes overlooked cut me, convicted me, and comforted me all at the same time.
Jesus often speaks simply. “I'm in control, I know more than you do.” This was significant because I was afraid of change. Our church plant is in a season of change. New location, new time, new schedule, all are in the mix. What this means for me is, more time spent out in the world earning a paycheck so we can pay for a new space. It means time away from home, more demand on my schedule, and learning to be organized, which has always been a challenge for me.
So as I sat there reading, studying, praying, Jesus simply spoke through the Gospel of John. He knows more than I do. He's been at this a lot longer than I have, He is in control here.
Am I still afraid? Yep! Are there lots of things that need to take place for this to work? Yep! But, I know Jesus has got things under control. Don't miss these simple things about Jesus. Don't get so far up in your head about the things of God, that you miss that Jesus is the one in control. He knows more than you do, more than I do.
Isn't that a good place to be? To be submitted to a loving God that is in control of our journey. One of the greatest pieces of advice I have ever heard was that God wanted to do something in me, more than He wants to do something through me. This gets lost in our busy weeks preparing to storm the gates of Hell with the Gospel. Sometimes we can be in danger of thinking we can do this on our own. Jesus was clear, He said, “I am the vine and you are the branches, apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 paraphrase. It's easy to get sidetracked in church planting. From motivating the core team, to getting in the trenches, to all the busy work that no one likes. We can forget that this is really simple. Jesus knows more than you do. Jesus is in control. This is not your church, It's His. Stay connected to the vine.
Taking steps out on faith never really changes. It never really stops, or becomes easier. It may look different, but it boils down to the same thing, Jesus knows more than you do. Trust Him.
