A church All About Jesus
All About Jesus: What It Means for a Church to Be Truly Centered on Christ
There is something remarkable about watching a master at work. Whether it is a stonemason pulling a figure from a block of granite, a painter layering brushstroke upon brushstroke until a canvas comes alive, or a seasoned cook moving through a recipe by instinct and feel alone, mastery has a way of stopping us in our tracks. We sense that we are witnessing something beyond ordinary effort. Something driven by a deep, consuming passion.
The Apostle Paul was that kind of master. Not of stone or paint or cuisine, but of gospel ministry. He traveled the ancient world planting churches, enduring hardship, and leaving a mark on every town in the Roman Empire. When the Roman governor Festus heard Paul give an account of his life and ministry, his response was blunt: "You are out of your mind, Paul. Too much study is driving you mad." But Paul was not driven by madness. He was driven by something far more powerful. He was a man possessed by a passion to see Jesus worshiped, compelled by the Spirit to preach the gospel, and controlled by a mission that would not let him go.
In Colossians chapter 1, Paul pulls back the curtain on his ministry and lets us see exactly what he was all about. And from the first word to the last, the answer is the same. Jesus. Everything was about Jesus. The message, the method, and the mission. If a church is truly going to be all about Jesus, these three things have to define it.
Proclaiming the Message of Jesus
Paul describes his calling in Colossians 1:25-28 as making the word of God fully known, specifically the mystery that had been hidden for ages but was now revealed. That mystery, he says, is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And his response to that revelation is simple and direct: "We proclaim him."
Paul believed that from the beginning of time, God had a purpose to redeem a people for himself from every nation, tribe, and language. For a season, that purpose was partially concealed, with God's covenant promises working through the descendants of Abraham. But in Christ, everything hidden was brought into the light. The dividing wall between Jew and Gentile was torn down. One new humanity was being formed in him. The blessing of Abraham was now available to all people through faith.
This is why Paul could say in 1 Corinthians 2 that he decided to know nothing among the people he served except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Not eloquent speech. Not political commentary. Not self-help wisdom. Just Jesus.
There are plenty of messages a church could preach. Messages of human progress, social action, financial prosperity, or personal fulfillment. Some of them are not without value in their proper place. But none of them can save. None of them carry the power of God for salvation. Only the gospel does. A church that is truly all about Jesus keeps the message of Jesus at the center, every single week, in every ministry and every conversation.
Practicing the Methods of Jesus
Paul opens this passage with a striking statement. He says in Colossians 1:24 that he rejoices in his sufferings and that he is completing in his flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the church. This is not Paul suggesting that Jesus left something unfinished on the cross. The redemptive work of Christ is complete. What Paul means is that the way Jesus carried out his ministry, through suffering and dependence rather than power and prestige, is the pattern for gospel work in every generation.
Jesus lived a sinless life and was handed over to be crucified. Isaiah 53 had foreseen it, describing him as wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities, with the chastisement that brought peace falling upon him. His suffering was not incidental. It was essential. He himself asked in Luke 24 whether it was not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things before entering into glory.
Paul embraced that same pattern. In 2 Corinthians 12, when Paul pleaded with God to remove a painful thorn from his flesh, God's answer was not relief but revelation. "My grace is sufficient for you, and my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul's response was to boast in his weakness so that Christ's power could rest on him.
This is countercultural in every age, including our own. We live in a world of tools, technology, and resources, and it is easy for a church to begin trusting in those things rather than in the Spirit of God. The methods of Jesus are not primarily about what we can build or produce. They are about surrender, dependence, and a willingness to follow him even when it costs something. Paul said plainly in 2 Timothy 3:12 that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. The way of Jesus has never been without a cross.
Pursuing the Mission of Jesus
If Paul's message was Christ and his method was suffering dependence, his mission was clear. He states it in Colossians 1:28 as a kind of one-sentence summary of everything: "We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
That word mature carries the idea of completeness. Paul wanted to see every person, regardless of age or background or stage of life, grow up into the fullness of what God had created and redeemed them to be. He echoes this in Ephesians 4, urging the church to grow up in every way into Christ, who is the head. And in Romans 8:29, he describes the Spirit's work as conforming believers to the image of God's Son.
This was the vision that sustained Paul through every imprisonment, every beating, every shipwreck, and every sleepless night. He imagined the day when he would stand before the throne of God and present the people he had labored for, formed and mature in Christ.
That same vision is worth recovering today. Not a church defined by its attendance numbers or its building projects or its polished programming, but a church where real people are being genuinely transformed into the likeness of Jesus. A church that has handed over the reins to him and trusted him to do what only he can do.
When Jesus gets control of a church, everything changes. And it all becomes about him.
There is something remarkable about watching a master at work. Whether it is a stonemason pulling a figure from a block of granite, a painter layering brushstroke upon brushstroke until a canvas comes alive, or a seasoned cook moving through a recipe by instinct and feel alone, mastery has a way of stopping us in our tracks. We sense that we are witnessing something beyond ordinary effort. Something driven by a deep, consuming passion.
The Apostle Paul was that kind of master. Not of stone or paint or cuisine, but of gospel ministry. He traveled the ancient world planting churches, enduring hardship, and leaving a mark on every town in the Roman Empire. When the Roman governor Festus heard Paul give an account of his life and ministry, his response was blunt: "You are out of your mind, Paul. Too much study is driving you mad." But Paul was not driven by madness. He was driven by something far more powerful. He was a man possessed by a passion to see Jesus worshiped, compelled by the Spirit to preach the gospel, and controlled by a mission that would not let him go.
In Colossians chapter 1, Paul pulls back the curtain on his ministry and lets us see exactly what he was all about. And from the first word to the last, the answer is the same. Jesus. Everything was about Jesus. The message, the method, and the mission. If a church is truly going to be all about Jesus, these three things have to define it.
Proclaiming the Message of Jesus
Paul describes his calling in Colossians 1:25-28 as making the word of God fully known, specifically the mystery that had been hidden for ages but was now revealed. That mystery, he says, is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And his response to that revelation is simple and direct: "We proclaim him."
Paul believed that from the beginning of time, God had a purpose to redeem a people for himself from every nation, tribe, and language. For a season, that purpose was partially concealed, with God's covenant promises working through the descendants of Abraham. But in Christ, everything hidden was brought into the light. The dividing wall between Jew and Gentile was torn down. One new humanity was being formed in him. The blessing of Abraham was now available to all people through faith.
This is why Paul could say in 1 Corinthians 2 that he decided to know nothing among the people he served except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Not eloquent speech. Not political commentary. Not self-help wisdom. Just Jesus.
There are plenty of messages a church could preach. Messages of human progress, social action, financial prosperity, or personal fulfillment. Some of them are not without value in their proper place. But none of them can save. None of them carry the power of God for salvation. Only the gospel does. A church that is truly all about Jesus keeps the message of Jesus at the center, every single week, in every ministry and every conversation.
Practicing the Methods of Jesus
Paul opens this passage with a striking statement. He says in Colossians 1:24 that he rejoices in his sufferings and that he is completing in his flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the church. This is not Paul suggesting that Jesus left something unfinished on the cross. The redemptive work of Christ is complete. What Paul means is that the way Jesus carried out his ministry, through suffering and dependence rather than power and prestige, is the pattern for gospel work in every generation.
Jesus lived a sinless life and was handed over to be crucified. Isaiah 53 had foreseen it, describing him as wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities, with the chastisement that brought peace falling upon him. His suffering was not incidental. It was essential. He himself asked in Luke 24 whether it was not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things before entering into glory.
Paul embraced that same pattern. In 2 Corinthians 12, when Paul pleaded with God to remove a painful thorn from his flesh, God's answer was not relief but revelation. "My grace is sufficient for you, and my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul's response was to boast in his weakness so that Christ's power could rest on him.
This is countercultural in every age, including our own. We live in a world of tools, technology, and resources, and it is easy for a church to begin trusting in those things rather than in the Spirit of God. The methods of Jesus are not primarily about what we can build or produce. They are about surrender, dependence, and a willingness to follow him even when it costs something. Paul said plainly in 2 Timothy 3:12 that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. The way of Jesus has never been without a cross.
Pursuing the Mission of Jesus
If Paul's message was Christ and his method was suffering dependence, his mission was clear. He states it in Colossians 1:28 as a kind of one-sentence summary of everything: "We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
That word mature carries the idea of completeness. Paul wanted to see every person, regardless of age or background or stage of life, grow up into the fullness of what God had created and redeemed them to be. He echoes this in Ephesians 4, urging the church to grow up in every way into Christ, who is the head. And in Romans 8:29, he describes the Spirit's work as conforming believers to the image of God's Son.
This was the vision that sustained Paul through every imprisonment, every beating, every shipwreck, and every sleepless night. He imagined the day when he would stand before the throne of God and present the people he had labored for, formed and mature in Christ.
That same vision is worth recovering today. Not a church defined by its attendance numbers or its building projects or its polished programming, but a church where real people are being genuinely transformed into the likeness of Jesus. A church that has handed over the reins to him and trusted him to do what only he can do.
When Jesus gets control of a church, everything changes. And it all becomes about him.
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