Jesus Is Not Enough: We Need Each Other (9/1/19)

Jesus Is Not Enough Okay, now that I have your attention, in what way could Jesus ever be not enough? In fact, Jesus tells us that He is not enough. Okay, I bite, you say. In what way is Jesus not enough? Of course, Jesus is all that is needed for our salvation. He has done it all. But when it comes to relationships, Jesus is not sufficient. In fact, there was a time in the Garden of Eden when Adam was alone with God in the garden and it was said, “It is not good that man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Adam was only complete when the woman, Eve, was created out of him and brought to him. “At last”, he explained, “bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh.” Adam only becomes a man when there is woman. This same complementary truth is emphasized in the creation of the church. In a day of radical individualism that marks our culture, Jesus has created a counter-cultural community called the church. In our evangelical tradition, we put the emphasis on individual salvation—someone making personal decision for Jesus. What we have failed to appreciate is that Jesus is saving people into new humanity, an alternative community called the church. Can you be a follower of Jesus and not be intertwined with the church? We will shed some light on that question this Sunday. I hope you join me! -- Greg Ogden