Any organization, company or even church can easily become a complicated set of words, processes, structures and programs. The crazy thing is that the organization, company, or church doesn’t have to be very big to become to complex to be effective and profoundly unclear as to what it is all about.

Therefore, keeping in mind what is at the heart of the church is of utmost importance. To use an old but reliable adage, “keeping the main thing the main thing is the main thing we have to do.” So, what is the main thing for Quest, a church that we say is in and for the community?

This past Sunday, we took a look at John 8:1-11. We find Jesus integrating both grace and truth (John 1:14) in perfect combination and balance with the woman, thrown in front of him, who had been caught in the very act of adultery. His kindness toward her was stunning, his resolve for her transformation was pointed, his disdain for her accusers arrogance was measured, his grace toward them was uncomfortable. At the heart of this story is Jesus himself. He was the only sinless, blameless, and faultless person involved in the incident, and yet he was the one who doled out ‘grace and truth’ to everyone involved.

In order for our church to stay focused on all that we have been called to be, it is of utmost importance that we keep Jesus as the true main thing in our own lives and in the lives of those among whom we live and function. Only when we stay in sync with him can we hope to stay in sync with having a heart for the skeptic, the inquirer and the already convinced – people on a journey to be intimately connected relationally, wanting to grow daily in trusting who God is and what He is doing among us, and to see lives transformed to look more like Christ. Only when we are singular in our love for Jesus can we energetically get involved in seeking the welfare of the city where God has placed us and pray on their behalf. Only when Jesus is first and foremost in our lives can we dynamically interact cross generationally and enjoy what we have to offer one another.

So, what I am trying to say is that when Jesus is the key focus of our hearts, we can invite those around us to join an ever expanding circle of relationships – where each person can wrestle with the challenges of life, deal with the hurts that come our way and even be helped with the things that cause discouragement and despair. As the ‘body of Christ,’ we are called to do these things and as the ‘head of the body,’ Jesus can orchestrate all of these things and each of us along the way, along the journey, along the adventure; yes, on the quest we all pursue. This is a quest of asking God to accomplish the things of his kingdom and his will starting here on earth and continuing into eternity.

I would suggest that is a quest worth living! May God empower us all to be usable for that purpose!

-Kevin