Keeping Jesus at the Centre

By Howard James Fyvie 

On Friday night Mervis and team hosted a final evening for those who had been involved in musical worship across JoshGen during 2019. We were expecting a message from Andrew Selley, but upon arrival were informed that Andrew couldn’t come anymore. In true JoshGen style though, Mervis just jumped up onto the stage and told us that whilst he definitely didn’t expect to be speaking at all, he was going to trust God to speak to us, nonetheless.

He shared a classic message from John 17, about how Jesus’ great prayer for us was that we would know God, be with God and love God. It was a short, heartfelt word, but one seasoned with passion and conviction. After that, we spent the rest of the night seeking God. He was the reason we had come, anyway.

That’s one of the things I love about being in a church like ours: the ability to roll with the punches and keep the primary thing the primary thing. It’s not about having a perfectly polished product, but rather having the presence of God. Of course, that doesn’t mean we don’t prioritise efficiency, excellence, and a good work ethic. We do, because God does. But there’s something He prioritises much higher than those qualities, and that is a people who are hungry for His presence.

I saw that again on Friday night: people coming to a meeting expecting one thing, but instantly adjusting their hearts and realising that the main thing we want is Jesus. Who the message comes through doesn’t matter, as long as Christ is preached.

This culture is something that Andrew and Emma have bred into us from the start. Ultimately, it’s a culture of sacrifice. Sacrificing our lives for Jesus. Dying to self so we can truly live. And it tied in beautifully with one thing Mervis said that night.

He was standing on the stage, looking out across a room full of musical worshippers, when he pointed to the ground and said “This isn’t a stage. It’s an altar.”

Flip, how often do I get that wrong!  God, help me!  God, help us all.

Howard James Fyvie

Zandi Hulley

More from NEWS

JG-Logo-226x100-02px