The Gap Between Doing Church and Being the Church

There’s something a little uncomfortable at the heart of John 15.

Jesus says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” But - if you’re honest - you know that’s not quite true. You can run the service. You can serve the meals, make the visits, sing the songs. Churches do it all the time without any real sense of Jesus being present in it.

That’s exactly the point Rob makes in this week’s sermon. We can do all the right things apart from Jesus. The question isn’t whether we’re doing them - it’s whether they’re bearing any lasting fruit.

Sunday Rewind - each week I share a sermon from the Battle Ready Sermons archive. My role has shifted to training the next generation of Salvation Army officers at William Booth College, so I’m no longer preaching every Sunday, but God’s word doesn’t go out of date. These messages are here to encourage, challenge, and point you to Jesus, whenever you need them.

This week’s sermon was originally preached 21 June 2021.

Remaining in Jesus, Rob suggests, isn’t about trying harder. It’s not about praying for longer or adding another meeting to the calendar. It’s about a relationship - spending time with a person, growing in love, letting that love spill outward into community and beyond.

And then there’s the moment that stops you in your tracks. A real-time search engine illustration shows what the world actually types when it thinks about Christians. Not “gracious.” Not “good neighbours.” Not “giving.”

It’s a wake-up call - and an invitation.

*Key takeaway:* Fruitfulness flows from connection, not activity. When we remain in Jesus - personally and together as a community - something changes. People notice love. And love draws people in.

*🎥 Watch the full sermon here:*

Draw me nearer. That’s the prayer.