Jesus Is Enough...

But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you:
but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.
1Jo 2:27

I've been thinking a lot about what role "the church" (individual congregation/particular local church) plays in our lives. The church is not our source of power and it is not supposed to be our object of worship. I notice that for many Christians the church is the center of their life, not Jesus. Everything becomes "all about church" and the "fellowship" of the church, instead of all about the Savior and in living in obedience to His revealed will and commands and utter dependence upon Him. Indeed, I have observed that the "church" can be a hindrance to walking a life of true dependence upon Christ because people tend to "follow the church" and live as if church involvement is their sufficiency rather than following Jesus and seeing Him alone as their sufficiency. Many seem to be dominated by and dependent upon church and it's "activities", most of which have little or no spiritual value whatsoever (Matthew Henry calls them "novelties"). I have actually witnessed the church becoming a distraction to the geunine labor of following hard after Christ and His salty example of holy living in the real lost world. Although the means of grace play a role of nourishing and nurturing our faith, we can find all of them outside the church, with the exception perhaps of the Lord's supper. We can listen to sermons, pray, read the Word, fellowship, worship, and we certainly can and should share our faith without the church.
I guess what I am saying is that where you worship is not that big a deal. It's WHO you worship that is the key. Jesus is your King. Act 17:28 powerfully and poignantly reminds us: "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring." By the Spirit of Christ & through His Word, He will be your ever-present source of comfort, wisdom, power, peace & renewal.
In Christ, not in the church or even in the precious fellowship of the saints, is the power of an endless life. 1John 2:27 says: But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.
In a commentary on the above passage of holy scripture Matthew Henry
notes:
And you need not that any man teach you, v. 27. You were instructed by us before you were anointed; but now our teaching is nothing in comparison to that. Who teacheth like Him? Job 36:22. The divine unction does not supersede ministerial teaching, but surmount it.
Many are too tied up in the life of the "church", possibly out of a sense of misplaced "duty" and a desire to belong. Dear ones, trust and entrust yourself into the hands of the living God. You are already afixed to Jesus Himself. He is the cornerstone, your cornerstone ... your everything! If you have truly and genuinely repented of your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ to forgive you, cleanse you and give you the power to live a life of holy obedience, you already belong to Him
Lean into the Savior each moment. Don't let anything distract you from Him. Feast upon His Word every day. Surrender to Jesus, the lover of your soul and your eternal Husband. Although you cannot trust men, you can trust Him. He will feed you and sustain you and guide you day by day by day, unto eternity ... BECAUSE ...

Jesus is enough ...
Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
Hebrews 7:16
Matthew Henry comments:
But the high priest of our profession holds his office by that innate power of endless life which he has in himself, not only to preserve himself alive, but to communicate spiritual and eternal life to all those who duly rely upon his sacrifice and intercession. Some thing the law of the carnal commandment refers to the external rites of consecration, and the carnal offerings that were made; but the power of an endless life to the spiritual living sacrifices proper to the gospel, and the spiritual and eternal privileges purchased by Christ, who was consecrated by the eternal Spirit of life that he received without measure.
I have repeated the headline scripture below with a commentary by Matthew Henry following it. I hope that this will serve as a precious devotion for you as you consider the incredible blessing and sufficiency of belonging to Jesus the Christ.

Together for Life & Eternity,
Patte Smith
Sanctuary Ministries



But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you:
but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.
1 John 2:27
Matthew Henry comments:
Hereupon the apostle advises and persuades the disciples to continue in the old doctrine at first communicated to them: Let that therefore abide in you which you have heard from the beginning, v. 24. Truth is older than error. The truth concerning Christ, that was at first delivered to the saints, is not to be exchanged for novelties. So sure were the apostles of the truth of what they had delivered concerning Christ, and from Him, that after all their toils and sufferings they were not willing to relinquish it. The Christian truth may plead antiquity, and be recommended thereby. This exhortation is enforced by these considerations:
*From the instructive blessing they had received from heaven: But the anointing which you have received from Him abideth in you, v. 27. True Christians have an inward confirmation of the divine truth they have
imbibed: the Holy Spirit has imprinted it on their minds and hearts. It is meet that the Lord Jesus should have a constant witness in the hearts of his disciples. The unction, the pouring out of the gifts of grace upon sincere disciples, is a seal to the truth and doctrine of Christ, since none giveth that seal but God. Now he who establisheth us with you (and you with us) in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God, 2 Co. 1:21. This sacred chrism, or divine unction, is commended on these accounts:(1.) It is durable and lasting; oil or unguent is not so soon dried up as water:
it abideth in you, v. 27. Divine illumination, in order to confirmation, must be something continued or constant. Temptations, snares, and seductions, arise. The anointing must abide. (2.) It is better than human
instruction: "And you need not that any man teach you, v. 27. Not that this anointing will teach you without the appointed ministry. It could, if God so pleased; but it will not, though it will teach you better than we can: And you need not that any man teach you, v. 27. You were instructed by us before you were anointed; but now our teaching is nothing in comparison to that. Who teacheth like him? Job 36:22. The divine unction does not supersede ministerial teaching, but surmount it.
(3.) It is a sure evidence of truth, and all that it teaches is infallible truth: But as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, v. 27. The Holy Spirit must needs be the Spirit of truth, as he is called, Jn. 14:17. The instruction and illumination that he affords must needs be in and of the truth. The Spirit of truth will not lie; and he teacheth all things, that is, all things in the present dispensation, all things necessary to our knowledge of God in Christ, and their glory in the gospel. And, (4.) It is of a conservative influence; it will preserve those in whom it abides against seducers and their seduction: "And even as it hath taught you you shall abide in him, v. 27. It teaches you to abide in Christ; and, as it teaches you, it secures you; it lays a restraint upon your minds and hearts, that you may not revolt from him. And he that hath anointed us is God, who also hath sealed us for himself, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2 Co. 1:21, 22.