The phrase “Jesus is the center” might sound simple, even obvious, to those who have been around Christian faith for any length of time. But when we slow down and consider what it actually means—and how it shapes every facet of life—it becomes a profound and transforming confession. It is more than a slogan. It is a declaration of allegiance and a way of seeing the world.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (emphasis mine). If Jesus is the center, we will acknowledge him and surrender to his guidance in all our ways.
When 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to “set Christ apart as Lord” (NET), it is a call to fully surrender every aspect of our lives to the rule and leadership of Jesus.
But it isn’t an easy thing to fully surrender to Jesus or move him to the center of our lives.
A few years ago, I went with a group from our church to Burundi, Africa, to visit a missionary we support. One evening, through a translator, a group of Burundi pastors asked me, “What is the hardest part about being a pastor in America?” I answered, “The same hardest part about being a pastor in Burundi—convincing people to fully surrender to Jesus.”
Jesus is not merely a religious leader or a teacher with good moral advice. He is the Son of God, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), the One in whom “all things hold together” (Col. 1:17), the Savior who redeems and the King who reigns. And as such, he deserves to be the center of our lives and the reference point for everything we do.
The problem of competing centers
The hub of a wheel determines the shape and function of the wheel. Remove the hub, and the wheel collapses. Remove Christ from the center, and Christianity becomes something else entirely—maybe moralism, maybe ritual, maybe cultural identity—but it is no longer what Jesus intended it to be.
If Jesus is not at the center, something else will be. We have an endless list of replacements: tradition, politics, “correct” theology, personal preference, even the church itself. Each of these may have a rightful place, but when they move from a spoke to the hub, Jesus is no longer the center.
Anabaptists in the 16th century lived in a time when religious powers centered the faith on state authority, church hierarchy and doctrinal conformity. Anabaptists insisted that Jesus, not the pope or some church authority, must be the center.
Jesus as the center of discipleship
If Jesus is the center, then the goal of life is to know him, follow him and be shaped into his likeness. Discipleship is not a side project—it is the Christian life. This is one of the distinctive emphases of Anabaptism: Faith is not merely belief in what Jesus has done but participation in what he is doing.
Anabaptists rejected the idea that a person could claim Christ as Savior while ignoring him as Lord. To confess “Jesus is Lord” meant reorienting every part of life—relationships, possessions, work, speech, even attitudes—around him. His rightful place as Lord is at the center of our lives.
Jesus as the center of community
When Jesus is the center, his people become a distinct kind of community—a fellowship bound not by ethnicity, nationality or social status, but by shared allegiance to him. The early Anabaptists called this the Gemeinde, the gathered church. It was not simply a Sunday meeting but a way of life, where believers cared for each other, held one another accountable and practiced reconciliation.
In John 13, Jesus commanded his followers to love one another as he loved them. With Jesus at the center of our community, the church will become a visible demonstration of Jesus’ presence in the world. If the world wanted to know what Jesus was like, it should be able to look at his people.
Jesus as the center of mission
A Christ-centered life is outward-looking. Jesus is not simply the center for personal spirituality; he is the center of the church’s mission. “…As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).
A Jesus-centered life will walk across the street and go around the world to share the truth and wonder of Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Keeping Jesus at the center today
It is one thing to affirm that Jesus is the center in theory; it is another to live it out!
We may be tempted to center on theological debates, political alignment, denominational loyalty or personal comfort. None of these, on their own, are evil—but when they become ultimate, they displace Christ. The result is a faith that may be religiously active but spiritually hollow.
In a fragmented, distracted age, we desperately need a center that can hold. Political ideologies will shift. Cultural norms will change. Even religious traditions will evolve. But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8).
When Jesus is the center, everything else finds its rightful place. Scripture becomes alive. Doctrine takes on flesh. Community becomes family. Mission becomes joy. And discipleship becomes not a burden but a life-giving journey.
Conclusion: The hub that holds everything together
The Anabaptists were right to insist that Jesus—and only Jesus—belongs at the center. Not just as a theological truth, but as the living Lord who shapes every thought, word and deed. The challenge is not merely to agree with them but to live as though it is true. Because in the end, the Christian life is not about defending our center—it’s about following him.
Keeping Jesus at the center requires intentionality in these areas:
The Bible.
The Bible is our authority, showing us what to believe and how to live in relationship with Jesus and others. As Anabaptist leader Menno Simons wrote, “All the Scriptures from beginning to end point to Christ alone.” Jesus is not one voice among many in the Bible; he is the interpretive key. We must immerse ourselves in his words and actions.
Obedience.
Faith is not proven by doctrinal precision alone but by lived obedience. Others will see Jesus at the center of our lives as we live in obedience to him. We do not obey to earn salvation; because we are saved, we obey. Obedience is our grateful response to God’s amazing grace.
Community.
We keep Christ central not just as individuals but together. In community, we remind each other of our first love, correct each other when we drift and encourage one another to persevere.
Mission.
If Jesus’ mission was to seek and save the lost, ours cannot be different.
Brent Warkentin is lead pastor at Ridgepoint Church, Wichita, Kansas. Prior to coming to Ridgepoint in 2005, Warkentin served for 15 years on the pastoral staff at Buhler (Kansas) MB Church and as a youth pastor in Kansas and California for five years. He grew up in Wichita and spent his teenage years in Indonesia where his parents were missionaries. He and his wife, Joan, have two daughters and sons-in-law and three grandchildren.
