The Work of Belief

It’s Wednesday morning at Campbell Christian Schools. Lauren Shrader and I just finished leading chapel—a rhythm we’ve shared for years, collaborating to bring the story of Jesus to junior high students. We get 45 minutes with them every other week. It is a small window of time, and I’ll be honest: there are moments when I look at those rows of middle schoolers and wonder if I’m actually moving the needle. I find myself second-guessing the songs, the words, and the energy. Is the worship I’m facilitating actually taking root in their spiritual lives, or are we just filling a time slot?

I have to remind myself that my work—our work—is simply to share the story. It is our Father in heaven who draws people to Himself. John’s Gospel makes this clear. In an enlightening dialogue with a crowd that wanted to crown Him as a bread-providing king, Jesus clarifies exactly who He is and why He was sent.

Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35).

Earlier in that chapter, Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. But the people missed the point. They wanted a miracle-worker who would feed them day in and day out; they wanted a grocery store, but Jesus offered them a Temple. His food is eternal. He explains, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:40).

So, what is our part in all of this? How do we actually impact these students? I’ll be honest: I want my life to count. I want my influence to be more than just a 45-minute time slot. I found myself asking, If my work feels like it's in vain, how do I pivot to have a greater influence?

I discovered that Jesus answered this exact question. In John 6:28-29, the people ask Him point-blank: “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus responds: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

That hit me like a ton of bricks. My "work" in worship isn't to manufacture an atmosphere, manipulate an emotion, or "move the needle" through my own effort. My work is simple: Believe in Jesus. He is the Bread of Life. When I eat of His bread and live as a wholehearted follower, that life—that belief—becomes the catalyst that draws others not to me, but to Him. If they trust in Him, they have found the only food that sustains forever.

This morning, as I led those students, I looked to my left. There, in front of her peers, was a student with her hands lifted in worship. In the self-conscious, high-pressure world of middle school, that is a miracle of surrender. 

In that moment, my heart didn't just fill—it shifted. My insecurities evaporated because I realized I wasn't the centerpiece. Jesus was. Just the way it’s supposed to be.

This Sunday, don't show up to "perform" or even just to "attend." Let your work be to simply believe in Him. Bring that life and that belief to worship, and let’s get after Him—the One who will “raise us up on the last day!”

For His Name. For His Renown. (Isa 26:8)

Jeff Dumo Worship Minister