If You Ever Feel Like You're Not Doing Enough

Many of us struggle with the weight of guilt that we’re not doing enough as followers of Jesus. We’ve bought the lie that our value is based on how big of an impact we are having on the world, and on how many people we are influencing. Are our ministries multiplying rapidly? Is our impact reaching larger numbers of people? We spin our wheels trying. We believe that “more is always better.” And then we end up exhausted. Many pastors know this feeling well. The people-needs around us are great. We struggle with feeling ineffective in ministry, or we get burned out altogether. This is all due to the common misconception that we should be impacting the whole world - or the whole church we attend, or the whole ministry we serve in - all at once.

Thankfully, Jesus models a different way. Instead of focusing first on the larger masses of people, Jesus focused deeply on a few. Jesus had an upside down vision for changing the world. He started from a very small place, with very few people, and then allowed those people to help carry his mission to the ends of the world.

If you are carrying guilt for things God has not actually called you to carry, it’s great to go back to Jesus’s strategy for reaching the world. The 3/12/72 Tool in our Dwellings Pathway helps us identify the people God may be calling us to invest in - while we release this misconception that we are supposed to change the whole world at once.

Center with God

Before pouring into others, Jesus first sought solitude with the Father through prayer (Luke 5:16). His deep communion with God shaped every other relationship in his life. This is the foundation for us as well. How are you growing in personal communion with God?

Three: Deep Connection

Jesus spent intentional time with Peter, James, and John, forming a close-knit group of three. These disciples witnessed intimate moments like the Transfiguration and were invited to pray with him in Gethsemane. A group of three allows for authenticity and deep connection. Who are your 3?

(We offer a Discipleship Bands tool to help you form and cultivate a group of three for mutual encouragement and growth.)

Twelve: A Committed Community

Jesus also invested significantly in the twelve disciples. A group of twelve is small enough to care, but big enough to dare. They had intimacy but also worked together in Kingdom mission. This might look like a small group, missional community, or house church. Who are your 12?

Seventy-Two: A Mobilized Movement

Beyond the twelve, Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples to spread the good news. Interestingly, his "three" were also part of his "twelve," who were part of the "seventy-two." When these circles overlap, they reinforce each other. Your seventy-two might be a church network, ministry, or larger community of believers. Who are your 72?

The World: A Global Impact

Jesus didn’t ignore the crowds—he loved and served all who came to him. However, his depth with a few empowered them to transform the world. As we invest in intentional relationships, we are strengthened to bless our neighborhoods, regions, and even distant nations. How might God be calling your community to bring blessing to the world?

A Reminder for the Overwhelmed

Next time you meet someone who feels the weight of trying to change the whole world at once, remind them of Jesus’ way and share this framework with them.

Transformation doesn’t start with trying to reach everyone—it begins by deeply investing in a few, just like Jesus did. Download the 3/12/72 box in our Pathway Toolbox here, and share it with your community, having them think through how to fill in the circles with people in their lives.