The Ministry Of The Lord Jesus
by Pastor Mark
September 28, 2017
The example of the Lord Jesus
The work of ministry is most challenging. There is much to be done and difficulties may come our way. This work involves reaching out to the many who still do not know the Lord. How can we seek to fulfil the work of the Lord?
The Lord Jesus sets for us an example as to how we should do the work of God. He was sent by His Father into this world to fulfil His work. Let us be challenged to learn from His example. The gospel writer Mark gives to us a glimpse as to how the Lord Jesus carried out His ministry. There were three things that He did consistently.
1. Prayer
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
One key aspect of the Lord’s ministry was prayer. Each morning, He would rise up early…a long while before dawn to be alone in the wilderness and to take time to pray. The word “prayed” is written in the imperfect tense which indicates an ongoing action. This was not a one-off type of prayer. Jesus had been consistently praying as part of His lifestyle and would continue to pray over His ministry. He would often enter into prayer before He begins His day of ministering to the people. Let us be challenged to take time to pray each morning and to cover our ministries in prayer.
2. Purpose
“But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”” (Mark 1:38)
Jesus came into this world with a great sense of purpose. In the Greek, there are a few ways in which purpose is reflected even though the word purpose is not used. The word “that” in Greek is “hina” which would always indicate “purpose”. Mark also used the Greek “aorist subjunctive” tense for the word “preach” which usually indicates “purpose”. The phrase “because for this purpose” in Greek is only “gar touto” which means “for this”. It signifies again the idea of purpose. There is a strong sense of purpose reflected by Mark in describing the Lord’s coming to preach to the people. Let us be challenged to have a strong sense of purpose too in our ministry.
3. Preaching
The Lord’s purpose was to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. (Mark 1:14) He came to declare the good news of the kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus had come to become King and He would rule in His kingdom. He came to preach of this good news to all. From one town to the next, the Lord would go with a great sense of purpose. He was not distracted in any way. The Lord knew exactly why he had been sent into this world and was very focused on preaching about the kingdom of God. Let us be challenged to preach the gospel to all.
Following the example of the Lord Jesus
This Saturday, we will be having our mid-autumn festival special. This gospel outreach program is a wonderful opportunity for us to bring our loved ones and friends. Let us take time to specially pray for the Lord to open a door for us to reach out to the lost. Let us with a great sense of purpose reach out to the lost who will be coming. Let us be challenged to take this opportunity to share the gospel of the kingdom of God with all who will coming. Let us seek to follow the Lord’s example in doing the work of ministry.
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