What is going on everyone!! Man, today, I was just thinking about something. Jesus didn’t spend all of his ministry preaching. I know that may come as a shock, but it is true. If you look through the gospels, we can see that Jesus’s ministry was composed of three parts:
- Jesus preaching and doing miracles.
We see all throughout the gospels that Jesus healed blind people, sick people, even dead people (Lazarus). One of the main miracles He did was feeding the 5,000 people. These miracles show that Jesus was making it known that He was a Powerful Healer. Most times, He did these signs and wonders to show people that He was greater than any other god during that time. Also, Jesus gave many sermons, mainly the Sermon on The Mount. From His sermons, we can see that Jesus was showing that He was the Great Teacher. This one one aspect of His ministry.
2. Jesus refreshing Himself.
Jesus was God in human form. There is no mistaking that. Since He was human, Jesus went through things similar to what even we go through today. He dealt with being persecuted; He dealt with nervousness; He even dealt with friends who didn’t always believe in Him. Needless to say, Jesus needed some time away to refresh and re-energize Himself. We see, specifically in Matthew 11:28, Jesus is telling His disciples to come away from the noise and the busyness to rest. We see a lot that after Jesus did miracles, He would go off to places by Himself to pray and to spend time with His Father. If Jesus chose to rest, then we definitely need to choose to rest as well. There is nothing wrong in turning your phone off to recharge and to reconnect your heart to God’s heart.
3. Jesus spent time with people.
This may be the best part of Jesus’s ministry. I would even say that this part was the most important part of His life. Impact is made when we take an interest in the lives of others. Jesus was never rushed or impatient. He spent time with the people who were considered the worst of the worst. I love that He went to eat with others. I mainly want to highlight the story of Zacchaeus. He was a tax collector and was hated by everyone. It is so eye opening that his whole story changed when Jesus saw him. Jesus took a genuine interest in his life, and went to his house to eat with him. It was then that Zacchaeus had his whole world flipped and he gave money back that he had wrongfully taken. Jesus took interest in people and wanted to walk with them. Jesus was perfect, but He also had friends He did life with. Community is so important, and is an integral part for us that are on this faith journey.
So, why do I bring this up? Who really cares about the 3 parts of the ministry of Jesus? Well, it is super important because if we are on this journey of faith, then we need to learn all we can from our perfect example, which is Jesus. If we are called to reach people, we need to know how we plan to do that. Also, one big point I want to point out is that ministry doesn’t just look like getting the stage with the microphone and 5,000 people listening to you preach. That is a small part of it, but it isn’t the whole thing. Ministry is being with people, walking with them and being there for them. It is supporting them and having their back, no matter what they believe. Ministry is showing the example in everyday life, whether you have the chance to preach or not. This word is for me too, because I want to preach, but I have to remember that the mic and stage don’t verify my ministry. Seeing people come to Jesus is the main prize, and however God wants to use me is how I will do it. Keep that in mind!!
Much Love,
Ryan W.
