“Lifestyles of Ministry and Prayer Bring Wholeness”
Mark 1:29-39
Ministry in the Church of Jesus Christ occurs in the midst of our life together
as the people of God. Look for instance at the life of Jesus!
As Jesus’ ministry begins, His fame spreads throughout
the entire region of Galilee.
I believe that the lifestyle of Jesus affected the power of His ministry.
As I read our scripture from Mark 1:29-39, look for lifestyle issues that affect
the ministry of Jesus!
Mark 1:29-34 (READ)
As Jesus and His disciples leave the synagogue
they go the home of Simon and Andrew for some time to eat, relax and get some rest.
To be honest they are tired and need some time away from the crowd.
This kind of rest is good for us all.
We can’t spend all our lives lighting both ends of the candle.
There is a rhythm to our lives.
Work, rest, fellowship and worship are all a part of this rhythm.
There is a time to work! There is a time to play!
There is also a time for Sabbath, a time to rest and pray!
All my life I’ve heard the phrase
“Too much of a good thing can get you into trouble.”
The same an be said about Ministry!
In our scripture this morning we see that ministry is not something that can easily be programmed into our time schedules. As Jesus and His friends arrive at the house to eat and relax, they find that Simon’s mother-in-law is ill with a fever.
All Jesus really wanted was a time away from the press of the crowd.
He may have wanted to watch the Super Bowl with his disciples!
But the reality is that human need meets us wherever we go.
When Jesus hears about Simon’s mother-in-law, he goes to her, takes her by the hand and lifts her up. The fever leaves her and she begins to give Jesus and his friends something to eat. In the midst of the hurry and press of the day, Jesus finds a place to relax, only to be pressed into ministry. He graciously responds
to the need as Simon’s mother-in-law is healed.
In Luke’s gospel, Luke links this early stage of Jesus’ Galilean ministry with
a passage from Isaiah 61.
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.
The Lord has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
The physical healing of Simon’s mother-in-law is the result.
But Jesus’ power is not limited to the physical world.
In a summary statement of Jesus’ ministry,
Mark tells us that many who were physically ill, as well as many who were possessed by a demon, came to Jesus for healing.
Jesus had the power to heal them all.
Mark tells us that Jesus healed many of them!
I believe that Jesus’ lifestyle played a part in Jesus ability to heal and make an impact of the lives of the people around Him.
The first lifestyle issue at work in this passage is that Jesus confronts the world and the people of the world not as one solitary human being, but as a part of a group of friends who love and care for each other.
It is from an intentional Christian community that Jesus gains power to heal and
make all things new. From the common, human relationships that develop between people of faith, Jesus is encouraged to be a spokesman for God. His ability to heal comes from this supportive fellowship.
The opposite is also true.
When we are at constant odds with each other, when the sins of the past
haunt our thoughts and prevent us from the purity of Christian love and forgiveness, nothing powerful can happen among us. It’s as if the true power of God is blocked because of our unwillingness to be reconciled with our neighbor.
The love that Jesus experiences within the community of his disciples is what propels Jesus into ministry. Without this togetherness, there is no power in ministry.
The second lifestyle issue at work in Jesus’ life is the strong personal relationship Jesus has with his heavenly Father. This personal relationship is what gives the ministry of Jesus power and authority.
Mark 1:35-39 (READ)
The point of our passage from Mark’s gospel is that Jesus’ ability to heal
comes as a result of Jesus’ willingness to spend time alone with His heavenly Father.
Jesus is a man of prayer!
It is from this time alone with His Father that Jesus’ heart is filled to overflowing.
The people around Him sense this power.
Somehow they know that Jesus speaks for God.
Time alone is important for all of us.
The hustle and bustle of the world, the push and the hurry of human life in the 21st century gets us down. Without time alone with God, our energy is drained from us and we have nothing to give those around us.
One of the books I am reading now is a new book by Richard Foster
called Sanctuary of the Soul.
It is a book that encourages the Christian journey of the mind to the heart of God through meditation and prayer.
It is impossible to read the gospel and not sense Jesus’ unique relationship with His Father in heaven. From this personal relationship the power that Jesus exercised in ministry flowed to his disciples and to the crowds of people.
We need this kind of relationship with God in our lives as well.
When we neglect our relationship with God we are unable to deal with the chaos and pressure of the world. The stress of ministry and the church overwhelms us.
But when our relationship with God is strengthened through time alone with God, the Spirit of God works a miracle in our hearts and gives us the strength to overcome.
The same can be said with our friendship relationships in the church.
Faith-friendships strengthen our ability to minister in love to the people God puts in our paths.
Have you ever thought about it like that? God puts people in our lives and in our circles of friendship at church that deepen us and encourage us, at times challenge us to become the powerful witnesses of God’s love and grace in a broken world.
As we cultivate relationships with people who seek God’s will, we are better able to meet the challenge that ministry brings to us. As we deepen our relationship with our heavenly Father, the same is true. The point is that faith begins to deepen and we become more and more open for the Spirit of God to use us in ministry.
Life with God is important! Deepen it! Find a quiet place to pray and be alone with God.
Life with our friends in the church is important! Deepen your relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Learn to forgive; never hold a grudge.
The ministry of Jesus Christ rests on these two lifestyle issues.
Just as Jesus’ lifestyle was important in his ministry, so our willingness to fellowship with God and with those in a church where God has placed us
is an important part of effective ministry.
What is true for Jesus is true for us!
As we strengthen our relationship with God, and our relationship with others in the Body of Christ, our ministry to others is strengthened.
Let us be about the work that God has for us!
AMEN!