Doing Ministry
Introduction: For three years Jesus had his disciple that walked with Him. They went everywhere that He went. In those three years Jesus taught them how to do ministry. The ministry Jesus taught had an underline theme to it. It is called Compassionate Ministry. Matthew 9: 35 – 38 says “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
The Christian should minister by meeting people’s needs with love and humility on Christ’s behalf (see Matthew 20:26; Mark 10:43; John 2:5,9; Acts 6:3; Romans 1:1; “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.” Galatians 1:10; “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ”. Colossians 4:12). Christians are to minister to others out of their devotion to Christ and their love for others, whether the other people are believers or unbelievers. Ministry to others should be impartial and unconditional, always seeking to help others as Jesus would.
The ministry in our day has taken on more of a vocational meaning as we call pastors "ministers" to full-time service. Pastors do spend their lives in the ministry, they do minister to others, and they can rightly be designated as ministers, but pastors are not the only ones who are to be involved in ministry. From the early New Testament churches to the churches of our day, each Christian should be in the ministry of helping others (see Romans 12:3-8, 10-13; “3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[a]faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26).
The content of ministry seems to prioritize the ministering in spiritual things, not just practical things. Ministry should certainly place emphasis on sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others so they can come to know Him and receive Him as personal Savior, go on to experience Him as Lord of their life, and go even further to know Christ as the essence of their Life (see John 1:12; Colossians 2:6-7; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 3:8-10). Ministry can, and should, include ministering to the physical, emotional, mental, vocational, and financial needs of others. Jesus did, and so should we!
Jesus took three years to teach the disciples to do ministry.
The church needs to do ministry, we need to meet peoples needs.
The question that I hear people say in their mind is where we are going to get the money that we need to do ministry, we need new people to come in and then we can think about doing ministry.
Let’s look at a couple of times the disciples said they very thing.
Matthew 14: 14-17
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.”
Matthew 15: 29-37
“Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."
His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"
"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked.
"Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."
He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children”.
Three things that I want us to see what Jesus did in these stories.
I He Saw the Need and Told Them to Do Ministry
Let us look at Matthew 9:35 – 37 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
What Jesus is saying here is this there is a need for Compassionate ministry and we need to pray that ministry is meet by those who are called by His name.
The feeding of the 5 & 4000 He saw that there was a need. The need was they were hungry. Jesus told them meet that need.
Now both times they made excuses why they could not meet the need.
In the 5000 they said “"This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."
In the 4000 they said: "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"
In the 5000 & 4000 they pointed out something that is very important the place is remote, they were some distance away from any kind of restaurant and Jesus was letting them know that what needed to be done is needed to be done by them.
The Church of the Nazarene was founded as a church that had a soup kitchen and they would feed the down and out. The church is called to do ministry. Let me say this, It is not about you, but it about serving Jesus Christ, becoming like Him. See the need and meeting the need.
We come to church and we go through the ritual of worship and we go home and do the things we want and think everything is fine and it not, we have not done ministry.
We say things like we cannot do it because we don’t have the resources that we need, our tithes are down, our gifts are down.
Notice something in these two stories, in the 5000 they tell Jesus "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,"
That is not much, that is lunch for a young boy. The fish is small, the bread is small. They were saying Jesus it is not enough to do anything with. Tell me you have not heard this argument before. We only have so much and we cannot be expected to do a lot with so little.
In the 4000 story they said "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" Wow why would they say that don’t they remember what Jesus did with the 5000? They were looking at the moment, the right now and guess what Jesus doesn’t look at right now, he see what can be done with what they and we have. So that brings us to Point number 2
II He used what they had
Matthew 14:16 & 17 “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.”
Matthew 15: 33&34 “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven”, they replied, “and a few small fish.”
Look at this statement in Matthew 14 “We have here only” do you think the disciples looked beyond that? That statement says a lot. That is a negative statement. They cannot see what Jesus did in the past. The turning the water into wine, the healings He did..
Matthew 15 “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place” Another negative statement. Here they forgot what Jesus did in feeding the 5000. See if we do not remember and talk about what Jesus has done for us in the past we cannot pull from that to know what Jesus will do in the future.
III He enabled Them to do Ministry by Supplying Their Need with what they had.
Let me say this before I get into point 3. The disciples could not do ministry if they were not willing to be used by the Lord.
If they stayed with the ideas of We have here only and, Where could we get enough bread in this remote place.
They allowed Jesus to use what they had. Jesus said in Matthew 14: 18 “Bring them here to me,” and Matthew 15: “How many loaves do you have?”
They brought what seemed to be so little to Jesus, they might of thought what can we do with this? But they didn’t, they gave what Jesus asked and He blessed it.
Notice what Jesus did first when He received what they brought and I think it is important for us also Jesus Prayed over what they gave Him in Capture 14: 19 “…Taking the five loaves and two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.” Capture 15: 36 “Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.”
Prayer is the key.
Notice how much he blessed them? Matthew 14: 20 & 21
“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”
Matthew 15:37 “They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.”
This was because of their obedience they allowed Jesus to give them a ministry and Jesus blessed their ministry.
There a song we are going to close with today that says
Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem too small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He’ll not forget His own.
Refrain
Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There’s a crown and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ Name.
When the conflict here is ended
And our race on earth is run,
He will say, if we are faithful,
“Welcome home, My child - well done!”
Refrain
Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There’s a crown and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ Name.
