Fellowship Training and Proclaiming part 2
The Book of Mark
Mark 3:13-18
I. Introduction:
A. As we saw last time as Jesus ministry grew He added men to a group that would ultimately number 12.
B. The formal calling of these men is recorded here in verses 13-19.
C. Luke chapter 6 gives a bit more detail.
1. The choosing of these men wasn’t something He did on the spur of a moment.
2. He spent the whole night in prayer before he appointed them.
3. They were chosen from among the many that had been following Him.
D. This important for us to know.
1. God is careful about how and whom He chooses.
2. He doesn’t just let every one in as some think.
3. He is sovereign and He does everything He does for a purpose.
4. Why did he pick these particular 12 men?
a) They weren’t anything special.
b) They were ordinary men.
c) They had no formal theological education.
d) One of them turned out to be a traitor.
e) The point is they were the ones He wanted they were the ones who fulfilled His purpose.
5. This applies to us today too - if you are a believer you have been specifically chosen by God for a purpose just as these men were.
E. We started to look at 3 keys for a successful ministry as illustrated by Jesus relationship with these men.
1. Last week we talked about the importance of fellowship.
2. How you can’t really get to know people unless you hang around with them.
3. Even the Son of God desired to have people around Him.
4. Fellowship in ministry is more than just getting together with other believers though.
II.Training is the second key to a successful ministry.
A. Jesus didn’t call these men just so they could hang around with Him.
1. He had a plan that took two years to implement.
2. His plan was for these men to continue the work of building His Body which is the church.
3. In order to do this He had to teach them and give them opportunities to participate in the ministry before He left.
B. One of the most important aspects of our fellowship is training.
1. If we are not developing the leaders of the future now it will be very difficult to carry on the ministry for any appreciable time.
2. Paul wrote about the methodology which started with Jesus Himself 2Tim. 2:2. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3. That is exactly what Jesus did with these men whom He chose.
C. Their training took several forms.
1. Formal teaching.
a) Public discourses
(1) The Sermon on the Mount
(2) The bread of life discourse in Jn.6
(3) The light of the world discourse in Jn.9
(4) His teaching about the Good Shepherd Jn.10.
(5) The contrast of good vs. evil.
b) In all of these instances His disciples were in the audience listening and afterward they would ask questions.
2. Private instruction.
a) Mk. 4:34 …And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
b) Mk.9:28-29 He counseled them in their failures
c) Mk.10:32-34 He prepared them for the near future
d) Mk.13:3-4 He taught them about the things to come at the end of the age.
3. Discussion Matt.16:13-20.
4. Example
a) Luke 5:16; 9:28-29 Prayer
b) Jn.13:5, 13-15 service.
5. Robert Coleman “The point is that in all these things Jesus taught His disciples how to live a relevant and victorious life in the midst of a pagan and often hostile world.
D. The training culminated in the commission Jesus gave in Matt.28.
E. Fellowship and training go hand in hand.
1. The type of training Jesus did was an as you go kind of training.
2. The disciples were with Him all the time and He included them in His ministry instructing them as they went.
3. Deut. 6:6-9 gives the principle that I think Jesus applied.
4. Through fellowship He immersed them in His ministry so that they would then be able to carry on after He was gone.
III. Our 3rd key for successful ministry is proclaiming.
A. Jesus plan from the beginning was to send them forth to preach vs.14.
1. The verb send is apostello.
2. The noun form is apostolos from which we get apostle.
3. It is used to describe some one with credentials sent on a mission to act as one’s representative. Ambassador
4. The purpose of the training was to prepare them for this ambassadorship.
B. They were the sent ones.
1. Luke 6:13 calls them by that title.
2. They would form the core of His church.
C. They had some OJT in proclaiming while He was here.
1. Mk.3:14
2. Mk.6:7ff
3. It also gave Him more opportunities to teach them Matt.17:16ff.
D. Their mandate was to reproduce in kind.
1. Matt.28:19 He tells them to make disciples.
2. Acts 1:8 He sets the pattern of the work.
3. Lk.24:46-47 He gives the message they are to proclaim. 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things.
4. We operate under that same commission.
E. One thing to remember with regard to the commission we have been given vs.15.
1. The word power here isn’t dunamis as in Ro.1:16 speaking of the gospel being the power of God.
2. Rather here the word is exousia which means delegated authority.
3. Our authority comes from Him not ourselves, or some organization.
4. The things they did as a result of the authority He gave them became their credentials.
5. Today we have the completed word of God for our credentials that is our authority today.
IV. Conclusion
A. Christ called 12 ordinary men to become disciples in the most extraordinary ministry in all of history.
B. He called them for two purposes.
1. To be with Him for fellowship and training
2. So that they might continue the work He started the work that continues today – proclaiming the good news about Jesus Christ.
C. We do well to heed and apply these same keys to facilitate a successful ministry here in Union Springs.
