The HEAVIES For SUCCESSFUL MINISTRY-II—Luke 4:14-15
Attention:
MiniVan is a people heavy design—Made for transporting as many passengers as possible in comfort.
Meal for the starving is nutrient, protein & carb heavy.
Need:
Luke ensures his audience that Jesus returned to Galilee with a vigorous/robust/solid ministry.
Jesus’ ministry is vigorous/robust/solid.
Why is the vigor/robustness/solidity of Jesus’ ministry important?
Who has a vigorous/robust/solid ministry?
4 factors ensuring successful ministry.
Earlier we discovered that...
1—Successful ministry is...
JESUS Heavy(:14a)
Today we will bolster our premise by learning that...
2—Successful ministry is...
POWER Heavy(:14b)
Explanation: (:14b) Supernaturally Empowered(by God’s Spirit)
:14—“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, & news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.”
Jesus returned to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit.” That is, the Spirit of God empowered Jesus particularly so as He had not allowed His (very personal)temptations to lead Him into sin. Jesus had thus proven Himself worthy of His anointing as Messiah & His physical baptism where He was revealed as the Son of God(3:22).
If I know that sin can be dealt a death-blow in my own personal life, then I become empowered to do the work of the One who has brought sin’s demise.
BUT this is NOT merely mind over matter(AKA ‘religion’ or ‘Oprah Winfrey faith’)! Its allowing God to determine the course of your day. NOT what we’re used to ...or what we prefer....or what we feel like doing or not doing. Its about allowing God to use us, empowered by His Spirit, so that I agree with His design for every moment as it intersects my life.
“Power”—dunamiv—N. f.—1) Strength power, ability—1a) Inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts & puts forth, 1b) Power for performing miracles, 1c) Moral power & excellence of soul, 1d) The power & influence which belong to riches & wealth, 1e) Power & resources arising from numbers, 1f) Power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts. Strong—Force(literally or figuratively); specially--Miraculous power(usually by implication--A miracle itself).
From—dunamai—V.—To be able or possible.
“Spirit”—pneuma—Strong—A current of air, i.e. Breath(blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively--A spirit, i.e. (human) The rational soul, by implication--Vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman--An angel, demon, or divine--God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit.
Argumentation:
2Cor. 12:9-10—“And He[God] said to me[Paul], “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Why? Because I am not dependent upon my strength but God’s strength in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit—He causes me to recognize the things of God & conversely those things that are not of God.
Immediately following the resuscitation of Jairus’ daughter who had died—Mk. 6:1-6—“Then He went out from there & came to His own country, & His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, & brother of James, Joses, Judas, & Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” And they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, & in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people & healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.”
*Acts 10:34-38—“Then Peter opened his mouth & said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. “But in every nation whoever fears Him & works righteousness is accepted by Him. “The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all--that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, & began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit & with power, who went about doing good & healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
True Power is lodged in Jesus.
Rom. 1:1-4—“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, & declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
1Thes. 1:2-7—“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, & patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God & Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, & in the Holy Spirit & in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us & of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia & Achaia who believe.”
Jud. 3:10—“The Spirit of the LORD came upon him[Caleb’s nephew, Othniel], & he judged Israel....”
Jud. 14:6—“And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him[Samson], & he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand.”
Jud. 15:14—“Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him[Samson]; & the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, & his bonds broke loose from his hands.”
1Sam. 10:10—“...then the Spirit of God came upon him[Saul], & he prophesied among them.”
Zec. 4:6—“So he answered & said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”
Isa. 30:1—““Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;”
*1Cor. 2:1-5—“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ & Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, & in much trembling. And my speech & my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit & of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
Illustration:
Ellinor’s recent trip to&from Iceland/She is incapable of traveling there in her own strength/She must depend upon a Jet to get her there/The success of her ‘ministry’ is thus POWER Heavy
*We had Sam’s old Jeep towed one night when it died/Winch system is physically capable of pulling the Jeep onto the towing deck/However, it will not happen without electric power to the motor!/POWER Heavy
We must have a particular kind of POWER for ministry & it must be of God!
If there was real godly supernatural POWER in my life, would I be where I am?/POWER Heavy
The push for sign gifts/Stems from a real desire to openly elevate God in their lives...& simultaneously from a dissatisfaction in surrendering personal power over sin to Jesus/POWER Heavy
Application:
?Our/Your Ministry POWER Heavy?
?Our/Your Ministry hold the potential for Success?
3—Successful ministry is...
FAME Heavy(:14c)
Explanation: (:14c)Word-of-Mouth
:14—“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, & news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.”
“News” about Jesus spread throughout the district surrounding Galilee. Why did such news travel so soon regarding Jesus &/or His ministry? It appears that Jesus was actively involved in openly declaring God’s word() as a result of His authoritative teaching. “A fame of Him”(KJV)—fhmh)—preceeded His presence throughout “the surrounding region.”
According to John’s Gospel(1:19-4:42), Jesus had a Judean ministry prior to His Galilean ministry(which Luke does not mention). This statement(:14) “assumes the previous ministry as told by John.”—RWP. Supposedly “...the incident with Martha & Mary in Lk. 10:38” presupposes “a Judean ministry” or minimally, it would seem, a “contact with the southern part of Israel.”—Darrell Bock; John MacArthur
*Immediately following the temptations in the wilderness, Mark records Jesus’ basic message:
Mark 1:14-15—“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, & saying, “The time is fulfilled, & the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, & believe in the gospel.””
A hint that Jesus’ Galilean ministry included healing:
Lk. 4:23—“He[Jesus] said to them[synagogue attenders in Nazareth], “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum[a city in Galilee], do also here in Your country.’””
*The FAME of a true godly ministry is never self-imposed, it is bestowed from outside ourselves by those who are the recipients of our ministry.
“News/A Fame”—fhmh—N. f.—1) Fame, report. Strong—A saying, i.e. Rumor ("fame"). Used 2X(Mat. 9:26 after raising Jairus’ daughter from death).
“Went out/Spread”—exercomai—1) To go or come forth of;2) metaph.—2a) To go out of an assembly, i.e. forsake it, 2b) To come forth from physically, arise from, to be born of, 2c) To go forth from one's power, escape from it in safety, 2d) To come forth (from privacy) into the world, before the public, (of those who by novelty of opinion attract attention), 2e) Of things. Strong—To issue (literally or figuratively).
“Surrounding Region/Region round about/Surrounding district/Whole countryside”—pericwrov—Adj.—1) Lying round about, neighboring—1a) The region round about., 1b) the region of Jordan. Strong—Around the region, i.e. Circumjacent (as noun, with gh implied--Vicinity). Used 10X.
From—cwra—Strong—feminine of a derivative of the base of casma(chasm, gulf, opening) through the idea of empty expanse; room, i.e. A space of territory(more or less extensive; often including its inhabitants). Thayer—1)The space lying between two places or limits; 2) A region or country i.e. a tract of land—2a) The (rural) region surrounding a city or village, the country, 2b) The region with towns & villages which surround a metropolis; 3) Land which is plowed or cultivated, ground.
:15—“And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.”
“Glorified”—doxazw—1) To think, suppose, be of opinion; 2) To praise, extol, magnify, celebrate; 3) To honor, do honor to, hold in honor; 4) To make glorious, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor. Strong—To render(or esteem) glorious (in a wide application).
Argumentation:
Lk. 4:22—“So all bore witness to Him, & marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?””
Lk. 2:46-49—[of Jesus @ 12yrs. of age]“Now so it was that after three days they[Mary & Joseph] found Him[Jesus] in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them & asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding & answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; & His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father & I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?””
Ps. 51:11-13—“Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.”
Jn. 1:14—“And the Word became flesh & dwelt among us, & we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace & truth.”
If Jesus is indeed “full of grace & truth” then every aspect of His actions & words fall into that category as well. His being praiseworthy thereby absolutely demands repetition to others!
Mat. 10:1, 5-15—“And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, & to heal all kinds of sickness & all kinds of disease.”.....”These twelve Jesus sent out & commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, & do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, & stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom & Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”
This ministry would ensure that the word of Christ was encouraged to spread, as they witnessed the manifestations of power bestowed by Jesus, followed by his actual presence in town.
Lk. 10:1-15—“After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, & sent them two by two before His face into every city & place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Illustration:
You Tube viral videos:
The Gregory Brothers made a short video of a news story from Huntsville, AL where an attempted rape took place/The brothers edited the news channel’s interview of Antoine Dodson/The song peaked at number 89 in the Billboard hot 100/Available on i Tunes/As of May 1, 2012, it had been viewed over 101 million times since it was uploaded on July 30, 2010/ You Tube listed the song as the most popular video of 2010/The people who make such videos gain popular support thru one viewer who then sends it to a few friends & so on & so forth/FAME Heavy
Word-of-mouth spreads that which the public views as important!...including the Gospel!
Application:
?Our/Your Ministry FAME Heavy?
?Our/Your Ministry hold the potential for Success?
4—Successful ministry is...
INSTRUCTION Heavy(:15)
Explanation:(:15)Locally distributed
:15—“And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.”
Jesus began “teaching”(Imperfect—continual action) in the “synagogues” of the Jews.
What were synagogues?—sunagwgh—Gk. from sunagw meaning to come or bring together or congregate—An assembly. Local places of assembly for weekly worship, teaching, study & prayer...A pattern likewise used by the Church.
Why did Jesus teach in the synagogues?
They were the logical places to reach those most likely to receive God’s word. There, Jesus word would have been best understood as it would have been received in its proper context by the people most attuned to God’s desire. “The synagogues were an open door to Jesus before the hostility of the Pharisees was aroused.”—RWP
Example:—Today, great church leaders & preachers most often begin their ministry thru a local church, eventually having gained some degree of renown/distinction, thereby catching the attention of the (culturally relevant)‘prophets’ as it were. Such renown affords the established prophets an opportunity to compare notes & subject any horizonal prophet’s teaching thru the sieve of their own belief & reliances, as well as those accepted & promulgated culturally.
*1Cor. 14:32—“And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.”
Jesus was praised by all(who heard His teaching).
Jesus’ teaching was appreciated by those who heard it so that He &/or His teaching was praised/glorified/honored by the people.
“Taught/Teaching”—didaskw—V.—1) To teach—1a) To hold discourse with others in order to instruct them, deliver didactic discourses, 1b) To be a teacher, 1c) To discharge the office of a teacher, conduct one's self as a teacher; 2) To teach one—2a) To impart instruction, 2b) Instill doctrine into one, 2c) The thing taught or enjoined, 2d) To explain or expound a thing, 2f) To teach one something.
“Synagogues”—sunagwgh—1) A bringing together, gathering(as of fruits), a contracting; 2) in the NT, An assembling together of men, an assembly of men; 3) A synagogue—3a) An assembly of Jews formally gathered together to offer prayers & listen to the reading & expositions of the scriptures; assemblies of that sort were held every sabbath & feast day, afterwards also on the second & fifth days of every week; name transferred to an assembly of Christians formally gathered together for religious purposes, 3b) The buildings where those solemn Jewish assemblies are held. Synagogues seem to date their origin from the Babylonian exile. In the times of Jesus & the apostles every town, not only in Palestine, but also among the Gentiles if it contained a considerable number of Jewish inhabitants, had at least one synagogue, the larger towns several or even many. These were also used for trials & inflicting punishment. Sunagwgh is simply an assembly, a mass of people gathered together. Sunagwgh had been, before N.T. times, appropriated to designate a synagogue, a Jewish assembly for worship, distinct from the Temple, in which sense it is used in the N.T. Strong—An assemblage of persons; specifically--A Jewish "synagogue"(the meeting or the place); by analogy--A Christian church.
Argumentation:
Lk. 4:32—“& they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.”
Mk. 1:22—“And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, & not as the scribes.”
*2Cor. 10:3-6—“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations & every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, & we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, & we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.”
Deut. 11:18-21—““Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart & in your soul, & bind them as a sign on your hand, & they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, & when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house & on your gates, that your days & the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.”
Jer. 24:6-7—“‘For I will set My eyes on them for good, & I will bring them back to this land; I will build them & not pull them down, & I will plant them & not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; & they shall be My people, & I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.”
Jer. 31:33-34—““But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, & write it on their hearts; & I will be their God, & they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, & every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, & their sin I will remember no more.””
Illustration:
Christianity Today article for Thurs. Aug. 16, 2012/ “David Jang has become an increasingly influential figure in Asian & now American evangelicalism”/Glorieta Conference Ctr. for sale by the Lifeway Christian Resources/An offer from San Francisco–based Olivet University, founded by Korean pastor David Jang in 1992/David Jang is under scrutiny because of some allegations of doctrinal heresy—He has past ties to Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church/His fame is yet to be decided/*What is Taught matters greatly!/Successful ministry is INSTRUCTION Heavy
Application:
?Our/Your Ministry INSTRUCTION Heavy?
?Our/Your Ministry hold the potential for Success?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Successful ministry is...
2. POWER Heavy(:14b)
3. FAME Heavy(:14c)
4. INSTRUCTION Heavy(:15)
1. JESUS Heavy(:14a)
Presented 09/02/2012pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
