"The Dirty Side Of Ministry"
Mark 1:21-29
By Reverend A. LaMar Torrence, Cross of Life Lutheran Church
In his words concerning the tragedy of the “Columbia” explosion, President Bush said of the seven astronauts, “These astronauts knew the dangers, and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a high and noble purpose in life.” When we consider our call to take up the cross and follow Jesus, we too should be aware of its dangerous dynamics and still be do it willingly. Our ministry will not always be one of glory, celebration, and success. We will be afflicted in every away but not driven to despair. We will be persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed. This ministry we have is like a two edge sword-one that heals as well as one that destroys; One that cuts downs as well as one that builds up. And often when we commit ourselves to taking responsibility for telling others about Christ, we forget about the dark side of our ministry-the dirty side of ministry. We forget that in this ministry we not only have to deal with the good, but also with the bad, and the ugly. It’s a dirty job but someone still has to do it.
This ministry modeled after Jesus’ preaching, teaching, and prophesizing also has to confront the ugliness of its opposition. Strangely, the ugliness is not always found outside of our four walls, but it’s found within our midst. The ugliness, the darkness, is often discovered in ourselves. One does not have to search the far corners of the world to encounter evil; but the message of today’s text is that evil and spiritual terrorism can be found in our very midst. There is a spiritual war going on that exists to hinder the work of God. There are spiritual terrorists that come to church to undermine its mission and ministry. We have our own “O San have Bin Ladens” working to divide the kingdom. We have our own spiritual terrorists destroying God’s ministry. Who are they? We have our ‘O-some-have Bin Sleeping’; ‘O-some-have Bin Arguing’; ‘O-some-have Bin Fighting’; ‘O-some-have Bin Complaining’; and ‘O-some-have Bin Missing.’ (This illustration was adopted and modified for this sermon from an illustration that was posted to the following Internet web address: Http://storm.cs.swau.edu/pipermail/vga-l/2001-November/000510.html)
Humorous and cute as that sounds those spiritual terrorists are doing more damage to our ministry than the drug addict, the prostitute, and the pimp simply because those spiritual terrorists lurk in our hearts. And in every church, there sit saints bound by spiritual forces –saints going to hell and saints that love to raise hell. Well, what are you talking about preacher? Let’s look at the text, here is a man possessed with an unclean spirit (more actually “in an unclean spirit). Here is a man who knew who Jesus was. He practiced his religion coming to the synagogue on the Sabbath. He heard the word preached by Jesus. He knew the right things to say, calling Jesus the Holy One of God. Yet, he was found with an unclean spirit. You see everybody talking about heaven ain’t going there. Just because you say you believe in God doesn’t mean he is the head of your life –even the demons believe in God and shudder. And we often think that just because people say that they know Jesus and have a relationship with God, that every with them and in them is good. We feel that just because they may serve on boards, committees sing in the choir, work on staff and have been faithful to the church for years that they are in good standing with God. We like to call them good members because they seem to be helping our church in a good way. But even Jesus proclaimed of himself, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” And I declare to you this morning that just because you may look good, smell good, act good, and talk well do not mean you are good and doing well. It does not mean that you are clean on the inside and free from evil. But Jesus taught us to pray, “Deliver us from evil” because we do have some evil ways. If many of us were honest we will acknowledge that we have some unclean spirits about us-some evil, wicked ways. We have some habits that we just can’t kick. Some lifestyles we just can’t get away; some compulsive natures that we can’t control. And the original reason we have come to the house of God, the real reason we have come to the foot of the cross was to get answers and deliverance. And since we’ve been here, all that the church has given us has been to show us some apathy or maybe some sympathy, some tolerance, acceptance, and understanding; yet what we need is deliverance. (Say we need deliverance). And so we pray, Lord deliver us from evil. Deliver us from our impulse to lie and our fear to confess the truth. Deliver us from the spirit of robbery-our desire to steal whether it be money, office supplies, or company time. Lord, deliver us from our murderous natures- our abilities to assassinate each other’s character with ridicule, criticism, and scandal. Lord, deliver us from this evil- the desire to always do things our ways and go by our feelings and what we think rather than walking by faith and your word. Lord, deliver us from this evil coming to church when we feel like it and when we do come, bringing our own agendas and plans. Deliver us from evil, Lord – our proneness to worry, our anxiety to always be in control, our refusal to worship, our excuses for and reasons for keeping our arms folded, lips tight, and legs cross when you should be up giving you praise and glorifying your name. Lord, deliver us. Deliver us, Jesus.
And so, the question for this day is from whence does our delivery comes? We, who are suppose to have this ministry yet find ourselves in need of ministry- how can we be delivered, so that we can deliver others? Lord, how can we help others if we are too impotent to help ourselves?
1. With immediacy rather than hesitation...
First we must learn to respond to God’s word with immediacy. (Say immediacy). The first thing we learn about Jesus and his effect on his community is that they all responded with immediacy. Throughout the opening chapters, Mark consistently states that phrase, “And immediately”. And immediately he saw the heavens opened and the spirit descending upon him like a dove. And immediately the spirit drove him into the wilderness. And immediately Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed Jesus. And immediately, he called James and John and they left their father in the boat. And immediately the paralytic rose up and too up his mat and went out. And immediately, after she touched the hem of his garment her twelve years of hemorrhaging ceased and she was healed. Throughout mark’s gospel, there is an immediate response to God’s voice – to his word. And the Greek word used here for ‘immediate’ is the word, “euthus” meaning without wavering and straightway. It means more than without hesitation but it implies a person is who charging to his goal with and urgency and filled with excitement. Jesus approached his ministry as though he was charging forward to his goal. People responded to his word, as though they were running across the finish line winning a race. And that’s how we have to approach this ministry. We have to respond to it as we were crossing the finish line. When it comes to reaching the lost- we have to respond immediately- now and not later. There’s no time to call a town meeting, no time to think it over or pray over it. No time to do a cost analysis or take an opinion poll. But we have to do it right now. Right now! Right now! We have to heal the sick right now. We have to raise the dead right now. We have cast out the demonic-right now. Tell someone right now….
2. Direct contact rather than indirect affiliation...
To have this ministry means to have direct contact with that which seems unclean. Ministry cannot be done from a distance. But rather ministry has to be done up close and personal. Tell someone (you have to get up close and personal). That’s means we have to take a personal look at those around us and ourselves. Look at the text. The word Mark uses here for ‘unclean’ implies a “desire to be filthy”. To be unclean means to have a desire for filth over that which is holy. Any time we choose to do the wrong thing rather than choose that which is right we desire filth. Any time we choose to ‘get someone straight, tell them off, or give them a piece of our mind” rather than forgive and move on-we are choosing filth. Any time we choose to have sex be-it through pornography or outside the context of marriage-we are choosing filth. When we choose to fudge our taxes or not to trust God’s word and tithe, we are choosing filth. And in order to handle this ministry we must willing to identify the filth and deal with it. And that may go against your sensibilities and your sense of political correctness and tolerance – but in order to get deliver and to deliver others baby you must be willing to get your hands a little dirty. And the reality of the gospel is this: “The unclean are not the sinners. The sinner is the one who does not embrace and wash the unclean.” And in Jesus’ time, that concept went against the standard Jewish belief because the Jews where taught to avoid that which was unclean at all cost. They would avoid people with leprosy who cried out “unclean, unclean” because they were deemed unclean. They would avoid women who were experiencing their monthly cycles because they were deemed unclean. They would not touch animals and food that according to Mosaic law was unclean. They would not touch the bodies of the dead because they were unclean. Associating with non-Jews was unclean. Yet, even though they sought to avoid the unclean, them, themselves were often found unclean. Here is their midst is one of their own-worshipping, serving, dressing right, and talking right and still was unclean. But the good news is that although the people tried to avoid the unclean- Jesus sought them out. The good news is that we serve a Jesus who likes to get up close and personal and have direct contact with those people and places that seem unclean. Jesus sought to make the filthy fit for the kingdom. He sought to make the dirty a declaration of God’s love and kindness. Jesus was God’s detergent for a dirty humanity. He reached into the places that other agents could not and would not go. He would reach people that the prophets couldn’t get to, the priests couldn’t get to, and the kings couldn’t get to. And that is what he is calling the church today to do. We are to be the cleansing agents for a filthy world. He wants us to reach those who others will not touch because the world has deemed them unclean.
3. With authority rather than objectively...
What’s amazing at this recount of this man’s deliverance is no one was shocked that there was a man with an unclean spirit. No one was surprise at the present of sin, even in the synagogue, the church. It was just the way things were. And many of us are not shock at the presence of sin around us. Sin no longer blows our mind. We are accustomed to it. We accept it. We tolerate it. We’ve learned to live with it and go on. We have become objective towards sin rather than taking authority over it. We learned to be impartial and nonjudgmental. It doesn’t surprise us to hear folks cussing and using the Lord’s name in vain. It doesn’t’ shock us to learn of the sexual improprieties of some of our neighbors, relatives, and members. It doesn’t surprise us to see our some of our children behave and learn of some of the lifestyles they are getting themselves into. We have learned to be objective. Whatever suits your case baby, just as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else! But I have a problem with living my life objectively. I have a problem with tolerating sin. Even some of you have observed it. Others have told me, “Pastor, you seem to take your sermons too personal. You don’t know to separate yourself from your message because it seems that after you preach, you are still tied up in the context of your preaching. You have to become objective and impartial. Don’t take it personal.” But ministry is personal. One can’t handle God’s ministry and not get personal. You cannot be objective and work in God’s kingdom because objectivity is a dangerous road to becoming ‘lukewarm’ and inactive. You lose your authority and you are no longer in control, but you are under control. And that’s the problem with many of us. We are no longer in control but we are under control. And to do ministry, you have to be in control. (Tell someone, ‘you have to be in control’). You see, although it did not surprise anyone at this church that a man was with an unclean spirit in their midst, it did surprise them that Jesus would use the authority he preached and taught with to cast this demon out.
And you have to realize that God has given you authority to confront that evil in your life and around you. You have to realize that Jesus has given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall hurt you. And the good news is that the Jesus who encountered those unclean spirits long ago with an authoritative word, is alive today, speaking, such words to today’s bound people, the good news today, Cross of Life is that Jesus declared to your unclean spirit, “Be silent, and come out.” “Be silent and Come out”. He talking to those spirits of selfishness, jealousy, dissension, and envy-be silent and come out. To the spirits of sorcery and idolatry, and witchcraft- “Be silent and come out.” To the spirits of drunkenness, rebellion, and that party spirit “be silent and come out” To the spirit of doubt, fear, worry, and anxiety- I command- be silent and come out. To that spirit of prejudice, hatred, and bigotry- be silent and come out. Come on devil you got to go. To the spirit of depression, the spirit of obesity, eating disorders, and nervous disorders- be silent and come out. To that spirit of sickness- ADS, MS, AIDS, Cancer, Lupus “Be silent and come out.” To the spirit of pornography, illicit sex, and adultery- be silent and come out. To that spirit of addiction-cocaine and codeine, nicotine and caffeine, pills to go to sleep and pills to get up- “be silent and come out.”
