One major problem that confronts many localized churches is that they are very conscious of the fact that the Ministry of the Church is supposed to be Effective, Effectual and Efficient, but they are at a loss as to how to make it so. Their dilemma is How to move from the Supposed to the Actual.
The truth of the matter is, many churches lack the necessary Tools or Means to accomplish the goal of being An Effective Church. Too often we have never considered the strategy involved in moving from a stale, static and slumbering assembly to an Energized, Focused and Effective Ministry that is actively and consistently engaged in the hurts, hopes, healing and struggles of the community in which it is planted.
For the most part, we are satisfied with just huddling for the sake of maintaining the routine activities of our weekly meetings (e.g., mission, brotherhood, users, choir rehearsal and prayer and Bible study). But if no one knows that you exist as a healing community, if no one knows of your ministry and mission, if no lives have been impacted by your ministry, if darkness and demons are still in force around you; then the truth of the matter is YOUR MINISTRY IS INEFFECTIVE! The thrust of the mission of the church is not in building and maintaining physical buildings and property; but the crucial question is, How are we Using the buildings and properties?
So I want to give you SOME KEYS, that is, Some Means or Instrumental Factors that you can use to gain Entrance into and Possession and Control of An Effective Ministry. As you know, Keys are only valuable when they are used to fit the specific lock or machine for which they were designed. And God has given us thru His Word the Keys to the Kingdom which houses those spiritual treasures and resources we need to function here on earth!
These are Keys to an Effective Ministry. That is, a ministry that produces a decided (unquestionable) effect; a ministry that is ready for Service or Action; a ministry that actually produces a meaningful and lasting effect or result; a ministry that acts in such a way as to avoid loss or waste of energy in effecting, producing or functioning.
And so I submit the will of Jesus for this or any other localized, authentic church is that Our Ministry Be Effective! Now right away in verse 1 this is hinted at by John Mark. For he immediately incorporated the adverb “Again” in relating this incident. Mark writes in verse 1, “And again He (Jesus) entered …” Now Mark is notorious for using the adverb “again,” for he uses it over 26 times in relation to Jesus and to others. In using it in relation to Jesus, Mark highlights the Againness of Jesus, His Persistence and the Repetitive Nature of Jesus’ Style; as if to say, Jesus was the Original Come Back Kid!
For repeatedly Jesus performed certain acts and repeated the pattern of certain events or incidents. There is a Pattern of Repetition that is displayed in the Ministry of Jesus. For thru-out this Gospel of Mark, we get snap-shots of Jesus as
again and again He went by the seaside;
again and again He entered into the synagogue;
again and again He passed over and back to the other side of the Sea of Galilee;
again and again He taught and preached;
again and again He taught the disciples privately;
again and again He performed miraculous works on the sick and demon-possessed;
and again and again He went away and prayed.
I submit to us that in these Repetitive Acts and Events is revealed the Persistence of Jesus. Meaning,
He will not leave us alone,
will not allow us to settle for the ordinary and the routine,
will not allow us to become complacent or satisfied with mediocrity.
HE COME BACK AGAIN AND AGAIN!
Mark says “And again He entered …”
By now we must have perceived in this Againness of Jesus a Strategy for making us Effective. For again and again He comes to prune us that we may bear much fruit. He desires our light to so shine before men that they may see our good works (effectiveness) and glorify our Father who is in heaven. So AGAIN AND AGAIN He trims and adjusts our light. In setting our lights on the lamp stand, His intent is effectiveness and efficiency, in that, our light is to give light to all that are in the house.
The Lord desires the church to increase and multiply both numerically and spiritually. His will is that the Ministry of the church produce results of a Lasting and Beneficial Kind. So, HE COMES BACK AGAIN AND AGAIN INSPECTING, TRYING, PRUNING, PURGING, NUDGING, CHASTIZING AND ENCOURAGING US ON TO GREATNESS IN MINISTRY! So Mark says in verse 1 “And Again (Anew, Afresh, Once More, Back Again) He entered …” This Againness of Jesus says that He wants our Ministry to be Effective in dealing with the Needs and Life-Experiences of Hurting Humanity! The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree illustrates it - Luke 13:6-9.
So let’s examine this Markan passage afresh for Some Keys we can use in making our Ministry Effective. Now if we would hush our hearts and still our suspicions I believe the Spirit of Truth will reveal FOUR FORCEFUL KEYS that are tucked away in the folds of these Two verses of Mark Chapter Two.
The First Key unearthed in verse 1 as it relates to an Effective Ministry is:
I. THE KEY OF PERSONAL SECURITY IN CHRIST.
In other words, one must be certain Jesus has entered into one’s own life. The question is: Has Jesus entered into Your Capernaum?
Now to grasp the significance of this first point, I must tell you that in the Greek the noun “Capernaum” literally means “village of consolation.” The relevant issue is this: has the Son of Consolation taken up permanent residence in the village of your soul - John 14:18,23? In the Village of your soul is the God of all comfort a resident?
Does the peace of God and peace with God rule your soul because by faith in the Crucified and Risen Christ you have been justified from all things?
Does Christ Jesus dwell in your heart by faith?
Has the Light of the world entered the darkness of your life and given you eternal life along with the pledge of His redemption, which is being sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise?
We must pass from death into life by simply believing on or receiving the Lord Jesus into our life if we are ever going to be effective. And you must ascertain whether or not you are personally secure in Christ, or has He entered into your Capernaum - John 10:27-6; 1Jn 5:9-13.
Having entered into your life, is He now Lord and has He entered into your Life Situations? Is He in all of your business? If He enters your Capernaum, He must be the Lord and Master, Mayor and Councilman of the City! And if Lord, He will enter AGAIN AND AGAIN!
In order to have an Effective Ministry, every member of the church must have a Personal and Intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. For privilege is not enough. Modern science teaches us that it is possible that the distant Saturn may be a very warm world while Mercury-so very near the sun-may be a cold one. This depends on the character of the atmosphere of each. The atmosphere is the world’s capacity for receiving and retaining that heat which is the gift of the sun. Every man is a miniature world in the universe of God. His faith or his unbelief determines his capacity for receiving or not receiving those things freely given him of God. He may be near in point of privilege and yet far off in point of existence.
Jesus must have entered into the Capernaum of your soul, or else your effectiveness as a believer or body of believers has been negated! So Jesus Must Enter Into Capernaum.
The Second Key unearthed in verse 1 as it relates to an Effective Ministry is --
II. THE KEY OF THE CENTRALITY OF JESUS.
In other words, JESUS MUST IN FACT BE IN THE HOUSE! That is, in the house of the assembled church! Mark says in verse 1 that “He was in the house.” You know that its Whose in the house that makes all the difference! The crowds will gather, the multitudes will always show up when the right band/singer, celebrity or star is in the house. People will always want to be present when the famous and notable are in the house.
The question is : WHOSE IN THE HOUSE? Well in 1:29-34 Mark gives us some insight. According to verse 29, Peter and Andrew appear to have been joint owners of the house. But the emphasis is not on the title-holders even if they were apostles. Co-signers, trustees or property owners are not the center of attention.
James and John, the sons of thunder, also appear to have been in the house; yet even men of power and influence in the community are not the center of attention.
Furthermore from verse 30, we can safely deduce that Peter’s wife and mother-in-law were in the house. Yet even the preacher’s wife and his healed mother-in-law are not the center of attention.
Back in 2:1 Mark says the owners of the house, the powerful and influential who were in the house were inconsequential. The Central Point was that JESUS WAS IN THE HOUSE.
That tells me that HIS PRESENCE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! For back in 1:29-34 it was the presence of Jesus in the house after church was over that made the difference. For verses 29-34 of chapter 1 reads: “And forthwith when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John, But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell Him of her. And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them (His Presence made the Difference). 32. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto Him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak because they knew Him.” HIS PRESENCE IN THE HOUSE MADE THE DIFFERENCE!
If Jesus is in the house, fevers of all kinds will have to go (physical fevers along with the fevers of anger, hatred and prejudice). And divers diseases will be healed and demons will have to go if Jesus is in the house!
Moreover, the house in which Jesus is has the potential of becoming something different; it has the potential of being Transformed! For when Jesus is present, an ordinary house grows into a holy temple in the Lord. It becomes a habitation of God through the Spirit.
So then, for the Ministry to be Effective, Jesus Must Be The Center Of Attention. His Word, His Blood, His Flesh, His Sacrificial Death, His Unparalleled Resurrection, His Glorious Ascension, His Sovereign Lordship must ever be the Central Focus of the Church! 1) Personal Security in Christ, 2) Centrality of Jesus.
The Third Key as it relates to an Effective Ministry unearthed in verse 1 is --
III. THE KEY OF ASVERTISEMENT OR BROADCASTING.
In other words, you must formulate a Strategy to Get the Word Out that Jesus is in the house. Mark says in verse 1 the strategy was that “it was noised that he was in the house.” The verb “noised” in the Greek is hJkoujsqh from which we get the English word “acoustics.” They employed the strategy of Acoustics, of Sounding It Out, of Bouncing It Off Of People, of Bombarding the Airwaves.
Now lest we leave here with a misunderstanding, let me clarify what the term “Noised” is not and then state what it is.
This “Noise” is not loud, confused or senseless shouting.
It is not an unwanted signal or disturbance as static.
This “Noise” is not an unsubstantiated rumor; or a report without known authority for its truth.
What is this Noise? “Noised” means to Tell or Spread the news or report of a notable person. It was Broadcasted, spread and thus heard by all in the city that Jesus the notable Preacher/Teacher and Healer was in the house - 1:44-45.
If then you want the ministry of this church to be effective, you must get the word out by all means necessary.
By word of mouth
By telephone and computer
By television and radio
Bt newspaper and flyers
By any and all means necessary, get the word out!!!
“IT WAS NOISED THAT HE WAS IN THE HOUSE.” Publish it much. Blaze it abroad. Make Him known and make it known that Jesus is in the house!
And if you noise it, there will be some RESULTS. For verse 2 says: “And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door.”
STANDING ROOM ONLY WILL BE THE RESULT OF AN EFFECTIVE BROADCASTING STRATEGY.
The Fourth and Final Key unearthed in verse 2 as it relates to an Effective Ministry is --
IV. THE KEY OF PROCLAMATION OR THE SPOKEN WORD.
Verse 2 says “And He preached the word unto them.” The word translated “preached” really means “spoke, uttered.” Jesus uttered Himself. God communicated His mind and revealed His will.
If the Ministry of this church is to be Effective, then you must have a capable Pastor in the pulpit who Teaches the Text, Sounds the Script, Preaches the Word.
In the midst of all the feverish activity to restore the church once again to her former position of influence and respect, all sorts of programs and slogans have appeared. But regardless of what new directives and emphases are periodically offered, that which is needed above everything else to make the church more viable, authentic and effective is a new declaration of the Scriptures with a new purpose, passion and power. This is most important if the work of God is to be accomplished in the program of the church.
When the house was packed and the overflow spilled out into the yard, Mark says that “JESUS PREACHED.” Oh what a statement!
The Babe of Bethlehem who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of a virgin, grew in wisdom and had favor with God and man;
This Jesus who loved church and learning so much so that He stayed behind one trip and was found in the Temple having a theological discussion with the doctors and lawyers;
This Jesus, son of a peasant, considered to have been the child of a single parent who lived on the other side of the tracks in the Ghetto of Nazareth PREACHED!!!
Oh, never a man spoke like this Man! Articulate in Speech. Perfect diction. A command of Hebrew, Greek and Latin. Perfect intonation. Powerful voice. JESUS KNEW HOW TO PREACH!!!
HE PREACHED REPENTANCE
HE PREACHED FAITH
HE PREACHED THE KINGDOM OF GOD
HE PREACHED SALVATION
