Luke 4:40-44
40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.
41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them.
43 But he said, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent."
44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
A ministry is the fruit of a faithful life, but there are people who often misunderstand it. It's an easy story to think of as doing a ministry by the professional ministry workers or a specifically appointed person. Some people think they can't do the ministry because they don't have a religious career or have a job title. They also say that they can't handle the ministry because they are in old age or busy in the world. In many cases, the ministry is thought to be done only by the pastor of the church or by some appointed people.
As disciples of Jesus, we should be able to have a clear realization of the nature of ministry. When we are dealing with the ministry, we need to emulate the attitude of the ministry Jesus has made in this land. A disciple must follow the path of his teacher, and must be able to follow the path of the ministry the Lord has shown. In today's text, the Lord teaches the attitude of the ministry in detail and this is a lesson that we must take care of the ministry he has entrusted. Therefore, I pray in the name of Jesus that all beloved saints will follow Jesus' ministry at this time and be fully loyal to the expansion of the Kingdom of God.
First, Jesus showed interest in people's problems. Many of the sick gathered before the Lord when they heard that Peter's mother-in-law had been cured. It can be thought that there were people who suffered from various diseases at that time as well as today. Many of them were shunned and ostracized by disease. As not to mention suffering, they had to endure unspeakable pain through illness while being bullied socially. But the Lord treated these sick people without discrimination. Say Amen if you believe the facts that he has not only shown interest in people's problems but also has healed them completely.
It is called 'Service' in English for worship, which is derived from the verb 'Serve.' Therefore, we must be able to serve God first and then brothers and sisters who have become His children in thinking of worship. The shortcut way to serve an invisible God starts with the interest in the soul by serving His children in sight. The Lord has come to this land to serve rather than to be served because of this interest. This is only his interest in the soul, and his interest is well illustrated in the work of cherishing one soul more than the rest of the world. Deut. 14:29 tells us how important it is to be interested in the hard-working people on this land. "So that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands."
A young man born in the Netherlands came to London to work for a company that sells paintings. He then studied theology with the intention of becoming a preacher and decided to give his life to the Lord. But the church, which first started the ministry, began to criticize his poor sermon. The church, which was used to criticizing like this, failed to support him, and he eventually was frustrated and started doing something else. He started painting and later became a world-class artist, Vincent van Gogh. The man who later wrote the biography of Gogh is talking about interesting things like this. "Considering the passion and creativity in this man, he had the potential to be a great preacher if he had devoted himself to be an evangelist. Human beings have acquired great painters, but they have lost one great preacher."
The more we care about someone, the greater the impact we have on him. We, disciple of Christ, should pay attention to the marginalized neighbors and encourage them with love. It means that we should be able to approach people who are suffering from life problems with the love of the Lord. So the writer of Hebrews was able to admonish us to look back and encourage with love and good deeds. The Lord is still with great interest so that each and every one of us can have a full relationship with God. He knows and shows interest in the problems of our souls, health and others that we will face on this land. God's interest in us is bigger and more amazing than we think, and Psalm 77:1 says: "I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me." This is how the Lord listens and shows interest in us. Therefore, with this interest we must be able to lead the souls of those who embrace and struggle with the problems of life to the Lord. In the name of Jesus, I sincerely wish that we could serve our neighbors with attention and love as Jesus showed interest in each soul of the earth.
Second, Jesus went to a quiet place and prayed. In verse 42 of the text, the Lord, who worked all night on the ministry, did something when it dawned. The Lord looked for a quiet place at that time. Then what did he do when he went there? Most of all, Jesus did not rest the prayer to God while serving in ministry. He had time to talk to his father after he had a mission to treat the sick and to help the needy. As we know well, the Lord prayed that sweat would be like blood in the Garden of Gethsemane before he achieved the mission of saving mankind. He did not stop praying until the moment he was crucified, and I hope you believe that he devoted himself to prayer beyond all circumstances.
There are many people around who neglect their prayers because they don't have time and are busy. There are those who do not pray and do the work of the Lord and it happen as they do not understand the ministry properly. The core of the ministry is prayer, and it becomes human work and the results cannot be intact if the prayers are not supported. What's clear is that we can't handle it with our own ability when we're in the ministry without praying. Prayer is the realization of Heavenly father's intentions, and you can gain the power of father in Heaven when we communicate with him. In that sense, the time to pray is to realize what the Lord is going to do and to find out his vision.
Daniel, appearing in the Old Testament, was able to overcome in the face of an absolute crisis in life by praying to God, and the Bible says: "Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before." He was able to all-in to the prayer even in this extremely dangerous moment and could not save his life if he disobeyed the order of the king. Say Amen if you believe in the fact that Daniel was hanging on to God only in prayer in the face of a crisis in his life.
We should pray more as we experience the difficult situation as we must pray for more of his ability. It means that we should pray when life is difficult and cannot handle the ministry, just as Jesus set an example. As soon as we pray, the Lord hears and mobilizes angels to allow us to respond. Therefore, Apostle Peter recommends this in 1 Pet. 4:7. "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clean minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." Believe that this is not just a prayer, but a central prayer, because it is the end of our lives.
This should be the way to hold on to prayer, especially for those who do the work of the Lord. The Lord is not far away but is near us, and he hears and responds in prayer, transcending time and space. In other words, every minister called by the Lord should pray according to Heavenly father's will, and his work will appear completely. We, who have been called to fulfill the ministry he entrusted, should be able to rely on the power of the Lord. If we seek like the Lord in being used as a minister, he will mobilize the Heavenly angels to pour out grace, wisdom and resources. In the name of Jesus, I pray that all saints will be able to fulfill their ministry until the day the Lord comes.
Third, Jesus was faithful to his mission. Verse 43 of the text says: "But he said, I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." At that time, the Lord was spending a very busy time healing the sick. If it happened to the ordinary people, they could have forgotten their mission because of their busy lives. I think they could have made excuses for not being able to fulfill their missions. Remembering his mission correctly, however, the Lord did not make excuses even though he was busy with his ministry. That means he didn't find his own rest for a single moment in carrying out the mission he had received. Through these facts, we can emulate the ministry attitude of the Lord who does not give up the mission in any given environment.
Ms. Linquist, who served the First Baptist Church in Iowa, has attended only one church for 88 years. Having served the church she attended until she went to Heaven, she never absent seasonal worship including Sunday. In the meantime, the church has changed its pastor 15 times and the sermon she has heard was more than 8,000 times. She attended 4,000 prayer meetings, had countless intercession prayer times and devoted more than 50 years as a Sunday school teacher. In particular, while working as Sunday school teacher, she was able to lead many souls to the Lord, and they grew up to become pastors and successful businessmen. Her life was unknown to the world, but she was always loyal to the Lord. Please believe that the life of Christians the Lord will rejoice is to fulfill the mission given by Him.
There is the lyric in the gospel of 'commission' that we like to sing. "I will follow the path of the Lord alone. I will follow the path of all the water and the blood. I will be fine with the mountain and even at the end of the sea. I hope to abandon me for the ones dying." Anyone who knows the noble mission of the Lord should be able to follow him in this manner. We've been given a lot of gifts such as health, time, talent and materials. Making money is also a gift so we need to be used as the stewards to take good care of things when they are given to our hands. The Lord wants to use us as is, not as great as we are. Remember that he uses the poor and the weak, and those who suffer from hardships and diseases.
Paul, who was able to be a great evangelist according to the will of the Lord, confesses this in Acts 20:24. "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." He boldly proves that his mission is to preach the gospel while he is thinking about the mission he received from Jesus. Likewise, we were born in this land with the mission of the evangelist to preach the gospel to all the people. There are many missions given to us, but the mission of the evangelist is the best one received from the Lord. The Lord wants us to fulfill the mission given by him faithfully. Now we have to follow Jesus' example to fulfill the mission of the evangelist. I sincerely pray in the name of Jesus that we can fulfill the mission of the evangelist he gave until the end.
I hope that all beloved saints look at the Lord when they feel that their lives of faith are hard and difficult. The Lord has fulfilled his mission until his death. At this time, we must be able to serve him consistently by remembering the ministry the Lord has given us. It means that we should think deeply about what God of Ability will do through each of us and should take care of every moment of our lives with joy. Servant of the Lord must fulfill his mission faithfully, and he must deliver the gospel until the end of the world with the spirit of serving as a missionary. Apostle Paul encourages in Eph. 4:1 to fulfill the mission of men, women, young and old. "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." I mean, be faithful to his mission so that every man who is called by the Lord can be appropriately used for the purpose he has called. In the name of Jesus, I pray sincerely in the name of Jesus that every man called to be a disciple of the Lord will fulfill his mission of glorifying God, while he looks at what he will do with the eyes of faith.
