Join us in Sydney, Australia as we talk about Christ's method of ministry. He mingled, showed sympathy, ministered to needs, won confidence, and bid people to follow Him.
In the Gospels, Jesus models wholistic ministry, and as we read through those wonderful books we see love in action. And Mrs. White summarizes Christ's method of ministry in five steps. She talks about how the Savior mingled with people as one who desired their good. He also showed sympathy to them and He ministered to their needs, He won confidence and then He bid them to follow him. And each one of those steps is vitally important. If we skip one, then we sabotage the wholistic method--we undercut it, we undermine it. And we need to make sure that each component of this is built into the way that we
minister to people. Now, it's not so easy that it's necessarily step one, step two, step three. Sometimes they get mingled up together but each component makes sure that disciples are prepared in a wholistic way. And today, we are called to follow the method of Jesus.
Some people go to one extreme where they just mingle, show sympathy, etc., but they never get around to bidding. Other people are very strong on the bidding, bidding, bidding and they forget the other. But we need all together in a beautiful package: Christ’s method of ministry which we are told is the only way that will bring true success.
Christ’s method of ministry has to start somewhere and the Great Commission tells us to go. And that's exactly what Jesus did, He went, He came and He dwelt among us. As John said, He pitched His tent among us. He rubbed shoulders with us and this is the crucial first step. It is the foundation of wholistic ministry where we actually have to get physically outside of the church building. We need to get outside of the pews and embedded in the community following Christ’s incarnational example. And that means we make friendships, we make connections with people in the community. And we do so as people who desire their good. We do it because this is the way that Jesus started. This is the way that He modeled and it's the basis of all wholistic ministry.
The second step of showing sympathy is so important because it describes the perspective, the angle, by which we act. We don't do it from selfish motives. We don't do it to get baptismal statistics. We do it because we love people. We look at the crowds like Jesus did and He looked with compassion. And we see so often in Jesus’ ministry the way that He would gently deal with people. Sinners who others were treating roughly, who would have been despised by the more religious people, Jesus took them in His arms of love and He spoke to them gently. He treated them with kindness. And as we deal with people they might be difficult they might believe differently to us. We need to model that compassion, that love, that gentleness, that kindness of our savior who mingle with people and He showed sympathy.
Christ’s method of ministry involved a range of activities that touched people's lives. Not just mingling, not just showing sympathy and we'll learn more, next time!
