CARING LIKE JESUS CARED by Dr. Steve Kinnard

CARING LIKE JESUS CARED
by Dr. Steve Kinnard

Matthew 4: 12 – 17

The evangelical triangle – Capernaum (where peters mom lived), Corazin and Bethsaida (a fishing village) peter and Andrew were from Bethsaida.

Jesus began his ministry in Galilee.  The ministry of Jesus changed lives. The ministry of Jesus was a change ministry — The word repent means change your life; turn away from sin and unto God.  To repent means a hundred and eighty degree turn. Repent starts in the mind and leads to action. It has to be a heart, mind and life change. He helped people to be different. He went throughout Galilee changing lives, the ministry of Jesus today should be a ministry of changing lives as well. We should change as well as helping other change others as well as helping people getting over addictions and other vices. It can be so exciting seeing people transform their lives. We ought to become more and more tender.

The power of Jesus transforms lives. Jesus said go and sin no more. People ought to see love in our ministry.
Go and sin no more! How in the world does Jesus expect someone who is still confused about his or her life to go and sin no more when even the people with Jesus (his disciples) were not totally in understanding of the teachings of Jesus. How did Jesus expect her or him to go and sin no more!

People need to see our lives as love. The only bible some people will ever see is the love they see in your life. If they see this, they will want to know more. The ministry of Jesus change people’s lives. Mark 16: 20

The ministry of Jesus was a team ministry – Matthew 4: 18 – 25, Mark 1: 18 – 22, 35 – 49, Luke 4: 42- 44.

Jesus was saying by selecting a team that we should not try to do it alone. If anyone was qualified to teach the word of God, it was Jesus, yet he did not do it alone. From that point on, the ministry of Jesus was done with other people. It was about togetherness.

As a church, we have to be that way. Across the bible, we see images that were used to describe the team of Christ as the body. Again, if there was anybody who was capable of building a church all by himself, it was Paul, yet Paul didn’t do it alone.

In Romans 16, there is a list of those Paul had relationships with. This was how Jesus planned it. He set us example on how to build a team. As a family, no one of us is as talented as all of us are together. We all bring different gifts to the kingdom of God. TEAM JESUS is the best team we can ever be. No two of us are the same. Where some of us are weak are where some of us are strong. We have great gifts we can use to build God’s church. All of us are stronger together than we can ever be individually. The same is true for this church. I need to celebrate this as a member of that family.

The ministry of Jesus focused on three Actions, Matthew 4: 23 – 25, Mark 1: 39. This is a blueprint on how we can have an effective ministry here on earth.  He teaches, preaches and heals. This was the ministry of Jesus today is the same way. We need teach biblical teaching to people who know and those who do not know. He was making people whole in their lives. We need to make people’s lives whole – turning people away from their sin. How am I doing in this type of ministry? We need deep bible teaching. I need to ask myself what diseases people have now?

We need to start teaching for hours and hours. We need to go out into the community and see people becoming Christians. We must do things we hope will affect people’s lives positively. We need to reach out to people with special needs.

We need to understand that this is the ministry of Jesus, not our ministry. This is the very thing we forget. It is linkable to our reading the scriptures. If we read the scriptures hearing only what we deliberately intend to hear, not minding the very intent of God, then when we lead the ministry, it automatically means that we would lead that ministry the way we want not the way GOD wants.

This makes the whole lot of difference. We then must be careful. The way we read our bibles is the way we lead the ministry God has placed in our lives to lead.  This linkage must be understood the way God wants it to be understood – the ministry is not ours but his. That is what is all its about.

THE LESSON FROM THE SERMON OF THE MOUNT

You said that the Mount of Olives was a geographical place that allowed bigger echo of what Jesus said. We should understand that in our lives, there are such places – the mount – places where we seem to have very great influence in the lives of people. And then we should understand this is the same for us. Are we preaching the word on the mount of olive – are we, by our lives using the opportunities we have on people to bring them to God? Or are we abandoning those opportunities? Have you ever had a sermon on the mount? Have you ever had an opportunity to directly influence people because of the incredible influence you have particularly in certain peoples live.

Conclusion

We need Jesus in our lives. King Jesus is the messiah, the son of God, loving, caring, growing and developing.  like him, we need to grow and use this to impact our society..

Colossians 1: 28 – 29 – it is hard work to try to help every disciple to be close to Jesus