Weekly Ministry Tip #4 Fall 2013
Who Is Jesus?
From the very beginning of Jesus earthly ministry, it was revealed who He was and His purpose for coming to earth. Scriptures are clear as they describe His birth up to the visit of the wise men – He was the coming Messiah, Son of God. Even as a child, Jesus’ wisdom was seen as He debated with the religious leaders, growing in wisdom and stature, and staying in subjection to His earthly parents (Luke 2:41:50). Now He begins his active 3 years of ministry with His temptation in the desert and his baptism by John.
Everything Jesus did, everywhere He went, everything He taught, confirmed that He was the Son of God. Here’s what John the Baptist said in Luke 1:29-30,
“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’”
Jesus was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! God’s plan from the beginning was to send His Son to earth, the One who could forgive sins. Jesus was our ultimate sacrifice. Not only did the angels, the shepherds, and the wise men acknowledge the birth and who He was but so did the devil. When Jesus went to be tempted for 40 day and 40 nights in the wilderness, you will notice what the devil said over and over again in Matthew and Luke’s account,
“And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’” Matthew 4:3
It is interesting to note that from the beginning, Satan knew Jesus was the Son of God. “If you are the Son of God” is a first class conditional clause in Greek and could be read, “Since you are the Son of God.” The Devil acknowledged Jesus and yet many people today do not believe in Him. The evil one wants to hide this truth and blind them from the message of Jesus as our Messiah. One of our tasks as believers is to continually proclaim Jesus and who He is, the Son of God, our Messiah. Only He can take away the sins of the world. Let’s continue to make His message known in your ministry situation this week.
Trust In The Holy Spirit, Pray For Guidance And Boldness – The Story Of An Encounter With A Vampire
Two weeks ago, in weekly tip #2, I encouraged you to be prepared to share the gospel message with anyone who will listen. As you continue to follow-up on people who have expressed an interest in your ministry and in a relationship with God, it is critical that we fully rely on the Holy Spirit as we share the good news of Christ. This summer at our National Staff Conference with Cru, we heard an inspiring testimony that illustrated these very things.
Holly Melton, Cru staff in California, shared a witnessing testimony that was a highlight of my summer at our conference. If you get a moment, please view this 8-minute video clip and you will also be truly inspired. Notice three things about Holly’s testimony. First, notice how many times she makes reference to the Holy Spirit and in what context. Second, you’ll observe how she used the Holy Spirit’s wisdom to discern how to fit into the story of the person she was witnessing to. Third, knowing well the contents of the gospel message, she clearly communicated the message of eternal life to this person, in a creative and compelling way.
Take the example and truths you hear in this testimony and apply them to your ministry activities this week. You’ll be encouraged. If you’d like to learn more about how to engage with the Holy Spirit in your conversations with others, check out Holly’s new book called “Follow My lead: Responding to God’s voice in Everyday Encounters”. http://www.campuscrusade.com/catalog/Follow-My-Lead-Responding-to-God-s-Voice-in-Everyday-Encounters.html
Talk to you next week,
Ben with Cru
Orlando, FL