Weekly Ministry Tip #1 Spring 2014
Continuing on the life of Christ as chronicled in the “Harmony of the Gospels”[1], we find Jesus in Nazareth in the synagogue on the Sabbath reading from Isaiah as recorded in Luke 4:17-21:
17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus was an amazing messenger for God. His message from beginning to end was that He was the Messiah, fulfilling the mission that God the Father had given Him to do. Jesus was the Messiah who had the power of the Holy Spirit and would proclaim the good news. Also see Deut. 18:18; Isa. 40:9; 41:27; 52:7.
What was that mission and who really was Christ? Listen to how pastor Tim Keller explains this in this two minute video.
As we continually understand who Jesus is and what He has done in our lives, we should be about Proclaiming Him Everywhere – our school situation, living and work environment and wherever we go. Only Jesus can truly change lives. People are looking for ways to fill their lives, they just don’t know that it is Jesus that can truly fill and satisfy them from within.
Key Items To Think About As You Begin Your Spring Ministry
Don’t go it alone. Be sure that you have a leadership team in place to help you as your reach your school or community with the gospel message. Here’s an encouraging article to check out about Forming A Leadership Team. Remember some of the key steps to take during the first few weeks of your ministry. Check out this article on The First Few Weeks.
The timing to encourage students to attend a Summer Project is now. Check out the Summer Project Website and promote as widely as you can. Be sure to check out all the tabs on the gray menu bar. Finally, if you attended a Christmas/Winter Conference and you signed The Pledge, be sure to read the emails that you are receiving. Here are the first two for your convenience. Email #1 and Email #2.
Talk to you next week,
Ben with Cru, Orlando, FL
[1] Cox, S. L., & Easley, K. H. (2007). Holman Christian Standard Bible: Harmony of the Gospels. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.