This week I began to lead our ministry staff here at Gaylord E-Free through what I believe is the greatest miracle Jesus performed. I am speaking of the incident when He takes the 5 loaves and 2 fish and feeds 5,000 men plus women and children. Why do I say this is Jesus' most significant miracle? Because outside of the resurrection of Jesus Himself, this is the only miracle of Jesus spoken of in all 4 Gospel accounts. That is not true of any other miracle.
So what can we learn from this food multiplication? I believe that Jesus performed this miracle primarily for the benefit of His own disciples, to teach them how they were to do ministry after He was gone. From this miracle I see 8 principles regarding doing ministry today. The first principle is this - ministry today doesn't begin with the fish and the bread...it begins by developing a heart of compassion.
According to Matthew 14, Jesus had just heard of the gruesome death of John the Baptist. In his humanness, His heart must have ached. He also desired to have some "alone time" with His disciples to hear their reports of the ministry trips they had just returned from completing. So He and the disciples get into a boat and head to a secluded spot. But the crowds realize where He is going and they beat Him there so that when He arrives, there is a crowd desiring His time and His attention.
Now if I had been Jesus, the text would say, "And Scott felt agitation!" But Matthew 14:14 says that Jesus felt "compassion" on them - so much so that He postpones His agenda and ministers to the people. Jesus was demonstrating to His disciples, and to us today, that ministry begins by developing a heart of compassion.
The disciples didn't get it. As evening came they encouraged Jesus to "send the crowds away." Just one chapter later, when they run into a hurting woman who keeps hollering for Jesus to help her, the disciples beg Jesus to "send her away" because she keeps shouting at them. Where is the compassion in that?
The disciples didn't get it. Ministry didn't begin with the fish and the bread, it began with a heart of compassion. I wonder if we get it today! I wonder if I get it! Ministry doesn't begin with worship services and preaching - it begins with a true, genuine heart of compassion for people. A compassion that is so real that we are willing to postpone our ministry agendas to invest in the lives of hurting people.
So what can we learn from this food multiplication? I believe that Jesus performed this miracle primarily for the benefit of His own disciples, to teach them how they were to do ministry after He was gone. From this miracle I see 8 principles regarding doing ministry today. The first principle is this - ministry today doesn't begin with the fish and the bread...it begins by developing a heart of compassion.
According to Matthew 14, Jesus had just heard of the gruesome death of John the Baptist. In his humanness, His heart must have ached. He also desired to have some "alone time" with His disciples to hear their reports of the ministry trips they had just returned from completing. So He and the disciples get into a boat and head to a secluded spot. But the crowds realize where He is going and they beat Him there so that when He arrives, there is a crowd desiring His time and His attention.
Now if I had been Jesus, the text would say, "And Scott felt agitation!" But Matthew 14:14 says that Jesus felt "compassion" on them - so much so that He postpones His agenda and ministers to the people. Jesus was demonstrating to His disciples, and to us today, that ministry begins by developing a heart of compassion.
The disciples didn't get it. As evening came they encouraged Jesus to "send the crowds away." Just one chapter later, when they run into a hurting woman who keeps hollering for Jesus to help her, the disciples beg Jesus to "send her away" because she keeps shouting at them. Where is the compassion in that?
The disciples didn't get it. Ministry didn't begin with the fish and the bread, it began with a heart of compassion. I wonder if we get it today! I wonder if I get it! Ministry doesn't begin with worship services and preaching - it begins with a true, genuine heart of compassion for people. A compassion that is so real that we are willing to postpone our ministry agendas to invest in the lives of hurting people.
2 comments:
Reminds me of a principle I read years ago that applies to many areas in life when dealing with people. That principle is 'To Go Fast, Go slow'. Relationships and influence take humility & time to develop.
I love your blog today because united in the mission to reach this community for Christ we must dump in the trash our prideful agenda's! Just picture what will God do here in Gaylord and this area when we all are united in the same strategy with a heart of compassion for our fellow man as one true body. He will make us unstoppable!! Thanks for your perspective on this. Looking forward to seeing the other 7 principles.
Exactly, Ryan! We can pass out all of the "fish and bread" we want, but if we don't have a genuine heart of compassion it will be futile. It really is true - people will not care how much you know until they know how much you care!
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