Goal #3 Do As He Did - Part 3

INTRO

This week we wrap up our discussion on the third goal of being a disciple of Jesus: Doing as He did. We’ve talked extensively about that being a disciple isn’t just about intellectual knowledge or personal peace and well being but also about taking the teachings of Jesus and putting them into practice. Following Jesus’ example, as He came to this earth to show us the proper and original way to be human. The expectation of followers of Jesus is to do as He did, to follow in His footsteps and multiply His ministry to the world.

Make Space for the Gospel

Preach the Gospel - Hospitality, Where is God Already Working, Be a Witness, Do the Stuff, Live a beautiful life

Demonstrate the Gospel

Demonstrating the Gospel

Jesus not only preached the Gospel, He also embodied the Gospel.

Matthew 4:17 NLT

17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - Aslan is on the move - Spring is breaking through

Once again hospitality was a great of example of this. The world my just be a quite a better place if we shared a table with people not quite like us. Jesus gave a picture of paradise where all people would be sitting at a table feasting with Abraham and Moses. This would have been controversial because the idea of pagans and Gentiles eating with the the forefathers would have been unheard of. But that was Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom, so what did He do? Did He just preach about the ideals of diversity, no, He shared the table. He brought the Kingdom of heaven near through demonstration.

Especially in Jesus’ miracles we see Jesus demonstrating the kingdom. He didn’t just give lectures about how there will be a day of no more sickness. He demonstrated it by telling sick people not to be sick anymore, cripples the same, blind people likewise. When Jesus healed the sick, He wasn’t merely demonstrating His divinity, He was ushering in a Kingdom where there are no sick people anymore.

The same can be said about His deliverance ministry. He didn’t just say that one day the devil would be defeated, He looked demons right in the eye and then cast them out. He was ushering in a Kingdom where the darkness would be drowned out by the light.

Often times we look at these acts of Jesus as “super natural” instances. However you can make the assertion that actually what Jesus is doing is not supernatural, but rather, just setting things back to the most natural state possible. We ourselves are so used to death, sickness, injustice, and chaos that we think them normal. Jesus comes along and doesn’t accept that standard, and decides to set things right.

When Jesus expels demons and heals the sick, he is driving out of creation the powers of destruction, and is healing and restoring created beings who are hurt and sick. The lordship of God to which the healings witness, restores creation to health. Jesus' healings are not supernatural miracles in a natural world. They are the only truly "natural" thing in a world that is unnatural, demonized and wounded.

- Jurgne Moltmann

If we are to take seriously walking the way of Jesus, then we can’t be satisfied with just being a peaceful person, praying on a regular basis, or even being bold enough to speak the truth in uncomfortable places, but we must also be willing and able to do the things that he did. That being ushering in the kingdom of heaven in the same manner that he did it. It would be reasonable that we would train under Him to do those kind of things too.

Jesus and His followers did many signs to demonstrate the Kingdom, but there are four recurring signs that we see.

1. Healing

Jesus was not only recognized as a rabbi but also renowned for his miraculous healing. People from all over the country would bring their sick and afflicted to him. They would shout on the side of the road, and even carry their children before him. In one instance, some people went as far as breaking through the roof of a house where he was teaching, just to lower their sick friend at his feet. They were desperate to bring the sick before Him.

Matthew 4:24 (NLT)

24… and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.It

It even got to the point that Peter’s shadow could heal people, and Paul’s handkerchief was also known to heal people. And while we cannot expect such miraculous powers to the same extent, it is still reasonable to trust and follow the guidance given in the scriptures.

James 5:14–16 ESV

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

And while this is an instruction for the church, we also see Jesus do this in the market place as well to demonstrate the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God. We as His followers can expect to do likewise.

2. Deliverance

Throughout Jesus’s ministry, he exposed the darkness to the light. His mere presence would make evil spirits reveal themselves. They would rise up and torment people, confront him in graveyards, and cower before his authority. After Jesus’s ascension, the disciples encountered many evil spirits in the darkness of the world. This was a regular occurrence.

As modern believers, one of the most challenging things for us to understand is the existence of dark spiritual forces. The secular world often disregards spiritual explanations. It’s hard for us to fathom that spiritual oppression could be behind things such as sickness, mental illness, and natural disasters. However, when we read the gospels and learn about the life of Jesus, we cannot ignore the fact that he not only believed in the existence of spiritual darkness and an enemy of the world, but He also dedicated his life to fighting against it, and as his followers, we must also acknowledge this reality and take up the fight as well.

1 John 3:8 (ESV)

8 ….The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

It is evident that our society is plagued by spiritual oppression and spiritual violence that the enemy is using to undermine God’s good world. However, we have the ability and responsibility to recognize those who are being oppressed and work towards their freedom. We can use the same power and liberation that Jesus used during his time on earth, which is still available to us today.

3. Prophecy

In our last study on how to hear the voice of God, we discussed the subject of prophecy and it was definitely a part of Jesus’ ministry that can not be ignored. He had a deep understanding of people’s lives that went beyond lucky guesses or clever intuition. For example, He knew about hidden secrets, such as the woman at the well who was living with a man who was not her husband. He also knew about our deepest fears, as shown when He said, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned.” On some occasions, He even addressed the inward biases of religious Pharisees by reading their minds.

Again this was something the scriptures instruct us to eagerly desire, grow effective in, and regularly use. This specific type of prophecy is aimed at building a strong community of believers. Its purpose is to encourage and admonish one another with love, rather than predicting the future or convicting someone of their sins. The focus is on hearing from the spirit to learn how we can empower and encourage individuals in their love for God. It requires a lot of training and trial and error, but when done correctly, it can be one of the most powerful aspects of a community of people following Jesus.

4. Justice

One of the greatest tragedies of our time is the hijacking and misappropriation of the word “justice”. In the past five or six years, this word has been caught up in the culture wars between the left and the right. As Christians, we cannot allow the secular and political world to determine our outlook on this biblical idea. It is undeniable that Jesus spent most of his ministry helping the poor, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and empowering the disadvantaged. Jesus stands in a long line of Hebrew prophets who advocate for justice in our world.

Jesus Cleansing the Temple

“Practicing justice is an active joining God in seeing that the created order (people and everything else) receives what it is due”

-Dr. Gerry Breshears

Abolishing Slavery, Civil Rights Movement, (One Day) Abolition of Abortion.

And as followers of Jesus, we must be willing and able to, as Jesus did, go to great lengths of suffering, in order to make things right in the world

Matthew 5:40 ESV

40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

Do what what you can, with what you have, where you have it.

This might all seem very overwhelming…

So lets go over some simple guiding principles of where and how to do the ministry of Jesus.

Where?

“As you go into all the world”…

As you are going about your daily lives look for opportunities to expand the ministry of Jesus.

You don’t need to be in full-time ministry or travel across the world.

Your work is your calling, that’s your mission field

Your home

Your friend group

All of these place can be place that “you are going into”

How?

The body of chirst

Each person has their part

We aren’t expected to do everything, but we acre expected to do something

God “does not burden us equally with all things, but considerately puts upon each of us just a few central tasks, as emphatic responsibilities. For each of us these special undertakings are our share in the joyous burdens of love. We cannot die on every cross, nor are we expected to.”

-Thomas Kelly

And the final question maybe what?

1 Corinthians 3:5 (NLT)

5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.

There are things the Lord has gifted you in and things that He’s made you passionate about.

Find those things and do them.

But How do we do it?

Over the last few weeks we’ve talked about the 3 goals and the methods, the principles, and the motivations of those Goals.

But now we come to the million dollar question how do we do all of those things?