Going Deeper

What are some reasons that people come to Christ?

Fear

Guarantee of heaven

Cure for sin

To find meaning

You see, this is vastly different than the way that the disciples followed Jesus.

From what we know, they followed Jesus simply because He said “follow me.”

They knew that there was something special about Him….Andrew’s understanding was

John 1:40-41.

John 1:40–41 NIV

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).

You see, people that come to Jesus for the reasons mentioned above, tend to lose interest once whatever they were wanting from Jesus is given.

It’s as if they no longer need Him so they get bored and walk away.

It’s as if they are missing something.

Arguably, what they are missing is the need to go deeper in their faith.

To go From:

Being Served to Serving

We just read the Bible stosry a bit ago, and at this point the disciples had been following Jesus for some time.

Earlier in chapter 6, Jesus had sent out the 12 in pairs to preach.

Mark 6:12–13 NIV

12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

So, they come back to Jesus to tell him what they had done.

They jump in a boat, but people follow them.

Mark 6:34 NIV

34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Jesus noticed that they were following like sheep without a shepherd.

People need shepherds!

But who?

Well, they get out of the boat and Jesus was teaching them for most of the day.

As with most people, they got hungry.

They disciples came to Jesus and told Him that they were hungry and needed to go into the villages and eat.

Jesus tells them:

Mark 6:37 NIV

37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

You see, the disciples answered in the way that we do, don’t they?

Well, I don’t have the money to feed them....

But, Jesus doesn’t even touch on their comment.

He just asks how many loaves they have.

They count and turns out, they have 5. And, 2 fish.

“That should do” Jesus says....maybe

He has them sit down in groups, prays over the bread and they distributed the food.

You see, what’s interesting in this whole interaction is that Jesus doesn’t prepare them for what is about to happen.

He doesn’t tell them that they needed to go to seminary for 4 years, earn a degree, and then begin to minister.

In fact, He doesn’t tell them to do anything other than “feed them.”

Now, I am not saying that education isn’t important, it is.

But what I am saying is that Jesus isn’t asking you to calculate everything before He calls you to do something.

He is saying “do it.” Go deeper, begin serving!

Though the disciples didn’t have seminary degrees, they spent 3 years with Jesus!

Jesus had plenty of miracles where He did the miracles Himself.

He healed several people.

But, what is different here is that Jesus told His disciples to do it.

Jesus could have done it Himself.

He could have said “have a seat and I will take care of it.”

But no, He tells them “feed them”

Something is happening here.

Jesus is moving His disciples from the position of being served to serving!

They had been with Jesus.

They had learned from Him and His example.

And now, Jesus says go deeper!

I wonder if His words from earlier may have struck them.

Way back in Mark chapter 1 when He calls peter and Andrew, He says to them:

Mark 1:17–18 NIV

17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Mark doesn’t record any discussion here other than they followed Jesus.

I probably would have been like “yeah dude, I will follow you, but you are going to need to explain the whole “I will send you out to fish for people” thing.

Now is the time when this shift is starting to happen.

Jesus has been preparing them to become servants.

As they shift from being served to serving, there are three things that He has them do.

1. Preach the gospel

Mark 3:13–15 NIV

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.

2. Healing Diseases

Mark 6:13 NIV

13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

3. Delivering people from oppression and evil

as we read in the previous two passages.

These are all things that they watched Jesus Himself do!

After reviewing these things it is clear that Jesus didn’t come simply to call His disciples to follow Him, but to recruit them!

Maybe that call remains for us?

You notice when Jesus call them He says:

Mark 1:17 NIV

17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

You notice the word “and” there? That means there are two different things going on.

Two calls of Jesus:

1. Follow Jesus

2. Fish for People

You see the process here!

You being by following Jesus, but you do deeper into working for Him!

Jesus has some jobs for us to do!

Maybe it’s similar to the disciples.

Maybe He is calling us to shift from being served to serving!

Jesus is recruiting us to be servants!

“Jesus asks us to feed those He loves - to grow in our faith, beyond milk onto meat, and then, when well-fed ourselves, to begin feeding others.” - Steve DeNeff

We have spent time with Jesus. We have grown in our relationship with Him!

With Jesus, we have what we need to serve His people!

Jesus is calling us to serve because many in the world are like “sheep without a shepherd.”

So:

How do we serve others?

1. Be Served Yourself!

It is difficult to fill someone’s cup when yours is empty!

Some of you are great servants!

Sabbatical - time to rest and refill!

How are we served! Reading the life-giving Word!

Talking with the life-giving living water within us! The Holy Spirit!

Worshipping our Lord!

Spending time with God’s people!

2. Identify who you should serve!

Are you married? - Your spouse

Do you have kids? Your children

Where do you work? Your co-workers

You go to church? Your brothers and sisters in Christ

Who in your life is God calling you to serve?

3. Pray for how you can serve them!

Ask the Lord how you should serve!

Are you praying with and those you should serve?

4. Serve!

Do what God is calling you to do!

Move from the place of things being about you and your need to be served, to serving others!

As we wrap up this morning, I want to encourage you to think about a few things.

When Jesus asks you to do something, do you consider the cost?

Do you protest because you don’t have enough resources?

Do you question how it could possibly even happen?

Do you feel inadequate?

Or feel if you don’t have the right connections or it’s not the right timing?

I want to encourage you this morning that the God who calls is the one who equips!

He calls us to move deeper from being served to serving!

It all begins with hearing the voice from Jesus who says “you feed them!”

Maybe this morning, you are hearing His voice