Title of Sermon: Ministry At The Door 17 April 2016 Scripture: Mark 1: Preacher: Mr Alan Tay Reflections by Mr Alan Tay

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Title of Sermon: Ministry At The Door 17 April 2016 Scripture: Mark 1: Preacher: Mr Alan Tay Reflections by Mr Alan Tay"

Gyles Warner
5 years ago
Views:

Title of Sermon: Ministry At The Door 17 April 2016 Scripture: Mark 1: 29-39 Preacher: Mr Alan Tay Reflections by Mr Alan Tay INTRODUCTION When we think about Door, what ideas or associations come to

The Gospel is made of four books but one story. Each book seeks to retell the gospel story in a certain perspective.

1 Title of Sermon: Ministry At The Door 17 April 2016 Scripture: Mark 1: Preacher: Mr Alan Tay Reflections by Mr Alan Tay INTRODUCTION When we think about Door, what ideas or associations come to mind? Essentially, the door demarcates the transition of two spaces i.e. from public to the private space. It is also the point of access to the person we want to meet. The Gospel is made of four books but one story. Each book seeks to retell the gospel story in a certain perspective. Early church fathers to modern day scholars have concluded the following symbols and its meaning to depict each book. They are based on Ezekiel 1.10 and Revelation 4.7. a. Matthew uses the symbol of Lion to depict Jesus as King" i.e. Lion of Judah. b. Luke uses Man to depict Jesus as "Son of Man". c. John uses Eagle to depict Jesus as "Son of God". d. Finally, Mark as Ox to depict him as the "Servant"

2 Since Jesus is depicted in Mark as a servant, that is why his genealogy is excluded! The reason being, in the ancient near east no one cares about the lineage of a slave! That also explains why Mark swiftly covers the Baptism of Jesus and Temptation, and went on to show how Jesus went about doing His Father s will. The former authenticates His ministry and the latter accentuates His power and wisdom. Looking at the Gospel, the Jesus of Nazareth is a Personable person before he became a Popular person. a. Jesus is a familiar character in his hometown and city. In fact, they knew where he lives even! He is none other than the son of Joseph, the carpenter, the rabbi, a neighbour and a friend. Mark we see Jesus ministering outside the door when the entire city turned up to seek Him for help. Mark we see Jesus ministering inside the door when presumably closer associates came to see Him. What is important here is, while the door is a transitional place, we see Jesus ministering both in the public and private spaces!

3 b. Jesus is also a highly intentional person. He talks to individuals as much as to the crowd. He takes interest in people. He cares for them, He healed them and often make a point to teach God s truth to them. Mark 1.31 He healed Peter s mother in law.mark 1.32 He healed those who were ill and demon-possessed.mark 1.41 He was moved with compassion and healed the leper.mark 2.2, 13 He took time to teach God s truth after the initial healing. From here, we see that Jesus has set the example of how we too can minister with Him at the door!

4 HOW DO WE MINISTER AT THE DOOR? 1. SOAK IN GOD S PRESENCE (Mk 1.35) The secret to Jesus ministry lies in His relationship with His Father. After a long night of ministry, Jesus woke up early in the morning to spend time with His Father. It is at such times, Jesus found His Alignment and His Assignment from God. We can observe that often prior to some key events in the gospel, Jesus was often found praying. e.g. Appointment of the twelve (Mk 3.13), Feeding of 5000 (Mk 6.32) and The Crucifixion (Mk 14.32). The Challenge for us is to Take Time and be with the Lord! What we can do is simply to spend 10min a day from Monday to Friday. On Saturday, we summarise what we have gleaned and heard from God. Then, on Sunday is to ask God what is one principle He wants to practice in our lives. Truth be told, once we spend the 10min daily, you want to spend more time with God! More crucially, it is often at such time, we hear God s heart for us and for the people around us.

5 2. STAND IN YOUR PLACEMENT (Mk 1.33, 2.2) Once we are soaked in the presence of God, from that resource, we can minister to others. Another thing to note is that Jesus is such a known and familiar person. He is a carpenter, a rabbi - teacher, the Son of God and Servant King. John 4.34 tells us how Jesus is so clear of His Mission in life. My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to accomplish His work. What about us? Are we clear of what God has in mind for us to do in His redemptive work in the world, starting from where we are? Jesus is so clear of His destiny what about us? We are people of destiny not destinations. God has called us for a specific role and task. are we clear of it? The external focused church often asked this poignant question. Are we a church of the community or are we the church for the community? The church of the community is like many churches, one of the many buildings in the community. Once gone, nobody bothers. The church for the community is one who cares and serves the community. Once gone, the community start to miss her. If we bring this down to individual level, who are we to our community at work, neighbourhood and at home? When the city was in need, they came to Jesus. When the colleagues, neighbour and even loved ones are in need, who do they turn to? Do they turn to us?

6 Conclusion Are we willing to let God use us to do ministry at the door? Are we willing to let God use us to impact the lives of people around? Life is a statement meant to be lived. Quote: I d rather see a sermon by Edgar Albert Guest.

Jesus Magnified. Luke 3 and 4

Jesus Magnified. Luke 3 and 4 Jesus Magnified Luke 3 and 4 FIRST DAY: Read Luke 3 and 4 Lesson 3 When we think of initiating a ministry or career, we often think in terms of a great launch with lots of fanfare. Not so with Jesus! When