Welcome!
Date: Monday, October 11, 2010
Today: A ministry of God’s power!
Passage: Mark 10: 51, 52 NIV
51“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
This blind man heard about Jesus passing by
Bartimaeus is not his actual name; Bartimaeus just means son of Timaeus
His father would have been a prominent person
Known only as the “son of Timaeus” and being blind, Bartimaeus was considered insignificant, and was ignored by others; but he was very important to Jesus
If you are dealing with an identity crisis, remember; you are very important and special to Jesus
Bartimaeus knew that Jesus is the Messiah who was promised
So he calls Jesus, “son of David” and cries out to Him
People rebuked him; but he did not care about what people were saying
He had the kind of better knowledge about who Jesus was, than many of these people who rebuked him
Bartimaeus wanted to get his sight. He knew, Jesus was able to do it and that none of these people were going to help him get his sight
It is important to let Jesus know about our problem
Today, there are many who are living in spiritual darkness
They do not realize or admit their spiritual blindness!
The first step to healing-spiritual or other wise, is to know our problem and to admit that problem
The second step is to bring it to God’s attention
Jesus never rebuked anybody who sincerely called upon Him
When Jesus knows that our request is genuine and that we believe in Him 100%, He will work the miracle for us
Ministering to people in prison is one of the best times in ministry. Everyone is sitting there with a broken heart and expectations. You can feel the presence of God, which you may not sometimes feel even in a church, because people in the prison are coming with great desire to receive some inner healing from God
Jesus loved to minister to the broken hearted
But the people who were walking with Jesus were not all like that
Even if we don’t bring someone to Jesus, we should not be stopping anyone
Our lives, words and actions should not be a reason for another person to go away from Jesus; instead, they should draw a person closer to Jesus
If we hear that someone fell into sin, we need to pray for that person, instead of picking the phone and letting ten people know about it
Call Jesus and pray for that person
There are many like Bartimaeus, crying out there; they are looking for someone who could pray with them or pray for them
Our spiritual eyes must open first, for us to minster to others who are hurt and broken; out theology and knowledge comes second
The ministry of God is a ministry of power. See what Apostle Paul had to say:
17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Eph 1: 17-19, NIV)-emphasis added
4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Cor 2:4, NIV)-emphasis added
Today, we see many people trying to demonstrate their own power, knowledge and skills, instead of God’s. Such attempts will not bring glory to God
Even the disciples of Jesus had a problem about “who was great?” among them,
Many a time, they failed in doing ministry, the way Jesus expected them to do
When ego and pride goes ahead of us, God’s name will not be glorified
The question is: “what is the ultimate goal of all that we are doing?”
Are we trying to build our own kingdom, in the name/expense of Jesus?
If so, we will fail miserably
But if we are about His kingdom, we will see success
God bless you
BG
Prayer: Lord, Jesus, I need healing in many areas; I need healing to my spiritual blindness. I want you to open my inner eyes and give me wisdom and revelation for your word, Lord. Help me to minister to many who need healing. Amen