During his time of ministry, Jesus taught many teachings through parables, proverbs, and wise sayings to his 12 disciples and the crowds that followed him wherever he went. Unlike the prophets who came before him, Jesus taught with authority (Mathew 7:29). He forgave sinners, cleansed the unclean, and performed many miracles that baffled the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Like the prophets before him, he came with God’s divine message and purpose, to fulfill the word.
Many people including Jesus’ disciples returned to him secretly to learn the deeper meaning of his parables. Even though he eluded the Kingdom of God to things familiar to them, they could not still understand him. The core of Jesus’ teachings was on the fact that God love us and that we should love each other just as he has demonstrated his love to us.Many of other Jesus’teachings gave strength to this core teaching of love.
When Jesus’ disciples asked himof the greatest commandment, he answered them by saying, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all you mind and with all your strength,” (Mathew 22:37 KJV). There are many instances where Jesus talked about love. First was at the mountainside. He said,
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for hemaketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? (Mathew 5:43-48).
In this teaching on the mountain, Jesus strengthened the word of God,as was his purpose for teaching. By telling the people to love their enemies, Jesus was showing them the example of God’s love to us, which we should extend to our enemies.
When the time of Jesus’ death came, as was prophesied, he still spoke to his disciples about loving each as he had loved them, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34). During the time of Moses, offering of burnt sacrifices was done to appease God. The priests at the temple performed this noble task every time the wrath of God befell the nation. It was awayof cleansing the people.
According to Jesus, love was greater that burnt sacrifices. “And to love…is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Mark 12:33.He condemned the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who lead sinful lives and continued proclaiming the word of God and offering sacrifices in the temple. He eluded them to blind leaders of the blind. “Let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” MATTHEW 15:14
The book The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey discusses the personal attitude and relations of the author with God and his understanding of God. The book consists of three parts and fourteen chapters. The author tries to persuade readers that religion and God should be a part of our life and everyone should have a possibility to decide the role and importance of God in his own life. Yancey says that from early years he was deprived of a chance to understand God and learn about religion. Yancey dedicates his writing to everyone interested in religion and theology, personal reflections on God, and unique perception of religion. The author stands against the modern education system and poor religious education at schools and at colleges.
In the first part of the book, Yancey states that if we limit our presentation of biblical content to the purely human and natural scene, we cannot deal with God as anything more than an idea or interest of mankind. There are many scholars who insist that neither in general historical study, nor in the history of ideas, can we do more than deal with what men have thought about God, or what they have done to establish relations with the God whom they make the object of their faith and thought and cult practice. In this view, God is an idea. Men may think that he is real, and the historian, therefore, may say that men think so, but he is simply describing the attitude of men; he is not asserting or denying the existence or action of God. In this part, Yancey proposes a unique interpretation of God and his vision of the divine nature of God-human relations.
The second part, “Why he Came” discusses the importance of Jesus Christ in religion and his role in our life. Yancey states that to recognize the human factor means to recognize that all aspects of human life have their place in the biblical picture of life. When we write about the biblical message and try to grasp and state its guiding ideas, we may slip into an intellectualism that loses the richness of human life and the Christian experience. Biblical theology is not concerned simply with the mind. It sees a man in his need and failure, his repentance and faith, his worship and fellowship, his work, and his kinship both with nature and with God’s life and purpose. The Bible is concerned with the whole man in his total need, and with the full answer to that need in the gospel of God. One type of leader could capture the attention and imagination, strike home to the will, and win converts for Christ. He was the preacher, the evangelist. Another could more effectively and patiently answer questions, interpret Scripture, explain the teachings of Jesus, and make clear the meaning of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. He was the teacher, the pastor, the Christian friend who could aid the slow maturing of faith and character. Yet this distinction can be greatly overdone, and it sometimes is pushed beyond reason. No preacher could win converts with a bare list of assertions about God’s plan and his action in Christ. He had to give examples and details. In other words, he had to teach as he preached.
The third part of the book, “What he Left Behind” discusses the impact of Jesus Christ and his teaching on the everyday life of citizens. Yancey underlines that the preacher of any message that roots in history must inform and win the mind as well as stir the imagination; he must continually teach. So every New Testament preacher was inevitably a teacher. Because this hope had so little prospect of fulfillment by any human means, multitudes looked to God to intervene in some remarkable way. They pictured their hope in vivid language. They developed an “eschatology,” a message about the end of the world and the final realization of God’s purpose. Some of their writings were apocalyptic, depicting the coming triumph as near at hand, soon to be miraculously wrought by the sudden, dramatic intervention of God. The atmosphere of first-century Judaism contained much of this vivid expectation. Jesus had shared his basic spiritual conviction that God’s decisive action was at hand, and had even declared that the kingdom or rule of God was beginning.
The author met his objections and clearly expresses his understanding of God and religion. Yancey is an American Christian author awarded by the Gold Medallion Christian Book. He is well-known for such books as Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? (2006), Finding God in Unexpected Places: (2008), Rumors of Another World (2003). The author proposes an objective and well-thought analysis of Jesus’ role in our lives and the support he provides us. The subject of the book is vital because many people are deprived of a chance to read and learn about Jesus Christ and his mission. The subject is too broad for one book, but Yancey skillfully selects the most important aspects and issues for analysis and interpretation. The author does not announce his bias and limitations, thus it would spoil the impression of the book. In the introduction, the purpose of the study is clearly defined and explained to a reader interested in this book. Yancey underlines that if the historicity of Jesus fades away, the whole content of the gospel vanishes with it. In this gospel, God is the one God, the Lord of history, who acts in history and through his chosen agents. Jesus is his central and unique agent, whose historical career is the instrument of achieving the eternal purposes of God. The historicity of Jesus is therefore essential to the truth of the entire gospel message. The narrative is logical and concise, so it is easy to read and understand the book. There are no missing points.
The research is reliable but it is influenced by the personal vision and reflections of the author. It is wrong to say that this book cannot be trusted: it is a personal opinion of the author and his life experience, so readers can agree or disagree with his position and interpretation of Jesus Christ. There are no notes or commentaries in the book. The author persuades readers that preaching is never for information only. It does not speak in neutral tones. The sources used in the book are cited at the end of it, so they do not spoil reading and understanding of the text. This story comes to each hearer, as it already has come to the preacher, with a demand for decision and commitment. It aims to show man’s need and reach his will. It seeks not to satisfy mental curiosity, or even to answer speculative problems, but to solve an urgent life situation. The language is clear and concise, but it can be difficult for an unprepared reader to understand all theological terms and events mentioned in the book. The book aims to defend a position and persuades the community in a crucial role of religion in our life. Understanding religion leads to a call to repentance. But this is only part of the call. The call is to faith. The hearers must receive this message, acknowledge that it is true, see that it applies to them and brings them under God’s judgment, acknowledge their need, put their faith in Christ as sent of God for their salvation, and enter into a life of faith, worship, and obedience
The book will be interesting to everyone who what to change his life and acquire new knowledge, understand the meaning of life and our existence. Church by remaining the good news of the risen Christ. This divine redemptive action has been necessary because the sin of man puts him in a desperate situation. The Resurrection was the climax of the apostolic preaching, and when the center is moved to other events in order to provide a more easily acceptable message or more common ground of faith, the Christian faith, and message cannot but begin to disintegrate. It can only be what it has always been from the first day of the Apostolic
References
Yancey, Ph. The Jesus I Never Knew. Thomas Nelson; 1st edition, 1995, 290 pp.
The author gives another view of the Christian religion different from that of the historians. He views Jesus Christ as a living person within his church contrary to the perspective that he was a normal human being that was crucified and died some centuries ago. His book gives a clear picture of the New Testament and the gospel in a modern worldview.
About the author
Luke Timothy Johnson was born in the year 1973, he is a at the professor at Candler school of theology and also works as a senior lecture at Emory University. His disciplines are based on the new testament and Christian origin and study of law and christianity. He has taken part in several lectures on religion in several universities across the world. Luke Timothy is known for his critical view of the Jesus gospel, during his lectures he openly supports the ordination of women into priesthood and religious leadership positions and supports same sex marriages as opposed to the teachings of the bible.
Johnston obtained his education in public and parochial school during his early age He has a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy acquired at the Notre Dame Seminary, which was acquired in the year 1966. In 1970 h obtained a masters division in Theology at Saint Meinrad School of Theology. He furthered his education in religion by obtaining masters in religious studies from the University of Indiana and later a PhD in the New Testament from the University of Yale.
Luke Timothy is a member of several professional associations and ha published several editions o religion. Examples are The creed: What Christians believe and why it matters, The first and second letters to timothy: A new translation with introduction and commentary, The Real Jesus: The misguided quest for the historical Jesus and the truth of the traditional Gospels. (Johnson. L.T 56) He has also written several editorials and contributed to the writing of the commonwealth and Christian century publications. Before he became a biblical scholar he was a priest and a Benedictine He is married to Joy Randazo and has seven children.
Book summary
The main theme in this book is to open the readers spectrum on Christianity as a current powerful religion and not only as a historic religion that should be embraced and practiced as a current religion that is still living. Luke Johnson brings into the Christian religion a more professional look at things and events, he categorically examines the conditions that led to certain occurrences in a more realistic manner than in an euphoria approach. His literally work gives one a clear and more reasonable understanding to the new testament and the gospel of Christ. This is illustrated in the tile of the book “Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospel”
The author brings out the criticism to the way Christianity was practiced for instance he questions the stand on ordination of women into priesthood and high positions in the church. In addition he advocates for same sex marriages, this is because of his view that christainity should be practiced as a modern religion and acknowledge Jesus as living. He has so far received a lot of criticism on his writing by traditional priests and religious leaders who rather hide the truth from the congregation that is most likely to create controversies among the Christ flock. According to the author he plainly writes that Jesus seized to exist after his death at the cross thus historians would treat Jesus as “simply a figure of the past whose existence ceased with his human death… What can be known about him must be learned in the same way we learn about any other figure of the past, which is to study what he said and did until his death.” In his book. On the other hand Christians view him as a resurrected and a leader of the current church in his omni present status. They believe that Jesus has always been among them.
The writer makes use of the community and creed to learn about Jesus and the gospel. He also embraces other disciplines of social science and other religions such as Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism to come up with a comprehensive analysis of the truth about Christ and Christianity. He goes further to use ghis marriage as a clear and simple example to the current Christian way of living. (Johnson.L.T 35)
Book evaluation
The author objective has clearly been brought up in this book. He has the goal of changing the traditional mindset of most Christ followers and servants to that of a current and realistic standing. This is shown by the manner in which he attacks the shortcomings in the New Testament. For instance he goes at an extent of discussing John, Mark, Luke and Mathew who are the cornerstones of the gospel of Christ to bring the reader to a closer understanding of the setting at that time in contrast to the current world or time. For instance he illustrated how Jesus is portrayed as a prophet in the book of Luke and Acts, and as God by John.
Aware that he is most likely to face controversies over his writing the writer manages to use the correct tone in analyzing the New Testament. His work has received quite a substantial amount of criticism from religious outfits and organizations regarding him as a traitor of the gospel of Christ. On the contrary several scholars and religions leaders have alternatively gave credit to his research as it has been able to open the views of Christians on their religion and why things ended up the way they are.
Luke Johnson leaves the reader to make their own decision in regard to the Christian religion. His work can be categorized as Christology in question. He gives answers to mysteries concerning the exultance of Jesus the Holy Spirit and has control over the church but does not give strict direction to what should be followed or adhered to He however describes those individuals who seek faith on a historical point of view as unfortunate because they do not understand the realism in a present view related to their religion. Thus that blindly follow thee teachings of a doctrine they fully do not comprehend. Any reader that has gone through this book will find clear answers to the truth about the gospel and practice Christianity in truth and understanding way. (Johnson.L.T 134)
Work Cited
Johnson, Luke. Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospel Harper One, 2000.
There are only a few people perhaps who are interested in the historical Moses of the Bible. Even if Moses was credited for the establishment of Judaism, no one can hear of a movement or an organization dedicated to discovering Moses in history. There is also not much that can be heard in the Western world when it comes to the passionate search for the historical Buddha and not the deified person that now sits in Buddhist temples. There is also no debate when it comes to the historical Mohammed. But when it comes to the discussion regarding the historical Jesus, one can expect a heated exchange of ideas and opinions. It can be argued that the study of Jesus can provoke such reactions from historians, theologians, and even the average person is because he claimed to be God and he is currently worshipped as God by many of his adherents. How can one man cause such intense passion? This is the main reason why the question has to be raised, “Who is the historical Jesus? There is no easy way to answer this question because would like to Jesus’ contributions and impact in ancient history while supporters would want to make him more than a man.
Main body
The search for historical Jesus usually means the use of information outside the Bible. It is easy to understand why this is the stance of historians and critics of Christianity. The Bible is of course seen as the main document that established the Christian religion and therefore it is seen as an information source that is biased towards Jesus and his followers. Thus, it could not be used to understand the historical Jesus. On the other hand, it can also be argued that if one will take this position, he is biased against the Christian faith. The Bible should be an important source of information especially if the data that can be taken from it can be verified and more importantly not contradicted by well-established facts.
Many historians argue that Jesus was not known beyond Jewish circles. One noted history commentator, Ernest Renan argued that well-known historians like Philo who died in the year 50 A.D. had no idea who Jesus was (Renan, p. 72). He also added that Jesus did not create an impact in Israel and Greek and Roman countries Jesus was not heard of (Renan, p. 72). On the other hand, Renan’s views had to be carefully considered because in the early years of the Jesus movement the presence of Christians was so significant to cause persecutions and in fact, in 60 A.D. Roman Emperor Nero ordered the destruction of many Christians and included in the list of victims were the pillars of the Christian faith – St. Paul and St. Peter (Norman, p. 14).
How can the world be ignorant of Jesus when the greatest empire in the history of mankind was bothered by his teaching and disciples that they had to silence them? On top of that, the Roman Empire embraced Christianity later on. It can therefore be argued that the historical Jesus was hidden from plain sight because historians used a different standard to analyze history. They depended on Philo, Josephus, and the religious leaders of Judaism to verify an undeniable fact. But they will not find much information from these people because they have no incentive to write about Jesus.
To know more about the historical Jesus, historians had to dig deeper and go beyond Josephus, Philo, and Jewish scribes. They had to account for the popularity of Jesus Christ within Palestine and how is it possible for an obscure person to ignite such a movement if he did nothing of significance? It is against human nature to follow someone and do mighty deeds on behalf of that person if they did not see anything of value that they can get from following him. Renan stated that Roman and Greek cities have not heard of Jesus. Ironically, today there is such a thing as the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church (Norman, p. 31). Historians had to work harder to rediscover the historical Jesus.
The Significant Contributions of the Greeks in the context of the Western World
The Greeks were one of the first to articulate the idea of democracy and the need to be rational in one’s thoughts and actions. Greek scholars like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle provided a way for ancient people to make sense of the world around them and to rise above the fears of superstition. It was as if ancient people were about to go through a dark tunnel and everyone is afraid of the unknown. It was men like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle who provided the torchlight that gave them the courage to move forward one step at a time. By doing so they discovered things that they would later use to experiment on democracy and other ideas that would help catapult Europe into the Age of Discovery.
According to one commentator, the contributions of the Greeks can be summed up in one terse statement by saying that they were instrumental in liberating the human mind from the “…shadows of superstitions and bondage to the irrational” (Thornton, p.1). On the other hand, some view this kind of exuberance concerning Greek achievement as Eurocentric and have to be toned down (Thornton, p. 2). But honor must indeed be given to whom it is due (Thornton, p. 2). One of the most important aspects of Greek ways is their fearlessness to experiment and to push forward ideas that may seem repulsive at first but after much persistence will yield much fruit. This is not the time to point out the flaws of Greek thinking for sure many can be revealed by astute scholarship but the point of this discussion is to illuminate the obvious contributions of Greek scholars, for their insight into human nature and how the world operates is critical in understanding the Western World.
Democracy is one major contribution of the Greeks. If the Greeks did not do anything else but think about democracy then the whole human race is already greatly indebted to them. They were the first to plant the seed of democracy. Theirs was not a perfect idea and in fact, they could not provide the best example. It would take centuries of experimentation and more polishing before the modern world was able to produce highly successful democratic societies like the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, and others. The significance of their contribution is highlighted not only by the superpowers that were created out of following the principles laid down by the Greeks but the utter failure of other systems that tried to present an alternative solution to problems of political order and how to govern a nation.
The failure of the socialist system developed in great part in communist countries like the former Union Soviet Socialist Republic provided great contrast as to what will happen if power is concentrated in the hands of a few people. The beauty of democracy is not only found in the ability of the masses to participate in politics but it is the way democracy allows men and women from different backgrounds to contribute to nation-building. It is also a system of governance that allows people to know that they are part of the community by making them a significant component in the process of selecting national and local leaders.
Aside from democracy, another major contribution of the Greeks is the creation of a systematic way of analyzing the outside world as well as human nature. As mentioned earlier they had laid the groundwork that enabled modern man to break free from superstition and irrational thought. The result of that endeavor was to create a society where people are not afraid to go beyond the conventional. This gave men and women the ability to travel around the world and discover that it is not flat. This gave further impetus to work on discovering new things. Fear has been taken out from their minds and hearts and in the process breakthroughs in various fields of discipline were made possible. This ultimately benefited not only the Western World but even the whole planet.
Works Cited
Norman, Edward. The Roman Catholic Church: An Illustrated History. CA: University of California Press, 2007.
Renan, Ernest. “The essential nature of the work of Jesus.” The Historical Jesus. Ed. Craig Evans. New York: Routledge, 2004.
To begin with, it is necessary to emphasize that Jesus, as a historical personality originates too many disputes in the academic literature. The only fact, which is not doubted, is the fact of his existence. The historical Jesus is the personality that is mentioned in the documents of the first century. Originally, this fact is reconstructed by critics and historians, who had studied and deeply researched the gospel texts, which are regarded as the primary source for his biography. They had also studied non-biblical sources for the matters of the historical and cultural context of the period of Jesus’ life.
Originally, it should be stated that all the sources (both Biblical and non-biblical) claim that Jesus was a Jewish teacher, who was able to attract disciples from the Galilean people, and after some period of preaching, he was crucified by Romans after the sentence by Pontius Pilate. As Peabody (2001, p. 163) stated, historians often regard Jesus in the following light: “The historical Jesus was a Galilean Jew living in a time of messianic and apocalyptic expectations. According to the testaments, he was baptized by John the Baptist, and, after John was executed, Jesus Christ started his own mission. He preached the Kingdom of God and was renowned as a teacher and a healer. The fact is that scholars often attribute to his preaching of Kingdom of God the apocalyptic nature, while others depict that his Kingdom of God is not apocalyptic.” These are the historically confirmed facts, and it is known that the appearance of this person in history is featured with a certain aim. It should be stated that even in spite of the fact that various miracles are not registered in historical sources, the witnesses claim that miracles took place, and thus, there is no necessity to deny them. Jesus Christ’s message was aimed at spreading the new teaching, the new religion, philosophy, and principles of life. Surely, few people would follow him if he did not prove the righteousness of his words. According to Perkins (2003, p.152), all the miraculous curing processes, the transformation of the water into wine, and other “tricks” are often regarded in the literature as the ancient knowledge, which Jesus could attain while traveling to Asia (in the period between his 20 and 30 years), while this period is not pointed in the Bible.
He intended to direct his message for creating the new temple: the temple of soul and Kingdom of God; thus, he sent his apostles to heal the people’s souls and to preach the Kingdom of God. (Peabody, 2001, p.148) However, this intention was regarded as the claim to rebellion and the claim to destroy the temple in Jerusalem. It was the period when political and religious tensions were rather high in Jerusalem; that is why the sentence was the hardest. Nevertheless, his mission also included giving the message of love, mercy, and compassion to people. Probably, it was the key message for all his words, as he told manly of love: the love of God to people, the love of people o God, and about himself as the joining link of this love. History does not know any other leader who could inspire people by words of love only. As Hoffman (2004, p.239) stated, people believed that Jesus could lead them to the Kingdom of God. In spite of the fact that his mission and role in history are not registered in historical sources, his mission for humanity still stays open in academic resources.
Finally, it should be stated that according to Hoffman (2004, p.31), Jesus’ existence can not be denied only because of the fact that his life before 30 is not described. These arguments represent nothing except the ignorance of the researchers. Almost two billion Christians can not be mistaken.
References
Hoffmann, R. Joseph, and Gerald A. Larue, eds. Jesus in History and Myth. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 2004.
Peabody, Francis Greenwood. Jesus Christ and the Social Question: An Examination of the Teaching of Jesus in Its Relation to Some of the Problems of Modern Social Life. New York: Macmillan, 2001.
Perkins, Pheme. “Just James: The Brother of Jesus in History and Tradition.” Theological Studies 60.1 (2003): 152.
In our present-day society we have seen many religious groupings emerge. Some are gospel oriented and others have ulterior motives known to the founders themselves. When our savior Jesus Christ walked and taught on this earth, He had teachings that are referred to as Gospels. Jesus mostly taught about the two greatest commandments which He summed as; Love your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and Love your neighbor as you love yourself (Mark 12:30, 31). With these teachings as guiding posts, I am happy to be a part of this ministry which is Christ based.
At new life church, we have specific ways in which we conduct our prayers and worship. Our vision is to have as many souls converted back to Christ as possible. As the pastor, I have an obligation to shepherd the flock as Jesus intended. Prayer is to be conducted in a format that recognizes God as the Father and overall, Jesus as His Son and the Holy Spirit as our Helper, “ministering in the Spirit, ultimately we go in faith trusting in God to see us through” (Ajith Fernando2007). Worship is every Wednesdays and Fridays with the divine service being on Saturday (Sabbath). Orderly prayer and worship is to be conducted each time the sessions are on. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instructions for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed (2Timothy 3:16,17)
New life church has a specific job description for the assigned persons. We have the pastor as the head of the church. His duties include divine service delivery and counseling of members on areas which troubling them. He has also a role as chairman of committees for development projects in the church. The church elders are member who have shown divine growth and can lead member in prayer and worship services. They head various departments such as Children ministries, Youth ministries, Chaplaincy, and women ministries. We have deacons who help in matters of ushering and collecting offerings. The deacons can also conduct bible study on regular basis. Door to door a visit to members is also highly encouraged.
The members play a vital role in practicing what they hear and sharing the good news with non believers. Luke 8:21 Jesus said to them all, “my mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and obey it” Matthew 28:19,20 Go, then to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples : baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always to the end of age. Working together as a church makes us move closer to achieving our vision. “The God of the Bible is a holy God, demanding total commitment from people in every area of life. Therefore, in biblical religion holiness is so important that all our success would be worthless without it. Holiness is clearly one of the primary qualifications for leadership” (Ajith, 2007).
Therefore, in conclusion, we can say that one should expect a ministry that focuses on Jesus Christ our savior and His redemption. The most important part of our saviors story is that he will come back to take us where He is that we may be.
The world today is becoming more commercialized; man is losing focus on why he was created. God, in His wisdom, created all that is seen and unseen this is found in the book of genesis. A man was created on the last day of creation and was given dominion over all creation. Man since has misused his authority starting with Adam through to this age. Sin brought hardship and it has now found its way into the church. Ministers are trying to be in favor with the congregation at the expense of a timely message intended to be preached. Jesus modeled quite another approach to ministry and training when he taught His own disciples. This approach is valuable and timely for today’s Christian leaders. Jesus-driven ministry can be found in what He (Jesus) taught His disciples. His teachings centered on love and care for your neighbor. Preparation is vital for success in ministering. We must learn to identify with our people so that we can better meet their needs, receive and maintain the power of the Holy Spirit, understand how God affirms us, and learn how to spend more time in His presence. The following steps outline a ministry that is Jesus centered:
Preparation for ministry
As a minister for Jesus, one should be prepared for the mission. In preparation, understanding your message is very important and will help in sharing the same with your congregation. Asking God to fill you with the Holy Spirit allows you to tap into His wisdom, guidance, and boldness ready for ministry. Tapping into God’s anointing rather than our own strengths helps us be better ministers. We stay in tune with God by living a prayerful and holy life. The bible testifies to Paul, Peter, and even Stephen using prayer as an avenue to communicate with God asking for guidance and protection in their ministry. Jesus taught that a life of prayer is a crucial component of ministry preparation. It is necessary that we must learn to identify with people so we can better meet their needs, receive and maintain the power of the Holy Spirit, understand how God affirms us, and spend time in His presence.
Identifying with people; it is incumbent upon us to identify with those we minister to the way Jesus did. He took on the weakness of the people and showed them a way to seek divine intervention from the Father. Being in identity with people can be achieved by listening to their issues and addressing them in a biblical way, become their servants. Apostles in the New Testament always were servants of the people. All letters which Paul wrote start with Paul being called a servant of Jesus Christ. Modern ministers tend to dwell on feeling not thinking. If we want to minister with the heart of Jesus, we need to expect difficulty as Jesus Himself did not have an easy time. Pain and frustration are part of the mission we should not run from it. If we endure the suffering and deliver God’s message of love, we will be effective in God’s Kingdom.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit; we must rely on God’s power which is manifested in His spirit. Scripture teaches that even Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit. He even told His disciples that a Helper will be sent to us from the Father. This power should affect our character and it is to be desired since it attracts others to God. Power without character is dangerous to us and the church. If we keep our hearts open to the Holy Spirit we can live holy lives.
God’s Affirmation to Us; God affirms us to help us overcome loneliness and discouragement and realize how much glory He will receive because of our sacrifices. We need strong convictions regarding our relationship with God and His acceptance. This will provide us with contentment and freedom in our service. We receive affirmation through the Word and the witness of the Holy Spirit. This will change our behavior. “Our passion should not be focused on how to provide for our needs. It should be to know and do God’s will. If we will concentrate on that, God will provide what is necessary.”
Spending time in His presence; Jesus was also taking away from the people to the wilderness where He prayed and fellowshipped with God. Retreating and fasting are good as you have time with God.
Necessities for successful ministry
In order to remain relevant, your ministry should reflect you. Diligent study and application of God’s Word, regular quality prayer, and ability to have godly people around you.
Saturation of the word; Jesus when tempted he quoted Scripture. If you are to fight temptation, Scripture knowledge is vital. We should study the Bible and use it as our final authority, hence, saturated in the Word of God.
Praying; Jesus went out to the mountain and prayed. He was seeking God consistently. Prayer is part of the minister’s work and the most important. It helps us calm down, be filled with God’s love, feel secure, and release our worries to God.
Team ministry; having departments or groupings also helps in ministry growth and strength.
Discipling others
Jesus told us to make disciples, not converts. Disciples know what the message is and can duplicate it to others. We can do this by revealing god in our lives. Revealing God by teaching the Word of God. (2 Timothy 1:6) “People are exposed to a lot of discouragement and rejection from others. May we be people who remind others of their potential under God and help them fun into flame the gift of God.”
Ministering to others
Jesus ministered to the sick, poor, and bereaved. He reached out and touched their hearts helping them in their needs. We should be able to develop the skills to do the same. This is done in church, visiting their homes, and meetings.
Conclusion
Jesus-driven ministry is a holistic book that I highly recommend for anybody who has a calling to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Although the author wrote the book addressing church ministers, I believe it is for all who have had a calling to be His disciples.
The book was a record of Elizondo’s journey. The purpose of the book was made clear through the following statement: “to probe deeper into the mystery and gift of the Word made flesh that walks among us today” (Elizondo 1).
Christians all over the world are familiar with this statement. It was taken from the Gospel of John. In the original text, the author said that Jesus was God and he became a human being. He was originally from heaven being part of the Trinity of Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
But two millenniums ago the Son of God was sent to Earth as a ransom for the sin of humanity. God became flesh and lived with human beings. The context of the statement meant that it was a one time event. But Elizondo implied that even in the 21st Century the link has never been broken, because the Son of God continues to dwell with his people. Elizondo made the assertion because as he read the Gospels he saw a different Jesus, the Son of God who did his best to identify with the needs, fears, and joys of Mexican Americans.
Personal Understanding of God
God is Almighty, omniscient and omnipresent but one of the greatest miracles, revelation and mystery is the transformation of the Son of God from divine to human. It may sound odd at first but for someone who understands the consequences of sin and the need for a savior, this is wonderful news. It is only through this transformation that God can satisfy the penalty of sin because no human being is worthy to pay the full price for the punishment of sin.
God became man and for a time lived with his created beings. The impact went beyond the forgiveness of sin and deepened the meaning of salvation. God did not only subject himself to humiliation and pain in order to cancel the debts of man in accordance to the law, his visitation was also a way for him to connect with human beings in an emotional and physical way.
By coming down to Earth, God placed himself in a position to understand the meaning of hunger and thirst. He was then able to sympathize with those who dealt with ridicule and rejection. When he came down to Earth, God made it possible for mankind to have easier access to him.
Mexican American Perspective
The author’s journey began with a simple question and he wrote: “I do not doubt for an instant the truth of this narrative as summarized in the Apostle’s Creed: ‘He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.’ But I do ask myself what the redemptive value is for humanity of this affirmation” (Elizondo 22).
The author was surprised and fascinated by the fact that the Son of God did not chose to live in a palace, he was not born into a wealthy family, and he was not born into a powerful and influential clan. The Son of God was not only the child of a peasant woman but she was pregnant when she was not yet a married woman. Elizondo was excited when he realized that the Son of God did not only come to Earth to be acquainted with their sins and frailties but also to be identified as one of them.
Using the insights gleaned from the challenges that Jesus and his family faced, the author linked Jesus life and ministry to the plight of Mexican Americans. He went further by exclaiming that “because Jesus was born and raised in circumstances very similar to our own Mexican American experience we truly encounter him and know him in a very personal way” (Elizondo 6).
He said that Jesus was not only born into a poor family, he grew up in a multiethnic Roman colony of Galilee, and he connected this to the melting pot that is America and the plight of Mexican Americans.
According to the author, the Son of God suffered in the same way that many Mexican Americans suffered as a people. They were crushed between the forces of culture, language, religion, and political beliefs. The author said that since Jesus had to deal with similar circumstances he became the ideal God of Mexican Americans.
He bolstered his claim when he said that at the very beginning of Jesus’ life he was exposed to the kind of pain and suffering experienced by many Mexican Americans. The author said: “No one of us has chosen the way we were conceived, yet society classifies people according to the way they were conceived.
I know that gender, race, class, and ethnicity are important in the sinful classification of persons” but even more basic is conception” (Elizondo 25). It is a truly powerful statement for those who were conceived as a result of a racially mixed marriage.
The Son of God was not only exposed to the problems relating to cultural identity, he also dealt with poverty and its negative effects. Consider the risk of being born in a manger without the assistance of qualified physicians. Consider the persecution that the family received from the hands of Herod.
Consider the struggle to find a new home after being forced to flee their hometown. The life of Jesus paralleled the life of a struggling Mexican American forced to abandon his spiritual homeland of Mexico only to discover that they are not welcome in the Promised Land.
The Impact of Elizondo’s Presentation
It is common knowledge among serious students of the Bible that the Son of God became flesh in order to fellowship with human beings. One of the most intriguing features of Christianity is an approachable God.
The same thing cannot be said of other religions where their deity is aloof and looking down with condescension on their people. But the God of the Bible is different. He went out of his way to interact with human beings and connected with them on a personal level.
Elizondo was aware of these things but he went further by saying that God orchestrated his visit to Earth and his transformation from Son of God to Son of Man in order to help marginalized people like Mexican Americans. This insight enabled the readers of his book to take a closer look at Jesus of Nazareth.
The strength of his conviction forced readers to reconsider what they believe about Jesus. The Bible suddenly comes alive because of a new perspective regarding the events surrounding the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
In addition, Elizondo’s insights created a new way of approaching Jesus as savior. From the perspective of Elizondo, Mexican Americans suddenly discovered an ally. In the past they simply pray to Jesus for help in an abstract manner. But after reading Elizondo’s book they can now approach Jesus as a man would approach a friend. Elizondo’s major contribution is to give hope to Mexican Americans. The most positive affirmation came from his assertion that Jesus is not only Lord but he is a savior in every aspect of life.
Conclusion
The insights of Elizondo strengthened the personal beliefs of the proponent of this study with regards to Jesus Christ. It was mentioned earlier that the transformation of the Son of God into the Son of Man is a tremendous statement when it comes to forgiveness of sins.
The Son of God did not only become flesh to save the world from sins but also to save man from man. The life and ministry of Jesus beginning from his conception to his resurrection is a blueprint for successful living because he was able to demonstrate how to overcome a world full of prejudice and hate.
Jesus is no longer just a savior in the religious context but a savior when it comers to the damaging effects of racism, segregation, and rejection. It is important to determine how many ethnic groups are being affected by the model presented by Jesus. If it is true that the circumstances surrounding his birth and early life were a deliberate attempt to connect with human beings, then it is time to re-examine the Gospel narratives.
Work Cited
Elizondo, Virgilio. A God of Incredible Surprises: Jesus of Galilee. MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2003. Print.
Although people often have their own understanding of how the follower and disciple of Crist must act, the Bible provides a complete list of characteristics of Christ’s disciples. Dempsey (2013) outlined three main qualities universal for all Christ disciples, namely, they must be sacrificial, relational, and transformational. Being sacrificial implies following Jesus unconditionally and abandoning any other form of worldly attachments which may interfere with the bond between the follower and Jesus. At the same time, people must also recognize all burdens in their lives and carry them. As stated in Luke 14:27 (English Standard Version), “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” Essentially, a genuine follower of Christ must be willing to not only give up their earthly possessions but also their life for Jesus. As Jesus stated himself, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (English Standard Version, Matthew 16:24). Thus, the person who sacrifices themselves and all they have only to follow Jesus can be considered a worthy follower.
Christ’s disciples also need to be relational, in other words, open to interacting not only with Jesus but also with other Christians and making new disciples. According to Dempsey (2013), a real disciple of Christ must love other believers. Since followers have to strive to live and act like Christ, they need to experience the same unconditional love. As Christ said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (English Standard Version, John 15:12). Such a commandment is necessary for all followers of Christ to abide by, especially those who wish to be disciples. Therefore, all followers of Christ need to nourish other believers and actively engage in discussions with non-believers to encourage them to become disciples. Loving the neighbor is the core belief and idea of Christ’s teachings which must not be disregarded even due to existing conflicts between people.
Finally, followers of Christ must be transformational, meaning that they have to aspire to become like Christ by engaging in a variety of activities taught to them by the Bible. Followers have to continuously work their transformation into a better version of themselves, a more righteous and pious one. Dempsey (2013) considers transformational people to be committed to their spiritual growth, which manifests itself in pursuing the decision to become similar to Christ in terms of thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Christ is the example for every believer, and although achieving the spiritual level of Christ is impossible, followers still need to strive to increase their spiritual and moral growth and development. As stated in 2 Peter 3:18 (English Standard Version), “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” There, transformational followers must make gradual steps towards growth.
Based on the aforementioned characteristics, it is possible to form and present my own definition of the follower of Jesus. Thus, the follower of Jesus is a person who openly sacrifices themselves for the Lord and commits their life to pursuing spiritual growth guided by Christ’s teachings and encouraging others to follow Christ. Ephesians 5:1 (English Standard Version) states, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Followers consider themselves children of Christ and therefore have the will to sacrifice their lives for Jesus as he sacrificed his life for them.
References
Dempsey, Rod, “Beginning on a Sure Foundation.” In Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence, edited by Rod Dempsey and Dave Earley, 21–28. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic.
Packer, James. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Collins, 2008.
It is difficult to compare the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke because of one major reason – Mark’s gospel is shorter than Luke. This means that it is hard to find out if Mark omitted a great deal of information just so he can present a clear and yet concise version of who Jesus was or is it because he focused on the most important aspects of Jesus life and ministry, providing the clue on how Mark wanted the world to know his Lord and Master. The proponent of this study would like to follow this assumption that Mark purposely omitted other parts of Jesus biographical information because he wanted his readers to know the most important aspects of Jesus life and ministry and not necessarily to show that Jesus is all about doing God’s work without regard to the people that he will save through his death on the cross.
On His Ministry
There is urgency in Mark’s gospel. The author wanted to go straight into the highlights of Jesus’ life and ministry and he did not want to waste time with introductions and genealogies. (Mark 1). Mark began with the forerunner John the Baptist while Luke did not only discuss the event surrounding the virgin birth he also went into the nitty-gritty aspect of the background story – that is John the Baptist and the drama that occurred within the family of Levi because they could not bear a child. Elizabeth, the mother of John was able to conceive at a later time. It is interesting to note that Luke really wanted to depict Jesus as an extraordinary human being while Mark wanted to describe him as a prophet, a man who has the power to do wonderful acts just like the great men of old.
By Luke’s depiction that whole world came to know Jesus as one of them and not an alien that came from afar. Mark did not focus on the humanity of Jesus Christ but he wanted his readers to know of his awesome capabilities. It can be argued that by going straight to the ministry of John the Baptist Mark was saying that Jesus Christ is like John the Baptist, Elijah and other strong-willed characters that can be found in the Old Testament. Luke on the other hand wanted to show the lighter side of Christ. By describing the details of the extraordinary circumstances that surrounded his birth in Bethlehem the world can see that Jesus is approachable (Luke 2). He is a King indeed as evidenced by the worship of the wise men from the east but he is not a high and mighty royalty that could not be approached by an ordinary human being.
How He Dealt with People
Due to the brevity of the passages in Mark one is forced to conclude that Jesus is stern and does not have time to talk with people. This was not the case in Luke. The gospel of Luke provided a more balanced view of the character and personality of Jesus Christ. Mark’s display of power and supernatural works made Jesus an extraordinary human being that possesses capabilities beyond the reach of ordinary people. Luke made his readers realize that even if Jesus is the Son of God he is compassionate and slow to anger. More importantly Luke made it clear that the worst of sinners can approach him and fellowship with him (Luke 7:36). Mark’s shorter version made it harder to see Jesus as a man who so loved the world that he was willing to die for all its inhabitants.
This view was strengthened when going through the passage when Mary and Jesus’ brothers came to visit him and Jesus’ reply seemed to indicate that he does not know his family (Mk: 3:33). There is another explanation as to why Jesus asked who are my mother and brothers but it immediately created the effect that he is so serious with his work and so focused with the ultimate goal that he does not have time for family. The contrast can be seen in Luke when Jesus spent time in the house of his friends and the house of his disciples.
The short gospel of Mark did not provide enough information regarding how Jesus felt when it comes to the people of God. This means that Jesus was depicted as a very serious worker making him look as if he was distant. Luke made his readers aware that although Jesus was sent to show people the way and to turn their hearts back to God he was a very compassionate man. Luke’s version can help the readers realize that Jesus does not abhor people and in fact he wanted to be with them. Jesus is not simply a people-person but he even wanted to be with sinners whom society has rejected like prostitutes and unscrupulous tax collectors.
The Overall Message
Mark wanted the world to know that Jesus is a man that came from God but he is no ordinary man and he demonstrated this unique quality by doing things that even great prophets of old could not duplicate. Luke also illustrated that Jesus is no ordinary man but unlike the depiction of Mark, Luke’s gospel portrays Jesus as part of the community. He was a Jew and that he is a descendant of Abraham and David. Luke provided the information that would support the claim that Jesus came to save his people. Just like Moses, the savior of Israel is a fellow Israelite. Mark on the other hand highlighted the fact that Jesus will save Israel because he is a man who came from God.
By showing the great works of Jesus Christ Mark was actually saying that there is nothing difficult for Jesus Christ. And that every facet of this planet is under his dominion. By healing the lame and the sick Jesus demonstrated that he is lord over human flesh. By going against the man-made stipulations regarding the Sabbath Jesus was saying that he is greater than Moses and Judaism. By multiplying loaves of bread and by cursing a fig tree so that it withers is proof that he is lord over all the earth.
Mark was able to describe all of these without having to comment on the reaction of the crowds and how Jesus interacted with his disciples and apostles. The detailed description of Luke regarding Jesus’ dealings with the people and his disciples goes to show that Jesus was not just a special person but someone who is willing to go through life with his friends, his family and with his disciples. For Luke Jesus was part human and part divine but he is someone that even a child will not hesitate to approach.
Conclusion
The brevity of the Gospel of Mark can easily pose a challenge when it comes to a character study of Jesus Christ. The short statements and the fast pace seemed to indicate that Jesus is all about business and will not take time to address the needs of those who are less significant. The reader of Mark’s gospel can easily fall into the trap that Jesus was all about demonstrating his power and his lordship and that he did not have the time to address the needs of the people. Mark did not intend to show Jesus as a very serious man but the brevity of his writing did not give enough information to make accurate conclusions regarding Jesus’ personality. Luke’s account is more thorough and as a result we can see a clearer depiction of the Son of God. He is King of kings but he is unlike other members of royalty that require special access. Everyone can come and fellowship with him.