The Gospel of Mark is such an interesting one
for those of us in ministry because it’s all about serving. I think someday I will write a Bible Study on Mark geared towards people who serve in ministry (which really is all of us as believers). It's been amazing to see Jesus in this light. In Mark, God
reveals Jesus as The Servant. To see Christ as Servant shows us how to be a
servant of God. It also shows us how free Christ was as He was bound to God and
the rescue mission of the Gospel.
In regards to following Him on a new path in ministry, here is something I have learned. By the
tenth chapter of Mark, the disciples had had an epic experience with Christ. They
had followed Him on a ministry path and He had stretched them as men, as
faithful Jews, as disciples, as those seeking for the Messiah. He had offered
them truth, and miracles, and a relationship. Remember, they too had been
called. And the Story takes a turn at Mark 10:32. They stood at a crossroads.
"They
were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples
were astonished, while those who followed were afraid." (Mark 10:32)
This small verse packs a powerful truth for
you and me in ministry. Jesus was leading the way. It was a new path, but the path still had the same mission: love, speaking truth, service, obedience, and sacrifice. The new path was not
an easy path. It was a path to Jerusalem, a path with Jesus to His cross. The disciples
would find themselves, like Christ would, asking for another way, tired,
praying a ton, trying to go to places of comfort with people of comfort so that
they could sort things out and find or know God in the midst of it.
Have you felt this way? You’ve been following Christ, and now you are called to ministry. Or you have been in ministry, but
God has a fresh path in front of you within your ministry or calling. There's a new level
of what’s being asked of you as you are serving. You have the same mission as Christ
and the disciples: it's a gospel mission to love, speak truth, serve, obey God in
relationships and authentic living, and sacrifice. And like them you find
yourself at times asking for another way, feeling tired, praying a ton, and
going to places/people of comfort in the discomfort or unfamiliarity of this
new path.
Look at Mark 10:32, the followers of Christ
had two reactions to this change in course.
The disciples, those who followed Him so
closely, saw only Him and His wonder. They were astonished. They looked at Him.
Those that followed less intimately or from a
distance took steps, but stopped at the crossroads and stood in fear. They
looked at the place and the unknown.
God has called us to ministry. We are
invited to journey with Jesus to places He leads. We have two choices: abide
and exalt or fear.
The disciples were the close ones. They
walked so closely that they could only see Him.
Walking closely is what’s called abiding. Disciples abide. Their circumstances,
the bold truth, the deeper serving, the authentic living with it's challenges to their pride and past, the toughness of the road, and even the future of the cost of following Him
paled in comparison to Him and His wonder.
I think we, like the followers, often live the other. We have seen His miracles, heard His teaching, watched Him be all of Who He is right where we live. We have seen Him be powerful in the lives of those around us. We follow, we believe. But at the crossroads, we slow our pace a bit. Why? Fear. We say in our hearts, "What
about…?" (this, that, them, me, the cost, the distance, the direction, the time, the sacrifice, the risk in
relationship, the level of service, if it/I fail) We let fear become our focus and the
vision of Jesus is blurred. We follow, but at a distance. Christ beckons us
for more. He wants to give us a vision of Himself and His glory! That requires
faith as He leads and closeness in abiding as we follow.
It feels so vulnerable to go on a new path with only faith
and abiding, to only go with the promise of Jesus. Yet it feels so faithful of
God, when we will do just that, that He still calls us to love, speak truth, serve
and sacrifice, and obey Him. It's in that abiding and love, truth, service, sacrifice,
and obedience where we see Him.
When we experience the wonder of our God, and
have faith experiences that are rooted in Who He Is, those are meant to be
shared. We get to lift Him up for all to see, or exalt Him. Isn't that what
ministry is all about? Following our Savior to the new places with the same
mission He had, and sharing it? Just like Christ and the disciples our journey
in ministry always takes us to the place outside Jerusalem where the Lamb was
slain for the sin of the world. A place of cost and sacrifice. A place of utter
dependence on the Gospel. Oh, but He didn't stay dead! He lives, to intercede
for you and me in this journey with Him. He is near and glorious right where
we are. He desires to reveal Himself in the midst of whatever we are
experiencing in this new path so we can have a faith experience with Him and know His
nearness right now. Then we can share and exalt Him not just in our hearts but
in front of others.
I have been called to be a disciple. To walk
closely to Jesus. Look at Him. Spend time with Him. Exalt Him--find ways to
praise Him right now in this
circumstance. Find freedom in being bound to God and His Gospel mission. When I am a disciple, the
rest of it will fade away, including fear and concern and the
toughness of the road, and I will see and know HIM. The cost will be met in the awe and wonder of Christ and then I can make Him
known.
I was afraid. Now I am quickening my pace.
Just another seed of my faith,
Ginny
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