Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Ministry in the Marketplace



"Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late - and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work. To pray for revival while ignoring the plain precept laid down in Scripture is to waste a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble. Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience."
A.W. Tozer

Ministry in the Marketplace:


“Wherever He entered villages, or cities, or countryside,
they were laying the sick in the market places,
and imploring Him
that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak;
and as many as touched it were being cured.”
Mark 6:56 NASB

Jesus invaded every part of society, meeting people where they were. His message was one of love and acceptance - right where He found people. Often this was in the marketplace of where He ministered. Jesus’ ministry was a marketplace ministry, and the Gospel of Good News still is today. Jesus is still meeting people right where they are. The people became His focus, He met their needs, and then He became their focus. The power of this type of ministry was, and continues to be, dramatic. The Christ in us awaits daily opportunities to show the love and compassion of our Lord. God provides divine moments which exude junctures where we can demonstrate the love and power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not long ago my wife and I walked into our local supermarket to pick up a few things. As we walked through the door we passed the pharmacy area. There, sitting in a chair was an elderly woman who looked rather dejected. We stopped and simply asked, “Are you all right?” The flood gates opened and she began to open her heart to us. We were able to minister to her right there and by the time we left her she was smiling and encouraged. This whole episode only took a few minutes, but it made a huge difference in this lady’s day.
Opportunities to minister life are around us every day no matter where we may be. If there are people around, there is usually an opportunity to minister. The amazing this is that if you offer to pray for people, they almost always will receive ministry. The worst that cam happen is that they will refuse your offer… (and then you can still pray for them privately!) The question is will we be sensitive to the Spirit and then respond to the opportunities He divinely brings our way. There are needy people all around us both the down-and-out and the well-to-do. They all are in need of one sort or another.
Wherever life takes you, God desires you to carry His anointing with you and see the possibilities He has for you to minister and see impossibilities bow in the name of Jesus.
30fkj

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