Feb 17th, 2021: Church Ministry vs Jesus' Ministry

 


Some people have told me that they have stopped going to church. They prefer to be at home and doing church online. Some have found their fellowship with smaller groups of believers more meaningful than attending church regularly. People's approaches to meet their spiritual needs have changed.

Churches have also changed. The megachurch has become a phenomenon in North America. As much as I understand the benefits of having a huge church, I wonder whether some pastors have lost their understanding of being a shepherd. Big churches are like big organizations, they need a lot of work and money to keep going. Some senior pastors are harder to get in touch with than a CEO of a business. They have become removed and unapproachable.

So what it means to be a pastor? Let us look at Jesus' ministry and see we can find some answers:

Jesus called people to follow him. He had no status and no respect from the authority at the time, yet people follow him because of who he was and his teaching. By the way, he also asked them to leave everything behind when doing so.

Jesus identified himself with those who suffered rejection, marginalization, poverty, and sickness. He restored their sense of belonging to a community and their dignity. Those who were destitute could find meaning in their lives. He didn't hang around those with money and power and ask them to join his board.

Jesus was unorthodox, and he made the religious people of his time uncomfortable. He was not talking about how big he wanted the group of early followers to be and how many campuses they needed to have. His teaching was about the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus taught the early disciples how to pray. Prayer was The source of His communion with God, the Father. We learn from the Lord's Prayer that Jesus reveals to us who God is. He always points us toward the Father.

There was an intimacy in His ministry with his followers. Jesus didn't lord over his flock but served them. Jesus showed His dependency on the Father while teaching them. Finally, Jesus died on our behalf while knowing that not everyone would appreciate it.

Matthew 9: 35

"And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction."

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