The Roots of Ministry in Scripture

To clearly understand the roots of ministry we must look for the models, or statements of ministry in the Scriptures. Remember that God reveals His perfect Will to us in one of two ways. He either teaches us through explicit command or statement, or through the example of His interaction with the people in the Scriptures.

We have a powerful example in the Lord Jesus Christ as he begins His public ministry. Following the wilderness temptation experience, the Master returns to Nazareth. Luke 4:14 relates what follows,

“Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Soon He became well known throughout the surrounding country. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When He came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood home, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll containing the messages of Isaiah, the prophet was handed to him, and He unrolled the scroll to the place where it says: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that the captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.’ ” He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue stared at him intently. Then He said, “This Scripture has come true today before your very eyes!”

Examining this passage of scripture as the official announcement of Jesus’ public ministry as it has been called, yields a great many clues as to the meaning and substance of ministry. Why do we find the best clues to ministry here? Simply put, the Church of Jesus Christ is the continuing incarnation of the Living Christ in the world.

We dare not take this statement to lightly. We must not forget that we have this ministry because Jesus Christ has given it to us. 2 Corinthians 5:20 ought to convict us as we think about ministry and the work that the church is engaged in doing. If in reality, everything we do as His Church is as His ambassador, then how can we take lightly His words? Jesus says he was appointed by the Holy Spirit to do works that are life-giving and liberating.  Jesus says His ministry is to:

• Preach Good News To The Poor
• Proclaim Release To Captives
• Make The Blind Will See
• Freedom For the Oppressed

The King James translation translates this passage in the following way.
Jesus says His ministry is to:

• Preach Gospel To The Poor
• Heal The Brokenhearted
• Preach Deliverance To The Captives
• Recovering Of Sight To The Blind
• Liberate Those Who Are Bruised

If we look at these four or five things and examine the ministries of our churches across this nation and world; how many of them would come close to Jesus’ statement as announces His work and objectives to His contemporaries.

We must avoid all temptations to over spiritualize or de-spiritualize, what Jesus is saying here about ministry. Rather than interpret these critical elements of Jesus’ earthly ministry and therefore our continued calling to ministry in a vacuum, we must look for examples in Jesus’ life for each of these and align our works of ministry with the examples we discover in Scripture.

Preach the Gospel to the Poor

For centuries the Christian faith was regarded as the religion of the poor and disconnected masses. In fact, we know that the Faith of Christ is for all who Hear God’s call to Salvation. A large portion of Jesus’ ministry was spent in and among the poor and those who felt disadvantaged by birth, mental or physical handicap.

In order to understand the Christ’s ministry to the Poor, we must first understand what the Gospel or Good News constitutes. Luke 18:18ff relates the experience of the Rich Man with Jesus and the response of the disciples. The disciples’ response to Jesus statement illustrates the need for Good News/Gospel.

In the minds of disciples, wealth and privilege are associated with the blessing of God and poverty and disadvantage are considered the blight of God. The message of Jesus is that neither is true and more importantly, that God in fact favors the poor and disadvantaged. Jesus says, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend time with those who think they are already good enough” Luke 5:31 (NLV) The poor have hope in Jesus Christ because He represents God’s favor and promise to those who have no hope. In Christ the humanly impossible becomes divinely possible. Luke 18:27