Priorities in ministry

Last week I took the Unit A class Book IV of the Certificate Level Course for the group in S.R. Nagar. Book IV deals with the first half of the Year of Passion and is characterised by three journeys of Jesus from Capernaum. Each of these journeys occurs because of opposition to Jesus – first the execution of John the Baptist Matt 14:1ff and the next two due to questioning by the Pharisees Matt 15:1ff and Matt 16:1ff. The period is marked by growing opposition.

During these periods of withdrawal from Galilee to Iturea, Phoenicea and again Iturea Jesus led his small band of close disciples and spent time teaching by words and example leading to the Confession of Peter. After the Confession of Peter, Jesus focuses on preparing them for the crucifixion.

Jesus knew his departure was near and was preparing the apostles for the work they had been called for. But this preparation of the apostles involved Him leaving His ministry in Galilee and focusing on developing the next line of leadership. That is a very hard decision to take. There would have been many in Galilee looking for healing. There would be many looking for a word of comfort. But Jesus felt that the opposition was distracting Him from His important ministry of preparing the apostles.

When I retired from Haggai Institute I felt God telling me not to take on an executive role with anyone, but to spend my time mentoring people through teaching the word. There were a few calls to take on an executive role, especially from ministries I am close to. But I have said no. I did feel guilty no and so this lesson was a great comfort to me.

Is faith AC or DC?

One of the tutors in Bangalore asked me a question raised by her group. Abraham in his life very often exhibited lack of faith – in hiding the fact that Sarah was his wife (Gen Ch 20); in asking for Ishmael to be taken as the chosen one rather than the yet unborn Isaac (Gen Ch 17). Why did not these evidences of lack of faith affect his relationship with God?

We would like to see faith as a steady line, like a DC current. But it is never like that. Faith is a wavy line, a sinusoidal curve that keeps going up and down like an AC current. God knows that and accepts it. It is only when the line is broken and the current stops flowing that our relationship with God is affected. Hence Jesus said that small faith is adequate to move mountains.