Many of us today are like the second son who say “I go” but do “not go” (Matthew 21:30). What is it that which is stopping us from going and working in God’s vineyard – from serving God, from sharing the gospel?
Fear of authorities
And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. Mark 3:2 (ESV) And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. Mark 3:4 (ESV)
Like the Pharisees, the authorities in our church, school, college, office, locality, etc. could stop us from ministering, from sharing the gospel. As was the case with Jesus we might be faced with a situation where the authorities wanting to be politically correct would say nothing and might remain “silent”. Jesus was “grieved by the hardness of their hearts” (Mark 3:5) but that did not stop Him.
Either I too will be hard hearted and remain silent or I would share the gospel! I don’t need to fear any authority, because “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Jesus). Matthew 28:18 (ESV) And so I need to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19 (ESV)
“The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.” Mark 3:6 (ESV)
The people in power might have authority to destroy us – destroy our ministry, reputation, character and even our life. But as the Bible says we need to fear only God.
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 (ESV)
Moreover, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Proverbs 29:25 (ESV) Let us come out of all fear snares and trusting in the Lord, go about serving Him and proclaim His name!
When William Carey shared the need to take the gospel to the unreached a senior minister said: “Sit down, young man!” And added: "If God wants to save the heathen, he will do it without your help or mine!" If he would have feared this “senior” minister and stopped from going to India, natives of 40 languages wouldn’t have had Bible portions in their own language and the sharing of the gospel to the forthcoming generations would have delayed!
Fear of family
“Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”” Mark 3:20-21 (ESV)
Other versions of the Bible like NRSV & NET say that Jesus’ family members “went out to restrain Him”. Like Jesus our family members can stop us from ministering. The reason is very genuine and the fear is very real. Jesus had just then sat to eat and people had come to Him and so He had to leave His food and go. Many a times our parents and relatives might restrain us from ministering for our health reasons saying,
“You need to first take care of your health”
“You health is more important than ministry”
“Will ministry give you food?”
“If you lose your health how can you minister?”
Like Jesus we need to be founded on the two important truths.
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 (ESV)
“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” John 4:34 (ESV)
God is looking for people for whom the Word and fulfilling God’s will and His work is more important than food and health! This doesn’t mean that we are not supposed to take care of our health, but that should never be an excuse in not making the choice for ministry.
Secondly, Jesus’ family members went out to stop Him because many said that “He is out of His mind”. When we decide for ministry, our neighbours and relatives would say,
“You have spent so much for your education and now you want to minister?”
“If you had to minister why did you study so much?”
“It is crazy for a person like you, with such good education & calibre to earn to get into ministry”
Many a times our parents would stop us from ministering for fear of their and our reputation being ravaged by relatives. When such fears face us we need to be sure as Jesus. “For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:35 (ESV) Fulfilling God’s will should be more dear to us than our families!
Jesus said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:37-39 (ESV)
A high paying job or a well furnished house or a safe locality cannot give us “life”. The secret of receiving life is to be willing to lose it and all its privileges and comforts for God!
Fear of the prejudiced
“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.” Mark 6:3 (ESV)
People might have prejudices against us and might build their opinion on us based on our educational, family, social backgrounds and also upon our past life, our failures, etc. We should never get into the trap of finding out “what-do-they-think-about me”! That is the end of our ministry!! Whatever might others think about us, we are not called to proclaim ourselves or our greatness or goodness, but about God! Our past is immaterial when it is surrendered to God. Our value is from God and not from people and we need to be secure in our identity in Christ. (Prayerfully read Ephesians chapter 1)
Be always reminded of what Jesus said: “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:3-5 (ESV)
The prejudices of people did not stop Jesus. “And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.” Mark 6:6 (ESV)
Jesus is there at Nazareth in the synagogue “teaching” and the people are prejudiced against His teaching and wisdom: “And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?” Mark 6:2 (ESV)
Knowing our past people might ridicule us or remark exactly at what we are doing saying,
“He never teaches or preaches well”
“How can he ________ well when his education and experience is very less?”
“Her father is of a lose character”
Like Jesus never allow people’s opinion to stop you from what you are called to do. Though people were remarking at His teaching and wisdom and background, He went about “teaching”!
For to be sure what we are called to do, like Jesus our calling and ministry should be founded on God’s Word. When we read the same incident in Luke chapter 4, we see that Jesus reads a specific verse from the general context of the book of Isaiah.
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” Luke 4:17-19 (ESV)
Only when our life and call and ministry and all that we do is founded on God’s Word will we have the strength to face all fears!And if we grow in God’s love and His grace nothing – no fear can stop us from proclaiming Him and serving Him all the days of our life!
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
In Memory of the Australian Missionary Graham Staines who was martyred in Orissa, India in the early hours of 23rd Jan 1999 along with his two sons Philip (10) and Timothy (6). He served the lepers, the widows and the poor in the remote villages of Orissa.
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