How did Jesus set out to accomplish his ministerial purpose? First, He chose twelve men. Many will say He chose them to preach. But, an examination of Mark 3:14 will demonstrate that the work of proclamation was his long-range plan for these students. Also embedded in this passage is His short-range plan, except the words are so simple that one may miss their implication. His short-range plan was simply, “that they should be with Him” (Mark 3:14). It is easy to ignore these key words “with Him” because they are so common. In terms of the western model of transmissive education, “with Him” would not be a significant issue. Modern people only want to hear Him and read Him. But in terms of the Biblical model it becomes crucial. The heart of the ministerial approach of Jesus is found in the teaching relationship. It was all important to be with Him and to absorb His values system as a child absorbs the values of a Parent. Robert Coleman, in his book The Master Plan of Evangelism, has pointed out the importance of this factor of association as a critical aspect in Jesus’ training method.
Consequently, if Jesus deemed proximity critical and employed it so religiously, than disciple-makers aught to have no other view. Ministry demands proximity!
No comments:
Post a Comment