Called to Him
Why being with Christ Is as Important as doing things for Christ
In the gospel of Mark, Jesus calls His disciples to a mountainside for instruction. “Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach (Mark 3:14)
Mark’s gospel explains that when people heard of all that Jesus was doing, the people came to Him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. The crowds were drawn to all the miraculous signs which Jesus had performed. Israel’s Messiah had come and the mighty works that He was doing proved that very fact.
But Jesus was interested in imparting something into those He had chosen to be with Him. Just as Moses had chosen twelve men from every tribe to be with him, Jesus was calling twelve men to be His own apostles. “Sent ones” or “emissaries,” explains their job title, they were called to preach and to have authority. And with the crowds following closely, the mountain side provided a place where He could be alone with His disciples.
His call to them in Mark 3:14 was two-fold; (1) they were called to be with Him, (2) and because of their proximity to him, they would be sent out to preach and to have authority to drive out demonic forces. They were called to Him, a place of intimate relationship and their relationship with Jesus was the credential, the source of authority, to drive out demons and to preach the gospel.
They had been called to Him first and their spiritual authority was dependent on their relationship to Jesus. All ministry flows out of the inner fountain inside of us which is maintained by God. It’s the living waters which Jesus spoke about that quenches the thirst of our parched world. Any attempt to quench spiritual thirst without this living water is futile.
They had been called to Him first and their spiritual authority was dependent on their relationship to Jesus.
Ministry is the distribution of Christ’s living water as we partake of it ourselves. The disciples were commanded to give freely, as they had freely received. In the eyes of God our success in His work is not based on how much we are doing; but by whose power we are doing it. The truth is that whatever we are doing without the presence of the Holy Spirit is simply busy work.
No matter what we feel like we’ve done for God, without Him in the mix we’ve played a religious game. A game which, after its played, leaves us exhausted and empty, wondering where the zeal for God’s ministry has gone.
Ministry in the western world has become increasingly focused on “doing.” And rightly so, we can’t truly do God’s work while we hide out in our churches oblivious to the needs of our communities and the world around us. But we must remember that this is God’s work and without Him we create a weird niche. A niche where we pretend to be able to heal and bind up the broken hearts based on His example.
Jesus was not merely an example. He is the driving force of the life of every believer. He is not just an example of strength, He is OUR strength. He is the power we need in our lives to do what He has called us to do. Through Him we can have an affect on our communities and our world. Through Him we gain access to authority; authority to do the work of Him who has sent us.
I appeal to you to look to Him for your vitality and strength. He is willing to fill your heart with His purposes and plan, we must only be willing. Willing to access authority and strength from Him in all circumstances. To Him be all authority and power in Heaven and on Earth.
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March 11, 2010