I can sum the believers ministry model up in one word.  Are you ready?  JESUS!  Jesus is our model of ministry.  Through the life that He lived here on earth, including His actions and His teachings, He showed us how to minister.  But it doesn't stop there.  Not only did He show us by example, but He empowered us to continue His ministry.  When He was reglorified and sat back down with the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit to empower every believer to continue His ministry here on earth.  He has commissioned us and He has empowered us.  All we have to do is follow Jesus.

Jesus is our model and we are called to follow Him.  God has called you to follow Jesus.  God's Word says "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9 NIV)  Please know that God did not call you out of darkness and into His light for you to just coast through this journey living for yourself.  No, you have been bought with a price.  You have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  He has called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light to follow Him and continue His ministry in the power and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus is the example.  God's Word says "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." (1 Peter 2:21 NIV)  Beloved, we are called out of darkness and into His marvelous light to follow Him.  What did He do?  What did He say?  Where did He go?  Who did He touch?  He's the example and we keep our eyes fixed on Him.  Not the church.  Not on man.  We keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Jesus attended church every week, but the majority of His ministry took place within cities and communities.  God's Word says "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom." (Luke 4:16 NIV)  So you see, it was Jesus' "custom" to attend church, but let me ask you a question.  Where did he do the bulk of His ministry?  It was not within the walls of the church.  He did not allow His time to be taken up by church programs and activities.  You see, that is not His intent for the church.  His intent for the church is for it to be a living organism that ministers at the point of need.

Jesus impacted cities and communities by touching people at their point of need.  Jesus went outside the walls of the church to do the bulk of His ministry.  It was in cities and communities that He fulfilled these words that He stood up and read out of Isaiah one day in church: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19 NIV)

Read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and notice how and where Jesus ministered.  He touched people at their point of need and impacted entire cities and communities.

We need cities and communities to be impacted for Jesus in our day.  There are a lot of church buildings across this land.  I'm afraid that the majority of churches have focused within the walls instead of outside the walls.  We must examine ourselves to see if we have become inward focused instead of outward focused.  To make a difference in our day, we must be as Jesus.  We must be outward focused.  Instead of programs and events designed to get people in our buildings, we need to equip and encourage people to minister in cities and communities as Jesus did.  Constantly remind yourself that it's not about us.  It's not about us at all.  It's all about Jesus.  It's all about lifting Him up.  It's all about making a difference in our day by simply following Him and ministering as He did at the point of need.

The ministry model for Loving God Fellowship is very simple.  It's not complex at all.  It's just simply people touching people at the point of need, just as Jesus showed us and commissioned us.  We are not going to focus on programs and events designed to get people into a building.  We are going to focus on making a difference in cities and communities in our day through people touching people.

Each year in March, the college basketball tournament is played.  It's called "March Madness".  It's a great lesson in teamwork.  These teams are made up of very talented individuals, but as individuals they can not accomplish what they can as a team.  They make goals each year as a team.  They work toward those goals as a team.  They will win or lose as a team.

Jesus taught us all about teamwork.  He built a team when He came to earth.  He picked people we would not have picked.  He picked twelve ordinary, common folk to follow Him.  They believed in Jesus enough to drop the nets, get out of the boat and follow Him.  When He went back to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit to empower His team to fulfill the one goal that was given them.  The goal is to continue His ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit; to make a difference in cities and communities in their day.

Beloved, Jesus has called you out of darkness into His light.  He has picked you to be on His team.  He has put the Holy Spirit in you, not only to give you resurrection life, but also to empower you to minister at the point of need.  He's the example.  He's the model.  We just keep our eyes fixed on Him as we follow Him on this wonderful journey from earth to glory.  No matter how hard it gets as you continue His ministry, remember that you are on the winning team. 

Jesus left us with this final instruction prior to Him ascending to heaven - "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

Continue the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit until He comes!

Know that you are loved,

@PastorGreg
Founder, www.LovingGodFellowship.org