Today we had a change of plans in our ministry. For the rest of the week we didn’t have transportation to get to our ministry. (TIA aka This Is Africa… that’s just how it is sometimes!) The teams that were close enough to walk to their care points continued with their usual ministry routine. The rest of the teams did a variety of different ministries as a result of our ministry change! Some teams went to more local care points. Other teams went to Matata to evangelize at the market. And my team stayed back at our team house (the Adventures in Mission base) to paint a future skills and discipleship center.
I learned today that no ministry is more important than another. Sharing the Lords word and evangelizing is great ministry getting to tell people about your own experiences with Jesus. Children’s ministry at the care point is equally important. Even if you can’t verbally communicate with many of the kids and you aren’t directly telling them about Jesus, you are being Jesus to them and showing them the love of Christ. Equally important to that is painting a building. Painting this building was ministry in itself: getting to put together a building that would be a home where the love of Christ will radiate out. Additionally receiving the gift of quality time and many laughs with my teammates.
This is what Jesus did.
Jesus evangelized.
He (Jesus) went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum… this fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah: “In the land of Zabulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow.” From then on Jesus began to preach, “ Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
Jesus did children’s ministry.
One day some parents brought their little children Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom if God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:15-17)
Jesus also planted seeds that would bear fruit thousands of years later.
Ask yourself the question: What would Jesus do? And then DO what Jesus would do.
