Bible Studies
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 – Invigorated for Christ
Key Verses:
- 30: “The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told Him all that they had done and taught.” – This is Mark’s only use of the word “apostle”, meaning ‘one who has been sent.’ Jesus had sent the disciples out in pairs for ministry and now they had returned with many stories to share. This illustrates the importance of regrouping and sharing in our ministries with one another.
- 31: “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” – Following Christ into ministry is hard work. To be affective, it is important to periodically rest and relax in order to be rejuvenated and re-inspired.
- 34: “As He went ashore, He saw a great crowd and He had compassion for them…” – Jesus may have had an agenda and plans for a retreat but He did not let them get in the way of meeting people’s needs.
- 34b: “because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” – When sheep are left without a shepherd they quickly can find themselves in grave danger. Jesus was not simply responding to a large crowd of people that happened to be in His way. He was gravely concerned about the urgency of the situation. His response could not be postponed.
- 34c: “and He began to teach them many things.” – He took time to teach them the things they needed to know in order to keep them from straying from God.
- 56: “and wherever He went…, they laid the sick in the market places, and begged Him…and all who touched it were healed.” – His fame spread out like a wild fire. People with overwhelming needs, sicknesses and disabilities flooded to Jesus in order to be saved and cured. He did not turn anyone away, but instead, He did everything in His power to meet the needs of those He encountered.
- Do your ministry teams ever take time to regroup after an event? Do you see the importance a debriefing session could have in building a stronger team? As the apostles shared their experiences, do you think they became reenergized and ready for more experiences after hearing everyone’s stories of success? Do you see how Christ in these verses is modeling for us a very important teaching and training tool? What areas of ministry are you involved in that could benefit from this technique?
- Are you being fed? Isn’t that what rest and relaxation is for? Do you schedule regular R&R sessions or do you find that the pressing issues of ministry tend to squeeze out these retreats? Do you see that this idea of spiritual retreats parallels the guidelines that God established when He created the Sabbath as a day of rest? That in all of life there is a flow and ebb that takes place in order for life to sustain itself and grow? Does it not make sense that this same rhythm needs to take place in the life of your ministry for God?
- Do you have compassion for those you serve? Are you ready to meet their needs at all times? Do you recognize the urgency behind being ready and responding? Do you understand that the issues, fears, hopes, hang-ups, habits, and desires of the people around you are the exact issues you need to be addressing if you are to successfully follow Christ into ministry? Do you recognize that authentic, life-changing healing takes place all around you because of your faith and your willingness to serve?
- Have you wondered about the dichotomy in today’s lesson? Jesus teaches us the importance of rest, relaxation and rejuvenation by leading His disciples to a place in the wilderness where they were all alone. But did they get there? Or did the pressing needs of the crowds around them keep them from their destination? How do we balance this issue? How can we always be ready to serve and still find time to be fed and refilled? Is the secret in the structure of the teamwork model that Jesus is presenting? Is He teaching us that we should surround ourselves with a well-trained team so that our ministry is always effective and ready to serve but where individuals within the team may be able to back out at times for rest and renewal?
- This week we are looking at issues surrounding the building God’s kingdom. Do you have preconceived ideas on how His kingdom would look? Have you established barriers in your life and faith community that keep His kingdom from growing? Whose agenda, yours or God’s, dominates your life and your schedule? Do you have a compassionate heart for people seeking spiritual dimensions to their lives, even if they are looking in the wrong places?
Success in ministry means that we are closely following the path where God is leading. As we focus on building His kingdom, He will send us throngs of people with needs specifically suited to our capabilities. As this happens we may find that we have very little time for ourselves. Jesus taught His disciples the importance of regularly regrouping with our ministry teams in order to celebrate our successes, share in our challenges, and grow in our abilities. He also impressed upon the disciples the importance that rest and relaxation will have on their ministry. We must be ready at all times to meet the needs of those that God sends our ways and being rested, energized and invigorated is an important step of readiness.
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