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Lesson Five |
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What is it that makes people listen?
In Your Bible Read These Passages
Mark chapter 1
Here Is Your Memory Verse
Jesus said, " The time has come. The Kingdom of God is
near.
Repent and believe the good news." Mark 1.15
Afterwards Discuss
This With Someone
Challenge each other with the questions at the end of the
lesson.
Something To Do Before
Next Time (Homework)
Look through the gospels and in Hebrews 5.7
and write a page
describing the prayer life of Jesus. Send it in to your tutor.
Practical Application Work
It is time to do what Jesus did and go to a village that you
have never been to,
and preach there. After prayer, go two by two or as a team
together.
When finished, send a report of your experiences to your tutor.
Meditate Word By Word On
This Verse
Hebrews 2, 3-4
- Spend
a Minute to Change the World
Pray For Mongolia - Operation World page 389
3,000,000 Mongolian people
Animistic, Buddhist, or atheistic
Maybe 1,000 new believers
Much suffering, exploitation
- Be sure to teach this lesson to others.
- Always pray and prepare well adding your own verses and stories to bring it to life.
Mark 1.45 says that people came to Jesus from everywhere. They did not come to church, crusades, missions or social work. They came to Jesus. If we can discover why they came, and do the same, people will still come to Jesus from everywhere.
1. Jesus Welcomed The Holy Spirit.
Jesus listened to the Holy Spirit, 1. 9-12, obeyed and gave control of his life and ministry to the Spirit, going and doing whatever the Spirit indicated.
Why Is This So Important?
Jesus was and is God, but when he was born he deliberately left behind all his divine power. Phil 2.6-7. He chose to come as a vulnerable baby, not as a military commander, rich businessman or political ruler. Jesus lived as a limited man, just like us feeling cold, hunger, thirst, joy and sadness. He also ministered as a limited man, but as a man empowered by the Holy Spirit as we can and must also do. Luke 4.18
2. Jesus Overcame Satan’s Temptations .
In the wilderness, Mark 1.13, Matthew 4. 1-11, Jesus was weak and hungry when Satan tempted him to abuse his power and turn stones into bread. Next Satan tempted him to avoid the suffering of the cross and then Satan tempted Jesus to promote himself but Jesus said no to Satan on every occasion and chose to remain faithful to God and to his purposes. Satan went away defeated.
3. Jesus Put Preaching High On His List.
- He said his message was good news.
- He said God's Kingdom was near.
- He said that the time had come.
- He told people to repent and believe, Mark 1.14
- We often witness for Jesus quietly and lovingly through life but eventually people must be challenged to repent, to turn to God and to believe, or not. Let no-one say that preaching is unpopular. Miguel Diez had 3,000 listeners in the open air in Ecuador, a Pensacola, Florida church has seen 100,000 conversions in two years, and Carlos Anacondia in Argentina has seen over 8,000,000 decisions for Christ all through preaching.
4. Jesus Knew God's Time.
Jesus worked till he was thirty years old but when Herod put John in prison, that was God’s trigger. Jesus knew his time had come. We are told to keep watch, so that we might understand when Jesus is at the door. If we should keep one eye on God’s prophetic word, on the Church and on Israel, and one eye on world events, we will understand the times. Mark 13.28-36, Matthew 16, 1-3.
- Noah knew the times, and built an ark.
- Moses knew the times, and led God’s people to freedom.
- Daniel knew the times, and prayed to end the exile of God’s people.
- God knew time, and sent Jesus.
- Jesus knew the time, and preached.
5. Jesus Called Others To Help Him.
He did not do everything by himself, 1.16-20. Men heard the call of Christ and they obeyed without delay, left everything and followed Jesus, so enlarging the witness and sharing the workload.
- First there was only Jesus.
- Then, Jesus and 12 more.
- Then, it was the 12 and 3,000 more.
- Then the 3,000 became 5,000 Jews.
- Then people from other nations joined the movement.
- Then the gospel reached Africa and Asia, and onwards.
6. Jesus Showed The Power Of God.
- He cast a demon out, 1,25.
- He healed a malarial fever, 1. 31.
- He healed many and drove out demons, 1.33; 39.
- He healed a leper, 1.42.
- Every time Jesus showed the power of God which is the love and compassion of God in action the news spread, 1.28,45, so much so that a whole town came to see him, 33, 37.
7. Jesus Was Committed To Prayer.
Jesus only ever did what he saw his Father doing, John 5.19, and to do that he made time to listen to his Father. Sometimes it was early in the morning or late at night, even all night, in private and in public. Afterwards, he knew what to do. Mark 1.35
8. Jesus Was Committed To People.
He had the opportunity to stay in one place and become famous but Jesus wanted to go onwards to the nearby villages, to preach there also, 1.37-39. Jesus loved people, even the hard to love like the demon possessed and the sick woman and the leper. For Jesus it was a case of commitment to reach more people with the love of God. The result was that people came to him from everywhere, and they still will.
Jesus was a man who ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that anyone who has faith in him can not only do the same, but even greater things by the power of the same Holy Spirit whom Jesus has sent to us.
9. Some Questions To Consider:
- What are your plans to reach people?
- What is your commitment to prayer?
- Are you using the gifts of the Spirit?
- Are you saying yes to Jesus’ call?
- Can you see that God’s time is now?
- Is preaching a priority for you?
- Are you overcoming Satan's temptations every day by prayer, the word and by making holy decisions?
- Did you receive Holy Spirit when you
first believed and are you still being filled with him
every day?
- To Close Pray For The
- World's Most Unreached Peoples By Name
- Taken from the Joshua Project 2000 Unreached Peoples List
- at www.ad2000.org these people have no church and as yet
- no cell, church or mission has committed themselves
- to prayer, adoption or church planting among this people.
Azerbaijan |
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| People Name | Language | Population |
| Avar | Avar | 46,000 |
| Tat, Mussulman | Tat, Mussulman | 22,000 |
| Tatar | Tatar | 29,000 |
| Turk | Turkish | 19,000 |
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