Power Ministry and the Gospel
In the previous lesson, we saw how the grand narrative of the Bible was the key to understanding what Jesus and his first disciples meant when they talked about the Gospel of the Kingdom.
The Bible tells how the Sovereign Creator is working to restore creation and reestablish his human image-bearers in their responsibility, authority, and capability to be his vice-regents on earth.
Now, we need to look at how the Gospel and Power Ministry are linked together in the Bible so we can see how central and normal it should in our lives as disciples of Jesus.
Jesus’ Ministry
A careful rereading of the four gospels shows that Jesus held the message of the Gospel and power ministry together in his own work, as well as the work he delegated to his disciples.
Early in Matthew’s Gospel, we find a concise summary of Jesus’ ministry.
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
Matthew 4:23 ESV
As Jesus revealed himself to be the Messiah he focused on doing three things:
- Proclaiming the Gospel Jesus went from place to place announcing to everyone who would listen that the biblical promises about the Kingdom of God were finally happening. The time of waiting for God to act was over – the time prophesied by Daniel of God’s Visitation had finally come in Jesus himself and in Jesus’ own ministry.
- Teaching He also explained the details about how to begin living in the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ teaching is often misunderstood as advice about how to go to heaven. He was actually explaining the response to the Reign of God required from God’s people and what would be involved to realign their lives to live as citizens of God’s Kingdom.
- Healing Finally, Jesus was actively undoing the damage inflicted by the kingdom of darkness in people’s lives.
Jesus’ Disciples’ Ministry
Before long Jesus began to expand his reach by delegating some of the work to his disciples.
Luke 9:1-2,6 ESV
And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Every Subsequent Disciple’s Ministry
After Jesus’ resurrection, one of his last instructions to the first disciples was to keep passing on the work to each new generation.
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
So, Power Ministry and the Gospel were connected in Jesus’ ministry, in the early disciples’ ministry, and according to Jesus’ final instructions it was to be the same for each following generation of disciples.
The goal of the 4 Core Courses of the Power Ministry School is to help you learn how to fully engage with God as a full-on, full-time, fully-committed disciple of Jesus.
What that means is that you will learn how to function as the Image Bearer you are created to be, someone who can manifest and manage the good will and purposes of the Sovereign Creator on earth as in heaven just like Jesus did in the day-to-day of your everyday life.
Tab Content
[acf field=”resources” post_id=”203″]