Monday: Christ’s Method Alone
Daily Lesson for Monday 20th of November 2023
What do the following stories teach us about ministry to the needy?
John 5:1-9
Mark 1:23-28
Ellen G. White provides a five-step process of Jesus’ method in how to minister, especially to those in need: “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’ ”—The Ministry of Healing, p. 143.
First, we must mingle with the helpless, spend time getting to know them, and understand their needs with the intention of doing good for them. Look at what Jesus did with the paralytic at the pool. Jesus was right there, amid the “great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed” (John 5:3, NKJV).
Second, we need to show sympathy. This can be challenging in some cases because of distrust, and because sometimes people use kindness as a means of winning the confidence of someone whom they later abuse. Nevertheless, God is calling us to show sympathy without expecting anything in return.
The third step is to minister to their needs. This involves more than just words. It takes action to minister to the needs of a friend or a stranger. Jesus spoke with the paralytic, asked what he wanted, and then worked a miracle in his behalf. In the story of the man possessed by an “unclean spirit,” Jesus took complete control of the situation, doing for the helpless man what he could not do for himself.
The fourth step is winning their confidence. When we minister to people, when we help them, they will learn to trust us and what we say to them. So, when we talk to them about Jesus, they would be more open to listen. Jesus didn’t want just to heal them physically; He wanted them to have eternal life in Him (see John 10:10).
The last step is to help lead them to Jesus, an act that requires faith from both you and the one whom you help.
We generally can’t do the kind of miracles that Jesus did. But what are ways that we can still minister to those who need help?
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Thankyou what a gift of great support I received through the method of Jesus alone in EG White 5 steps of method of Jesus am bless I appreciate it thakyou
One of the hardest lessons to learn in the business of helping the needy is the importance of listening. All too often we have the notion that we have something good for them rather than finding out what their needs are. In our modern society, we often think that the solution to any problem is to throw more money at it. There are so many organizations that are quite happy to sit on the end of a telephone to ask for a donation for some worthy cause but give little information about personal involvement.
Jesus was an active participant in conversations. If you want evidence of that, look at the conversations with Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He engaged with the Samaritan woman, and he made time in the middle of the night to talk to Nicodemus.
For many people, their real need is just to be listened to.
When I was teaching computing, students would often come to me saying that they could not solve a problem that I had given them. I could have just said, follow these steps and you will solve the problem. But, my approach was to ask them to describe the problem to me. Surprisingly, many times, they would get halfway through the description and suddenly say "O, I see it now!" and go on happily to solve the problem. They did not need the solution spelled out to them, they just needed someone to listen to them.
That approach helps when dealing with the needy and their problems. Sometimes, money is that last thing they need.
Jesus used the spiritual gift to heal the sick and they eventually followed him. We also need to know our spiritual gift nurture and development them and use them
Thank you Agness. Your response gets to the heart of the lesson we have been studying this quarter. Last week we studied that "we shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon us." This power is for us to do the things that Jesus did when he was here on earth - heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, etc. Should we not strive for this power? If we do not have it, should we not ask ourselves why? Since the bible says that it will come after we receive the Holy Spirit, our focus should be on being filled with the Holy Spirit. Lord, please forgive me of my sins, cleanse me of all unrighteousness, then fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can be used by you, as you will, to bring honor and glory to your name. Amen.
It may seem like semantics but I no longer think of Spiritual Gifts as something inherent to the Christian. Spiritual gifts seem to be gifts that God gives to others through his followers.
The disciples on the day of Pentecost spoke in tongues but they did not continue to do this as it was a gift for the need and the time. God is able to grant whatever gift is needed at the time to meet the needs of the gospel.
I spoke with a Christian who was converted from an atheist some years back. He recounted a story of how he cam to Christ but his grandma never had the chance before she died. After her death his family and church began to pray for her and she was brought back to life in the hospital morgue. She lived 6 months during which time they presented the gospel to her, she accepted Jesus and then died.
As a result I do not think that not seeing healing, tongues, resurrections, ect means necessarily that the Christian has sin in their heart or does not have the Holy Spirit. Rather there may not be a need for that gift at the time. It is my thought that our duty is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Spirit will provide any gift needed to accomplish His purpose.
When I saw this differently I did not think the Lord could work through me unless I had that specific Spiritual Gift. I also struggled with my faith because I did not see the miracles I thought should always be there.
This is exactly what I thought of. Often, all people want is to know that we hear and understand them. I have been thanked simply for listening when others considered that person as annoying or not worth their time. In our society today, we often marginalize those we find "annoying". But once we take time to get to know them and understand why they are like that, suddenly we see them with Christ's eyes and we are able to love them as they are.
If we are abiding in Jesus we can ask what we will and it will be given to us.
Giving help to the needy is part of God's plan of salvation.
Like so many of us, the man was quick to point out all the reasons he couldn’t be healed. But Jesus’ query is merely- Do you want to be made well?
We sometimes are not aware of our need or the need of others. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you. Praying for physical healing when someone hurts may not be God’s will. That person may be in need of spiritual healing.
Let God lead! He knows best.
Job’s friends sat and were quiet at first and that is all that was needed then. Let God lead.
One of my favorite proverb is “if you give a mana fish you feed him for a day, if you teach him how to fish you feed him for a lifetime.”
What does the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ represent as we express these characteristics when meeting needs or engaging in a conversation with others?
Are these characteristics not evidence of the Holy Spirit – the Father’s Love - dwelling within us?
How is it that when ministering to others that we should need to follow ‘5 steps’ ?
Is not the Holy Spirit dwelling within us capable of pointing us into the right direction, able to ‘tune or calibrate’ our interaction in order that we do not 'alienate' when we share our Father’s love with them?
Beware of works - works - works!
Rom. 8:26-28 - ”In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the Will of God. And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose … .”
Everyone has to make a concerted effort to seek out the needy. It is our business here on this earth. Lets not wait on someone else. Let the Holy Spirit guide by surrending our will to him.
God bless.
Christ's method:
1) To be with those who need,
2) to show sympathy without expecting anything in return,
3) to do and give what the person needs,
4) to achieve their confidence,
5) finally, to present Jesus!
Being efficient on this means I need FIRST to be with Christ, to show Him to the needy for LAST! Jesus is the first and the last; Jesus is all in all!
It is important to identify the need and profile a lasting solution. Like the in case of the Elisha,the widow and her son. Elisha blessed the widow and her son with a lasting solution on feeding. May God help and bless us with all that is required to be able to achieve this.
The quote on Christ's method (MH 143:3) is followed in the Ministry of Healing, by this paragraph that I believe gives great insight into what Christ's method looks like now:
"There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time were spent in personal ministry, greater results would be seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and the bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed, the inexperienced counseled. We are to weep with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit." MH 143:4
I believe the second paragraph (MH 143:4) gives practical steps that can be taken by all, regardless of education and training, or position. It also speaks, I believe, to the greater power of "coming close to the people by personal effort". I think for me, this personal effort is where the "rubber meets the road" and where Jesus is calling me to join with Him in service.