So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?…” Mark 10:51 NKJV

While we were studying last week’s Sabbath School lesson in class, a friend told an interesting and disturbing story. She said several years ago her stepfather was in the hospital. A “sunshine band” from her local Adventist church came into his room and told him they would sing for him. He told them he was glad to visit but did not wish to be sung to. The sunshine band simply would not take no for an answer. They knew this man needed to be sung to regardless of what he thought or said. So they proceeded to sing around his bed, so sure this would cheer him up. He got so frustrated he tried to get up from bed and leave! Joyful members of the sunshine band pinned him down as the others joyfully sang, convincing themselves this was just what the patient needed, despite his vocal and physical protests.

This did absolutely nothing to endear this man to the church or to God, but the sunshine band members walked out of his hospital room patting themselves on the back for faithfully completing their mission. 

It was after my friend’s testimony in class that we read Mark 10:46-52. After the passage was read, another friend said, “Notice Jesus asked the man what he wanted Jesus to do for him.” After our friend’s story about her stepfather this observation was huge. We talked about how often a church will choose a “cookie cutter” form of evangelism for their community instead of finding out exactly what their own community wants or actually needs.

We may want to do a Revelation Seminar, but what if the community needs a divorce recovery workshop instead? I know Revelation is important. You don’t have to tell me. I have been teaching and preaching Revelation for years. But when we have a Revelation seminar which no one comes to, can we really say we did our best and its the community’s fault no one showed up? After all, no one got on the ark with Noah and his family, right? All we can do is preach and if no one comes to hear that’s their fault, right? 

Well, did we even ask the community what they wanted, like Jesus asked the man in Mark 10:46-52 what he wanted? If we do a survey in the community and the majority ask for a divorce recovery workshop, and no one  asks for a Revelation seminar, it makes more sense to do the divorce recovery workshop, because people will actually show up, and after all, the Bible not only teaches us about last day events. The Bible also teaches us that “we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” Titus 2:12 NKJV

While prophecy is important, people also need to learn how to live like Jesus in everyday life. There is more to righteous and godly living than just knowing about last-day events. We need to be interested in the community’s day-to-day lives and needs. 

Then again, maybe your community is asking for Revelation seminars. The point is, Jesus did not tell the man in Mark 10:46-52 what he needed. He asked him what he wanted. As my Sabbath School class discussed last week, we need to follow Jesus’ example of asking people what they want instead of being like the “sunshine band,” that pinned a man down in his bed making him take what they thought he needed. 

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