Mark 1:9-15 "Preparation for Ministry"
What prepares a person for effective ministry?
Most people never give their preparation for ministry very much serious thought.
Real preparation of God is an inward preparation of the heart.
In this passage we see by Jesus’ example several truths:
- Inward preparation of the soul is for every believer.
- This kind of preparation has always been the method of God in dealing with people.
Mark omits the details concerning Jesus’ activities between His wilderness temptation and ministry in Galilee.
Preparation Through Obedience (1:9-11)
Obedience is an essential step in the preparation of ministry.
There are four words I’d like to consider:
- Obedience: we see Jesus obedient submission to God.
- Identification: Jesus identified with what God was doing.
- Acceptance: God accepts and affirms what is being done.
- Empowerment: Jesus was empowered for ministry.
Preparation Through Opposition (1:12-15)
A principle of God’s dealings is that there is always a wilderness experience in our preparation.
“tempted” vs. 13 – “to put to the test to see what good or evil there is in a person.” It originally meant – “to make an experience of, to pierce or search into.”
The ‘Wilderness Experience’ was not isolated to Jesus:
- Adam. He was tempted in his territory and fell.
- Abraham. Promise given – but he had to wait. Then the test of whether he was willing to obey God and offer Isaac.
- Joseph. Endure the test of captivity in Egypt.
- Moses. Moses 40 years in the wilderness BEFORE he went back to Egypt to led the people.
- Israel. Taken into the wilderness to be tested before they could go into the promised land.
- David. Endure the wrath of Saul.
- Peter. Given the keys to the Kingdom, then he was sifted by Satan.
The test is always there if we would go on with the Lord. The test is not there to hurt us, but to bless us.
The test reveals what we are made of. Our works will be tried by fire. 1 Corinthians 3:13, 1 Peter 1:7, Ps 26:2
By trials, we grow in faith and fruitfulness. James 1:2-3, 2 Thes. 1:3-5.
After Jesus temptation, He began His anointed ministry. The same is true for us.
