Gleans from Monday Bible Study with Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
DLBC Gbagada HQ
26th August 2019
Study 25 – CHRIST’S COMPASSIONATE MINISTRY TO THE MULTITUDES
Text – Mark 6:30-44
“And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). He saw the crowd, much people, had compassion on them and began to teach them many things of the kingdom of God. “And they did all eat, and were filled” (Mark 6:42). All of them, and all of us today without exception will eat and be filled. You will see from this whole passage that the disciple had gone out to preach and teach about the kingdom of God and brought many to repentance and into the kingdom. They healed the sick, delivered the oppressed, and brought solution to their challenges and problems, and they came back to report to Christ Who sent them. In our lives, regularly and constantly every evening, as we know the Lord has sent us, we ought to give our report to Him on how we spent the day doing His Will. We should tell of how His grace helped us to overcome the temptations, trials and challenges that we faced; and where we need strength, encouragement and support, we should tell Him too, and He will give us all we need for the following day. Then He told His disciples to come apart to be refreshed. If you are always using the strength that you have without retreat to be renewed, you might break down. The people saw where they had gone to rest and those who had need of healing, deliverance, salvation, ran after them, and when Jesus saw them, in compassion He began to teach them. After the teaching they were miraculously fed. This is the import of our study for tonight. Christ ministered to their spirit, soul and body; to their present need and prepared them for heaven.
3 points:
Point 1. THE MINISTERIAL FEEDBACK OF THE FAITHFUL TWELVE
Mark 6:30,31
The twelve apostles came back and gave Christ a feedback of their exploits. “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught” (Mark 6:30). They told Jesus all things, and there was nothing to hide or cover up from Him. There are two sides to what they were sent out to do – they did miracles and taught the message of the kingdom.
There are three lessons here:
(i) The Return to the Sender – Mark 6:7,12,13; Luke 10:1-2,17; Acts 14:25-27; 15:3,4. Our Lord, Saviour and Master Jesus Christ was the One that sent them. “And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits. And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them” (Mark 6:7,12,13). They went out on purpose: that men should repent, without which they cannot enter the kingdom of God. They had gone out to do and teach as He commanded and came back to Christ to give report. We must always come back to the leader as he has sent us. We must not be so individualistic or isolated from our leaders but come back to give report. “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name” (Luke 10:17). They returned to the Lord, the Sender and the feedback afforded them further fellowship with the Lord. It gave them the possibility of progress planning, part of their training, mentoring and ministerial development. This pattern continued even after Christ had departed. Paul and Barnabas came back to the Church to give report on what they had done during their missionary journeys. “And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27). We do the same today on return from short or long missions, you give written reports, and when you are physical present at the Headquarter you also give a feedback. This is the pattern of the Bible which I pray we will follow in Jesus’ Name. Even in your local Church, when you are given an assignment, you are to give a report back to your Pastor or Group Pastor. Same in the Region, State or Nation, you give a feedback to the leadership, or get back to the GS at the Headquarters.
(ii) The Report of their Service – Mark 6:30; Acts 1:1; Luke 24:19; Acts 7:22; 21:17-19; Galatians 2:2. They reported to the One that sent them. “….and told him all things…”(Mark 6:30). They told Him all things, not just a skeletal report, but well-detailed report. We must follow this pattern: what you did and taught in giving detailed report to the leadership. “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1). This refers to the responsibilities the Father had given to Christ, to do and teach. As you look at your ministry, you must make clear what you do and what you teach. Not just to have ministry without doing something and teaching the truth. The whole essence of the Christian ministry as laid down by Christ is to do and teach. Make it clear, the miracle and the message; the influence of your life and the profit to the people, and what you teach, the light of the message you bring to them. Your deeds and works are relevant. “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds” (Acts 7:22). Words and deeds, that is, the practical performance of your message; the acts and the actions, and the admonition or message that you give. This is the pattern of all the true ministers of God. “And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.” (Acts 21:18-19). This is how the ministry is, that when you are sent to do and teach something, you must have the faithfulness to come back with a detailed report and feedback of all that you did and taught. The disciples reported back to Jesus Christ Who sent them what they had taught and done. They followed the Master’s footsteps in a limited sense, but the extension will come as they make progress to do all what Christ had done and to teach all that Christ had commanded them. As they gave report, so will it be on the Final Day when we shall give report on the way we lived, the things we did. Today as you give the report, there is the possibility of correction, mentoring, teaching and training, but if you wait till the Final Day to give report, there is no chance to correct anything, “So then every one of us {young and old, member and minister, careless and careful, faithless and faithful} shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).
(iii) The Refreshing of their Souls and Spirits – Mark 6:31; Acts 27:3,34; 1 Kings 19:5-8; Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 4:15,16; Ecclesiastes 10:10. “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat” (Mark 6:31). This is the recharging of our spiritual battery, and it is very important. There are people who know how to work but don’t know how to rest, they are called ‘workaholics’. They join secular work joined with spiritual work and don’t know how to rest; they think this is a commendable thing. But if you don’t take time to rest and recharge your spiritual battery, you will become stale, dead, dry and dull. Without the regular connection and refreshing from the Lord, you will not make progress in your life and ministry. “And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself” (Acts 27:3). Paul was a very busy minister, always doing and teaching but found time to refresh himself. Some people work and work, and there is no time to refresh themselves, to spend with their families, or even to eat. Please find time to eat, refresh yourselves and spend time with your family. “And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee” (1 Kings 19:7). The journey ahead of you is great, so you need strength and renewal. We need that refreshing and to take care of our personal lives if we are going to be the best for the people we are ministering to. You do, teach and then you rest; you work, labour and then you retire; you run, walk and then you give time to refresh yourself. “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). Take time to meditate on what you are hearing (1 Timothy 4:15,16). Give attention to your medical challenges; don’t all the time expend energy without recuperating. God will make us wise and keep every one of us. So, recharge your battery; refresh renew, revitalise, and restore your strength; rejuvenate and revive yourselves. “If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.” (Ecclesiastes 10:10). It is wisdom of God that made Jesus say, Come he yourselves apart…. and rest a while.
Point 2. THE MASTER’S FOCUS ON FUNDAMENTAL TEACHING
Mark 6:32-34; Matthew 5:1-6; Mark 2:2,13,17; Luke 13:3,5,22-28; Acts 20:20,21; Galatians 1:11,12; 2 Timothy 2:2; Matthew 28:19,20
The Lord Jesus Christ saw the crowd, He knew their needs; they were ignorant of how to get to Heaven after life on earth is over, and He had come to give them grace with Christian experiences to get to Heaven. He focused on that. “And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him” (Mark 6:33). The people had no consideration about their resting, refreshing and recuperating to restore their energy, so they outran them to the place of their rest. “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). These people only had Jesus as their Shepherd because the Pharisees, Sadducees, elders in the Synagogues and Scribes were not feeding them, so He taught them. What did He teach them? “And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:2-3). This is the essential and fundamental thing – teach and show them the way to the kingdom, otherwise all his efforts will be in vain if they ended up in hell. “….and he preached the word unto them” (Mark 2:2). There was a crowd, and He had power to heal but did not introduce that first, He taught them the word of God. He was always teaching, to bring them into the Kingdom, which is the fundamental thing: except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. The Lord is showing us a good example that when you see a crowd, congregation or much people, then teach them the word of God. The purpose of Christ’s teaching was to bring the people to repentance and into the kingdom (Luke 13:3,5,22-28). The Master never lost focus, never turned aside, nor deviated from the goal that the Father had appointed. The Father taught Him what to do and teach, and Christ kept at it. The people’s response or reaction did not distract Him; their regard or rejections did not change Him; their readiness or refusal did not make Him stop; their repentance or resistance did not make Him to be diverted; neither did their respect or reproach mean anything to Christ. He remained focused. This is what we should do, remain focused on the fundamental teachings of repentance and salvation whatever is happening. “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Whatever the size of the crowd, preach repentance. The Lord will make and keep you faithful to this in Jesus’ Name. Don’t modify or edit fundamental truths that get souls saved. After their salvation and they are living victoriously over sin, we are to teach them to “…… observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20). The Lord is with us always to supervise, listen and support us as we faithfully teach the fundamental truths of His word.