Featured Jesus ministry...who is to carry it out?

Jesus Had a Ministry of Evangelism and Healing

Notice that Jesus' earthly ministry primarily consisted of evangelism and healing:
Luke 3:23 says that before Jesus went to the cross, He had an earthly ministry:

Luke 3:23: "Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry."

A large part of His three-year ministry consisted of evangelism and healing. Did Jesus turned this ministry over to the Church when He gave us the Great Commission?

Luke 4:16-21 says that Isaiah had prophesied that Jesus' ministry would consist of preaching the Good News, healing the sick, and releasing the oppressed:

Luke 4:16-21: "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." ... "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.""
In this passage, Jesus announced His ministry of evangelism and healing by quoting Isaiah's prophecy.

Luke 7:20-23 tells us that in Jesus' ministry He healed the blind, He healed the lame, He healed lepers, He healed the deaf, He raised the dead, and He preached the Good News:

Luke 7:20-23: "When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'" At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.""
In this passage, Jesus demonstrated that His ministry was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Luke 4:16-21, above).

In Acts 10:38, the apostle Peter described Jesus' ministry by saying that He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil:
Acts 10:38: "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him."

Luke 13:31-32 says that when Jesus was told that Herod wanted to kill Him, Jesus replied that nothing was going to stop Him from continuing His healing ministry:

Luke 13:31-32: "At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.'""

Notice how Jesus described His earthly ministry. He said that nothing would keep Him from casting out demons and healing the sick.

So Jesus had a ministry of evangelism and healing before He went to the cross.

Did Jesus turned this ministry over to us?

 

Jesus turned His evangelism and healing ministry over to us:

Jesus trained twelve ordinary men to continue His ministry, and then He sent them out on a missions trip to put into practice what they had been learning:

Luke 9:1-2,6,10: "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ... So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. ... When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done."

On their short-term missions trip, the apostles preached the Gospel, healed the sick, and cast out demons. Jesus was preparing them to take over His ministry.

In Luke 4:18, Jesus said that God had sent Him into the world to have an earthly ministry of preaching the Good News and healing the sick. In John 17:18-19 Jesus said that He had sent the disciples out to do the same ministry that He had been sent to do. Then in John 20:21 Jesus said that He was sending the disciples out to do the same ministry that He had been sent to do:

Luke 4:18: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind"

John 17:18-19: "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world."

John 20:21: "Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.""

Jesus said that He was sending the disciples out into the world to do the same ministry that He had been sent to do. The disciples preached the Good News, healed the sick, and cast out demons. Jesus wanted His evangelism and healing ministry to continue until He returns, as the Great Commission describes.

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gave the disciples what we call "the Great Commission":

Matthew 28:18-20: "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.""

Many Christians and ministries are actively trying to fulfill this commission, and praise the Lord for them! However, there's an important detail which is often overlooked here. Notice that Jesus did not simply tell us to go out and witness to the lost and get them to say a sinner's prayer. Instead, Jesus specifically commanded us to go out and continue making new disciples, teaching them to carry on His ministry until He returns!

 

Jesus said that as we go and make new disciples, we must teach them to obey everything that the original disciples had been told to do, which includes going out and preaching the Good News, healing the sick, casting out demons, and training others to carry on this ministry. The original disciples lived a normal lifespan, yet Jesus said that He will be with us always, until the end of the age, to help us carry on His ministry. In Matthew 13:39, 40, 49, and 24:3 we can see that "the end of the age" refers to the time when Jesus will return.

Therefore, in the Great Commission Jesus said that He will always be with the Church (which includes us), helping us to carry on His evangelism and healing ministry until He returns.

 

I do not believe WE heal anyone! It is all in God's hands...we just need to obey!

Not all are saved when we witness to them either...but does that stop us from sharing the gospel?

 

Luke 10:1,9,17 says that after Jesus trained the apostles, He also sent out dozens of ordinary believers to take part in His evangelism and healing ministry. They preached the Good News, healed the sick, and cast out demons:

Luke 10:1,9,17: "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ... [He said,] Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' ... The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.""

Jesus' evangelism and healing ministry was never meant to be just for the apostles!

 

Sorry, you believe that! So what is kingdom living? Isn't His kingdom a spiritual one?

 

I believe we should believe and carry out the great comission.
Yes! Salvation and healing is totaly in God's hands! But He tells us to spread the good news and I believe the good news includes healing.

The Great Commission according to Mark:

Mark 16:15-18: "He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.""

Mark 16:15-18 (above) says to go into all the world. This is for today.
Mark 16:15-18 (above) says to preach the Good News. This is for today.
Mark 16:15-18 (above) says that those who believe and are baptized will be saved. This is for today.
Mark 16:15-18 (above) says that those who do not believe will be condemned. This is for today.
Mark 16:15-18 (above) says that signs will accompany those who believe. This is for today. Since the above points are all for today, this must be also. Otherwise we're being inconsistent in the way that we interpret Scripture.

Mark 16:15-18 (above) says that those who believe will cast out demons. This is also for today, and there are many passages in the New Testament which teach us about casting out demons.
Mark 16:15-18 (above) says that those who believe will speak in new tongues. This is also for today, and there are many passages in the New Testament which teach us about speaking in tongues. Notice in this passage that according to Jesus, speaking in tongues is not a subject of controversy, it's for every person who believes in Him.
Mark 16:15-18 (above) says that those who believe can experience divine protection. This is also for today.

 

Yes! I believe that God calls us in different ways and equips us to do different things.

 

We need to believe what the Bible says, no matter how unusual it might sound at first! If you find yourself reading this thread with a critical eye, looking for flaws, that's okay. We should find and correct any flaws. But also put your own assumptions and biases under that same critical microscope! Our assumptions and biases are comfortable to us, so we don't like to look too closely at them, but sometimes they're just plain wrong. If our long-held assumptions and biases are wrong, then we're not honoring the Lord by hanging onto them

 

God does the healing! Have you ever tried casting out a demon? Do you even believe in tongues?

Have you share Jesus with someone and they not receive Him as their Lord and Savoiur? All we can do is obey what He tells us to do...we can not save and we can not heal, leave that to God!

Tom, you remind me of myself ten years ago! I was so against things that I was not taught in my church.

When I come to the truth that the Holy Spirit still works today as He did then..I was fighting against it! I was debating against it! I have been on both sides of this! I ask God to show me truth! I did not go seeking gifts or power...I wanted the truth! I was seeking God!

 

You show no scripture to back up what you believe or disbelieve?
His kingdom is within..

 

As some commentaries points out, there are no examples in the New Testament of people picking up snakes (notice that Paul did not pick up the viper on purpose in Acts 28:3-6) or drinking deadly poison, so we have no Scriptural support for interpreting these activities as being commands for Christians to follow. Instead, these two things describe divine protection which is available to us as we obey the Great Commission. The promises in Mark 16:15-18 (above) all require faith, including the promise of divine protection. For example, the apostle Paul endured many hardships as he obeyed the Great Commission, but he was divinely protected through all of them until the time came for his martyrdom.

Mark 16:15-18 (above) says that those who believe will heal the sick. This is also for today, and there are many passages in the New Testament which teach us about healing the sick.

So if you're a Christian then the Great Commission in Mark 16:15-18 (above) applies to you.

Another view of the snakes and poison ...


Paul was physically bitten by a snake and survived (God protected him). But there is a Spiritual side to this as well. The devil decieved Eve through the snake which resulted in the fall of man as a curse that was passed down. When it says believers “can pick up snakes and if they drink any deadly poison it will not hurt you.” Could it mean..... believers having discernment on what is true and what are lies. The devil can feeds us poison with a lie...but we are given the gift of discernment. We should know the truth. As a believer we can defeat the devil (snake) by the Sword of the Spirit. (Word of God) This again comes from the Power of the Holy Spirit.

 

I am not pentecostal! And when did sharing the Word become spamming? You have not once confronted with scripture what I have posted!