Chapter 11
Power Ministry with Jesus
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In the introduction, I shared my conviction that every generation of Jesus’ disciples should expect to have the same relationship with Jesus the first disciples experienced. The only difference between us and them is that He was with them in His physical body, while we have His indwelling spirit.
In every other way, however, their relationship with the Lord Jesus is the same as ours with him. Furthermore, I suggested four ways the first disciples interacted with Jesus, that are normative for intentional disciples today.
They worshiped him.
They heard his voice speaking to them.
They learned from him as he taught them about the kingdom of God.
They ministered with Him to people as He delegated His work with the Father to them.
The chapters in Section 3 explore how we can expect to minister with Jesus in the power of God. The goal is not merely to learn “about” Jesus’ ministry but to minister with Him.
My Own Introduction to Power Ministry with Jesus
In the preface, I mentioned that I asked Jesus to be my savior in a little Baptist church in El Centro, California, when I was four. I was subsequently raised in a typical evangelical family where God, the bible, and regular church attendance were part of the regular rhythm of life. My dad was self-employed, taught Sunday school at our church, and shared Jesus with nearly everyone he met. My mother was a bible teacher in Bible Study Fellowship and very active in our church. I’m grateful for my Baptist upbringing and the stability I experienced growing up.
What was not part of my experience was an emphasis, understanding, or expectation for the power ministry that characterized Jesus’ and His disciples’ ministry in the first century. Therefore, when, in my early twenties, I was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and began to experience power and spiritual gifts, I had little perspective or context for what was happening.
While I don’t claim to have learned it all or perfected everything about power and ministry with Jesus, in this chapter, I want to share some key insights and ideas I wish someone had shown me early on.
Let’s start by managing your expectations.
The Nature and Purpose of Power Ministry with Jesus
You might be puzzled if this is your first time hearing the phrase, power ministry. Let me explain. The phrase power ministry is made from two words: power and ministry. When I say “ministry,” I intend the idea of “serving.” Visualize a waiter or a waitress bringing good things to eat and drink from the kitchen to your table. Those who minister with Jesus have the privilege and the responsibility of bringing good things from the presence of God to the people they meet, things like God’s presence, healing, the voice of God, freedom, and eternal life.
If this sounds like an impossible task, well, it is. That’s the reason for the second word, “power.” The impossible becomes possible when the power of God himself flows through the little things you say and do when you minister to people with Jesus.
You may be thinking, well, sure, this is Jesus – He’s God, isn’t he? Of course, Jesus could do things like that. But I’m not Jesus. I could never do any of the things He did. But not so fast! Doing the things Jesus did is precisely what Jesus’ first disciples were called to do, and by extension, so are you.
Whenever you hear the phrase “power ministry,” just know that we are talking about what you get to do when God, the Sovereign King of all Creation, uses you to serve people with His transforming love and mercy in the power of His Holy Spirit with His son Jesus, just like the first disciples.
Seven Lessons to Frame Your Expectations
Here are seven lessons I’ve learned in the school of hard knocks and on my journey with Jesus as an intentional disciple.
Lesson 1: Power ministry with Jesus is all about Jesus
Power ministry with Jesus is not about religion, a particular flavor of theology, or cultivating specific spiritual experiences. It's about Jesus - about knowing Him, following Him, and becoming involved in what He is doing in your world. And what is Jesus doing? He is continuing to do what we read about in the four gospels.
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. (Acts 10:38)
Only now, Jesus is doing these things in and through each of His disciples who seek to know Him and minister with Him in the power of His Spirit.
When ministry becomes about something other than Jesus, it is a sign that you have wandered off course.
Lesson 2: Power ministry with Jesus is all about Jesus’ Kingdom
Power ministry with Jesus is not about a particular church, denomination, or ‘religious movement.’ It's about the ancient biblical promise that God would solve the problem of Adam’s sin and fix the fallen state of creation by establishing His Kingdom rule through His Son, Jesus, the Messiah of Israel and the Lord of the world.
Jesus didn’t heal and deliver suffering people from physical and demonic afflictions because He had magic powers. He did what He did because He was the one in charge. Therefore, He had the authority and the power to bring God's Kingdom will from heaven into the brokenness of earth.
Ministry with Jesus is a partnership with the King who saves. It is a privilege to join Him in His continuing work to fix His broken, wounded creation one person at a time.
Lesson 3: Power Ministry with Jesus Involves Spiritual Authority
A common misunderstanding about spiritual authority is that it is something we come to possess in ourselves and, therefore, control. Power ministry with Jesus is not about some form of magic, getting in touch with ‘the force,’ or accessing your inner divinity, things that would be about us, who we are, or what we can do.
It is better to see spiritual authority as a function of our relationship with God in Jesus. Power ministry with Jesus is about learning to do what Jesus did in the same way that Jesus did. The Bible says Jesus emptied Himself of His divine prerogatives (Philippians 2:7) and then only did what He saw the Father doing and only said what He heard the Father saying, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Power ministry with Jesus is about learning to operate with delegated authority, as He did.
[Footnote: in chapter 12, we will go deeper into the dynamics of delegated authority and ministry with Jesus. End footnote]
Lesson 4: Power Ministry with Jesus Focuses on Love
Power ministry with Jesus is not about ‘doing amazing things’ or seeing amazing things happen. It is about bringing the love of God to people in tangible ways. It’s about helping others have genuine, life-changing, and life-transforming encounters with the living God through the power of His Holy Spirit.
We are naturally tempted to measure our success by the outward signs and the evidence of powerful experiences. However, the accurate measure of success in ministry with Jesus is that people experience God’s love for them.
Lesson 5: Power Ministry with Jesus Requires Faith
Power ministry with Jesus is not about faith in Faith or the Power of Faith. Remember, it’s all about Jesus and Jesus’ Kingdom.
Jesus marveled at a Roman Centurion’s Faith, not because the man was religious, had strong spiritual feelings, or had his own personal ‘faith’ in something larger than himself.
And [Jesus] said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. (Matthew 8:7-10)
Jesus marveled that this non-Jewish man recognized Jesus’ power and authority and trusted Jesus’ word without hesitation. What this man had was a simple, unshakeable faith in Jesus. This is what power ministry is all about - faith in Jesus.
Lesson 6: Power ministry with Jesus is best when in Balance
As vital and essential as power ministry is, it will not end well if your involvement in Jesus’ ministry is not in balance with other important aspects of living as a child of God. We don’t want to be like the man who only had a hammer; therefore, everything looked to him like a nail.
For this reason, the Way of the Lord explored in chapters 5-10 is a central part of this book. Ministry with Jesus in the power of God is just one of four normal ways we interact with Jesus as we follow Him, and the daily practice of works is but one of five daily practices that should become our normal day-to-day. One of our primary purposes as intentional disciples of Jesus is to live the life Jesus lived, a life of balance and power.
And, lesson 7: Everyone Gets To Play in Power ministry with Jesus
There is a small book about John Wimber titled “Everyone Gets to Play.” He often said that ministry to others in the Power of the Holy Spirit is for everyone, not just the ‘super saints,’ or those up on the stage. Everyone can learn to hear from God and how to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as they minister with Jesus.
You may be familiar with the twin barriers discouraging people from pursuing a personal relationship with God. Those barriers are the belief that you are unqualified or disqualified for some reason. Those same barriers can hinder you from joining Jesus in ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit.
One of the purposes of this book is to undermine the false perception that you are unqualified or disqualified to minister with Jesus like the first disciples. The life you live with God is all based on his grace. It has nothing to do with your qualifications one way or another. It concerns his generosity, his intention to include you in his love, and his good work to save and restore His fallen creation. This book will encourage you to get on with it.
Let’s turn to an essential discussion about some practical details about ministry with Jesus.
The Process of Power Ministry with Jesus
The descriptions of Jesus’ ministry in the gospels suggest that, in many cases, what happened was more of a process than an event. This is an important insight as we seek to build healthy expectations for ministry. It’s not uncommon to be tripped up by the idea that ministry with Jesus will always be a “one-and-done” thing. You should only need to pray once, and “it’s” done - if not, then something is wrong, you don’t have enough faith, or maybe this is all a fantasy, after all.
Process in Jesus’ ministry to individuals
The gospels provide evidence process when Jesus ministered to people—not always, but often. By process, I mean a sequence of events over time that culminates in a specific effect.
Jesus’ ministry to people sometimes involved several steps or happened over some time rather than all at once. For example, there was the blind man for whom Jesus had to pray more than once.
And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again and opened his eyes; his sight was restored, and he saw everything. (Mark 8: 22-25)
Then, there was an epileptic boy that Jesus set free. In this case, Jesus needed to interview the boy's father first as an initial step in his healing.
And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, it immediately convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this happened to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. (Mark 9:20-27)
Finally, we can mention the Gerasene demoniac. In Mark’s account, Jesus asks clarifying questions and repeats his command more than once before the demons come out of the man.
And crying loudly, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea. (Mark 5:7-13)
Make it your priority to watch, listen, and pay close attention to what God is doing as you pray or minister to others. Don’t let the absence of immediate, complete results stop you from having the confidence to go into ministry situations with Jesus.
Power Ministry is a process the Father initiates and we follow as He leads us by the Holy Spirit.
As we participate in the ministry process, we need to learn to follow what the Father is doing as he is doing it. When we find ourselves in a ministry situation, we are not in charge like a doctor or nurse caring for a patient. Medical professionals have to rely on their medical education and experience to make evaluations and decide on courses of treatment.
Our role in ministry is to partner with Jesus as He works out the Father’s specific and loving purposes “on earth as in heaven” for the person in front of us. Our job is to listen to the Holy Spirit regarding where He wants to start and what He wants to say or do until He is finished.
In practical terms, this also means that the process of ministry with Jesus can be experienced in two main ways:
Sometimes, the spirit of Jesus initiates a ministry encounter. Our job is to recognize something is happening and join Him in what He is doing. This can happen in several ways, but suffice it to say that this process is based on our growing ability to hear from God. Sometimes, this involves things you can see with your normal senses, and sometimes, it involves revelation by the Holy Spirit about things going on in the unseen realm.
We follow the Spirit of Jesus as he guides us during the ministry prayer time. We listen to God while praying with the person specifically to hear what God wants to do or say, to identify what God wants to do next, etc.
What’s Next?
In the next chapter, we will explore the dynamics of power ministry with Jesus more deeply. When God’s power enables you to serve others through prayer for healing, prophetic words, and demonstrations of God’s love and wisdom, you observe the work of Jesus within you, loving others through you.
In other words, spiritual gifts happen when Jesus continues to do what He did when He was with the first disciples; only now is He working by filling the church and His body and empowering and guiding us to join Him in His mission.
Here are some questions for consideration and discussion.
How would you describe your background in terms of your current perspective and expectations about ministry with Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit?
We shared seven lessons about ministry with Jesus that should help frame your expectations. Explain which one is most important to you and why.
Do you automatically think about praying for someone as a one-and-done event or as a process? What challenges you most about the idea that prayer ministry may be more of a process than an event?
Chapter 11 Daily Scripture Readings
How to spend some quality time listening to what Jesus would like to say through the scriptures:
In preparation, acknowledge the Lord’s presence and love for you and settle yourself before Him (in your mind and heart).
Read the day’s text carefully; take your time.
Reflect on what you have been reading with a listening ear – what word, phrase, or sentence speaks to you from the text?
Now, talk to the LORD about what you hear from this text. What has Jesus stirred in your heart?
If you were with Him walking from one Galilean village to another, what would you say to Him about this?
Chapter 11 - Day One - Mark 13:9-23
Chapter 11 - Day Two - Mark 13:24-37
Chapter 11 - Day Three - Mark 14:1-9
Chapter 11 - Day Four - Mark 14:10-21
Chapter 11 - Day Five - Mark 14:22-31
There are two ways you can go deeper with this material, if you are finding this helpful.
First, read How to get the most from this book. I offer some suggestions about how to do more than skim the pages and move on with minimal impact.
Second, read How to use this book with a small group. This material was formed and proven in a small group setting that has been very effective at helping participants engage with Jesus at a much deeper and transformative level than is typical in our churches today.
Love everything you wrote. A little history. I have been a part of the Vineyard and attended the Vineyard Bible Institute. Have prayed and ministered to people and am a Pastor myself... ordained with the C&MA and part of them for the past 14 years.
I do have some thoughts of discussion. No doubt the Holy Spirit leads us. As we reflect back on scripture, there are various times as well when they minister to people and as you know does not explicitly state they were led by the Spirit. We can derive Peter and John were led by the Spirit in chapter 3, yet nothing explicitly states such. In Acts, chapter 9 with the two incidents with Peter, it does not state there was a leading of the Spirit. Dr. James Dunn states this in his commentary on the Acts of the Apostles: “the almost invariable manifestation of the Spirit in Acts is inspired speech (2.4; 4.8; 6.10; 10.45–46; 13.2, 9; 18.25; 19.6; 20.23; 21.4, 11), whereas, somewhat surprisingly, the miracles of Acts are never attributed to the Spirit as such (though note 10.38).” And yet I think of Galatians 3:5: “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
Of course, we know the Holy Spirit is behind all things since our new birth (Titus 3:4-7). Yet Dr. Dunn makes a lot of sense. And as we look at the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 3 as an example, we do not really find something so explicitly like, “And Peter being led or having the gift of healing (or miraculous power) said to the man at the temple gate…”
When ministering to people, there is not always time to wait and be led, though of course it is cool (great) when that occurs.
In terms of John 5:19, I do wonder if we have turned that into something more than it is. When you and I read John 5:19, the larger context of that gospel also includes the religious leaders confronting whether Christ was of the Father (equal with God, the Father). It is throughout most of the gospel that we hear, “He is in the Father and the Father is in Him” type of sayings (John 14:10). But as we recall… in John 5:18, they did not like that Christ made Himself equal with the Father. Thus, the words in John 5:19.
John 5:19 is not an indication of limitation… as if Christ could only heal some or only those whom the Father wants or choses. And using the earlier piece of John, is chapter 5 with the other sick folk enough context to support John 5:19? Of course, Christ was not able to get to all literally. But that is why He sends out the twelve and seventy-two to heal, free and minister to people.
So, is it really a matter of “waiting” to see who God wants to heal? Have we added something in there that is not in the greater context of that passage and the context of the New Testament as a whole? If there was a need, Christ or the disciples went and met that need… plain and simple. Jesus was saying He is doing what the Father is doing or would do and not anything contrary. Christ is basically just saying, “I am moved by how strong my Fathers’ love is and I don’t plan on doing anything outside of that.”
In John 5:20, He literally states, “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does.” Jesus is clearly grateful and marveled with how his Father’s heart is, while even knowing that He, the Son, is of the Trinity.
Yet we must recollect and take into consideration that He as the God/man is also clearly displaying (exemplifying) sonship/daughtership and how it’s supposed to be. Christ is our example. He models for us what this is supposed to be. John 5:21 makes it very succinct and we see the evidence in various healings in the gospels. “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.” (John 5:21). Does not Jesus give life (healing and freedom) to many people. Thus, again it does not seem John 5:19 is limitation. Is it also just about leading or again the wider context up above?
I know and it seems some can then state, “there it is, ‘to whom He will’ (v21) without catching the gist of the entire point. The religious leaders are seeking to contradict and dictate what should be done (as we observe throughout scriptures in the gospels) and in many ways what Jesus should be doing. So, these are some thoughts.