Today's "Moment With Mark" (38) - Maturity
19 December, 2012
Jesus instructed his disciples to bring around a boat and to have it ready in case he was crowded off the beach. (Mark 3:9 NLT)
Although there were many followers o f Jesus at this early stage of His ministry, Jesus has yet to choose "the Twelve". This will happen shortly but, in the meantime, He still involves the current crop of followers in what must appear to be little more than crowd control and he gets them to organize a make-shift pulpit - a boat!
Sometimes our service in the Kingdom of God feels about as significant as setting up the chairs for a meeting. Surely there is something more important that we could be doing? Why can't someone else fix the seating arrangements? My 'gifts' and 'abilities' are wasted in this mundane task. I think I'm destined for something bigger and better than this.
It's a long way from "Go and get a boat in case we need it" to being able to say, "In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, stand up and walk!" Jesus has already accepted the responsibility to make them to become 'those who fish for people' (Mark 1/17). It begins with obeying their Master in the basic things they know to do. Can we be trusted to be faithful in the small but necessary Kingdom activities?
We do not begin this discipleship school with "In the Name of Jesus, be healed"!! It begins with "Can I borrow your boat, mate?"