Are you trying to figure out what your ministry is? Do you want to witness and reach people for Jesus? But do you sometimes struggle with the “how”? Mark 5 and 6 give us the best answer.
Do you remember the story about the demoniac in Mark 5? Jesus gets out of the boat and is walking up the hill when a demon-possessed man comes rushing toward Him. The disciples take off running but suddenly realize Jesus is not with them. They turn around to find that Jesus is casting the demons out of the man.
You know the story. The demons go into the pigs, the pigs run over the cliff into the lake, and the people want Jesus to leave!
As Jesus steps back into the boat to leave, the now-healed man begs to go with Him. If you had just been healed and had your life transformed, wouldn’t you want to go with Jesus? I would! But Jesus would not let the man go with Him. Look at Mark 5:19: “However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you’” (NKJV).
Then Mark 5:20 says, “And he [the healed demon-possessed man] departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.”
The most amazing part of the story is what happened when Jesus returned to the same area some time later. Mark 6:53-55 says, “When they had crossed over they came to the land of Gennesaret (Decapolis) and anchored there. And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.” Amazing!
In The Desire of Ages, Ellen White comments, “When Jesus returned to Decapolis, the people flocked about Him, and for three days, not merely the inhabitants of one town, but thousands from all the surrounding region, heard the message of salvation.
Even the power of demons is under the control of our Saviour, and the working of evil is overruled for good” (p. 340).
Just through sharing his story, his testimony of what God had done for him, thousands came to Jesus!
I believe that is what God is asking of you and me: to simply share our story of what God has done for us.
Now you may be saying, “I don’t have a story.” But you can have one! All you need to do is spend quality time with Jesus every day—reading the Bible, praying, getting to know your God, and obeying what He tells you to do. I promise, if you do this every day (or at least almost everyday) you will have a story—and you will see people coming to Jesus because of your testimony.
God will even gift you for the ministry He wants you doing. That’s what has happened to me. God has taken me all over the world to share what He’s done in my life. By God’s grace, I have seen many people converted by the Holy Spirit. I’m not boasting; I just want you to know what can happen when a shy, hesitant person like me decides to spend time with Jesus! If God can use me, He can use anybody.
Jesus wants to use you just as powerfully as He did the former demoniac. If you’re not already spending quality time daily with God, why not begin again today? You will find your own life, and the lives of those around you, transformed by the incredible testimony God will give you.
