BEAUTIFUL BALANCE

Steve Holsinger

Matthew 9:35-36  “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus’ ministry was balanced.  A sturdy chair needs four strong legs in order to provide support and stay balanced. The four “legs” of Jesus’ ministry were: 1.Teaching. (He taught in the synagogue which was the center of village life for Jewish men, women and children.)  2. Evangelizing.  Jesus proclaimed the gospel to lost people.  3. Healing.  He confronted every disease and sickness.  4. Compassion.  He offered help and hope to people overwhelmed with poverty and despair.

Too often our approaches to ministry major in one or two of these areas.  Seldom do we see ministries that have achieved the balance modeled by Jesus.  I just returned from several days in Malek, Sudan witnessing first hand the powerful ministry of Jesus to the Sudanese through native ministers who have returned to their ancestral homeland to represent Jesus Christ.  They are teaching through local village churches and through the Bible College, evangelizing from person to person and village to village, healing through the outreach of the medical clinics. (Over 12,000 people treated since March) and demonstrating compassion through food and clothing distribution.  The result is an abundant harvest!  The work of Sudan Africa Mission is building a solid foundation for the formation of a free Christian nation in South Sudan.  This foundation is not a chair to sit on, it is a ladder to climb that is providing a solid foundation to allow the Sudanese to climb out of hopelessness, poverty and disease and demonstrate the freedom of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus’ admonition is still important for each of us: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  Matthew 9:37,38.  Through Sudan Africa Mission all of us can be workers in this great harvest.