Walking with Jesus #5 - The Growing Movement
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Grace Church By John Demo

Walking with Jesus #5 - The Growing Movement

Our summer series, Walking with Jesus, uses a chronological approach to look at the life and ministry of our Lord. This series will provide a deeper knowledge of the life of Jesus, a greater devotion to Him, and a life-long commitment to His mission for yo

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Grace Church holds a Meet & Greet for those who are newer to Grace Church on the 4th Sunday of each month following the service in CJ's coffee shop. It is a great opportunity to meet the staff and leadership of Grace Church and learn a little more about the church. It also gives us an opportunity to learn a little about you! Contact Leslie Booher if you have any questions ([email protected]).
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Join us as we get out and build relationships in our community at the Nashville Moo-ville on Thursday, August 13th from 5:00-7:00 pm. Invite your friends and neighbors to join you!
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August 2nd - Kyle Booher, Ed & Sherry Knauss
August 4th - Chris DePyper
August 7th - Shane Hickey
August 8th - Ryder Massie
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Our summer series is called Walking with Jesus. We are looking at the life and ministry of the Lord using a chronological approach which involves a study of the Harmony of the Gospels.
When we study the Harmony, it gives us a sense of walking with the Lord, experiencing history with Him.
We've been using a graph to illustrate this series so we have a frame of reference. Last year we spent 3 months looking at the Preparation Phase and the Foundations Phase in which the Lord spent time building relationships with a number of individuals.
The Lord's mission at this point was to call people from a casual level of interest in God into a committed relationship.
In our current 3 month segment of the series, we are looking at the 6-9 month segment of time that covers the Ministry Training and Outreach Phases.
This morning we're looking at Section #44 of the Harmony. We'll learn that the movement of disciple making is growing!
As pointed out last week, once Jesus called people to be "Fishers of Men," He launched into a time of Ministry Experiences and Ministry Expeditions.
Ministry Experiences: times when He demonstrated to His disciples how to reach people for God in the common arenas of life.
Ministry Expeditions: trips or tours in which He led His disciples into differing cultural situations in order to learn a number of things.
Today we're looking at the 2nd of His Ministry Expeditions.
The first Ministry Expedition was a trip through Samaria (John 4) in which there was a lot of animosity between the Samaritans and the Jews. Jesus wanted to show His disciples how to diffuse conflict, build relationships with people from a different culture, and to put into practice what they had already learned from Him about disciple making.
Sometimes we have to raise the bar of expectations to see the character, competency, and commitment for those who say they are followers of Jesus.
Luke 16:10
Luke 16:10
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10 Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
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Today we look at the 2nd Ministry Expedition, and our text will be Mark 1:32-39. Verse 32 follows last week's story of the healing of Peter's Mother-in-law.
Verses 32-34 bridges the time between this event and the expedition.
The commitment that Jesus had to the people stands out. Ministry is not a Sunday only thing or when you have time.
Mark 1:32-34
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32 That evening, after sunset, people brought to Jesus all who were sick and demon-possessed,
33 and the whole town gathered at the door.
34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
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This then sets the stage for what will happen next. Jesus leads His team of new trainees off on a whirl wind trip in verses 35-39.
Solitary place comes from the Greek word, Eremos, which is often used to depict a remote, empty, or unfrequented location where there are no people or companions around.
Eremos is a singular cave on the north side of the Sea of Galilee approximately 1 1/2 miles from Capernaum.
Mark 1:35-39
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35 Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to pray.
36 Simon and his companions went to look for Him,
37 and when they found Him, they said, “Everyone is looking for You!”
38 But Jesus answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns so I can preach there as well, for that is why I have come.”
39 So He went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
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There are simple lessons in our text this morning. These lessons are worthless unless they are applied to our lives.

1. Jesus LIVED life purposefully.

He intentionally...
Invested His life in people
Challenged them
Demonstrated how to live life as a disciplemaker
Used everyday experiences to grow His faith and train others
Stretched them by taking them on expeditions
2. Jesus MODELED a life of commitment to His disciples.

The reality of our faith is seen in the tough times, the dry times, and the empty times. Jesus understood that ministry for God requires commitment.
3. Jesus GAINED power and wisdom through His prayer life.

When Jesus went to Eremos to pray, He was following the practice of many people throughout Scripture (Hagar, Moses, the Israelites coming from Egypt, Abraham, Jacob, David, Elijah, John the Baptist).
The wilderness or quiet place is where God meets and refreshes people.
1 Peter 5:7 [NLT]
1 Peter 5:7
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7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
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4. Jesus PRIORITIZED God's agenda for His life.

Jesus walked away from people's agendas. He knew they could only see things through the grid of their whims and wants.
5. Jesus PROCLAIMED truth and HELPED those in need.

Our mission is to represent Jesus to others, not just attend, sit, soak, and socialize.
The movement of Christianity grew because those who were committed to God did everything within their power to help people know Jesus and meet their needs in the process.
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