I have gone to all kinds of pastor/youth-worker conferences where the best-known speakers, effective in their own ministries, are called in to give people on the “front lines” of ministry encouragement and help with more ways of doing ministry to consider. Those that helped me the most were the humbled men and women who told of how God turned things around for them because of their faith and trust in Him, not necessarily by their methods. These people filled my hungry soul again with who God is and what HE can do in and through us—more than those who boasted of their best, “highly effective habits”, as leaders of their organization called church.  However, one can glean from all of them when you ask God to teach you through whoever the speaker is in front of you.  God is amazing like that.

Add outstanding leaders of worship of God to this mix along with relating to those between sessions who do what you do and understand the highs and lows of ministry, we are highly encouraged and challenged on this mountain top where no one is calling upon us to address issues of “great importance” for a few days. We are free to learn, grow in faith, regain complete trust in God we love.  We confess all our past mistakes in judgement and missteps in ministry—all sins at the altar of forgiveness by Jesus.  We are renewed and refreshed, ready to go back to the world we serve.  We are overflowing with excitement and new energy as we realize once more that with God in the lead, nothing is impossible with Him.

What we learn from the mountain top:  God must lead, we must follow.

What we apply from the learning will be evident in the doing.  BE then DO. 

Jesus is our Perfect example who showed us how to love people on and off the mountain.  Jesus comes down the mountain smiling, “with the cheers of the crowd still ringing in his ears;” then, without hesitation it seems, He is caring for those who need Him most.  Jesus heals, restores, and “carries our diseases”—doing everything exactly the way the prophets said He would.  He follows the leading of His Father, God.

Matthew 8:1-17, The Message

^1-2 Jesus came down the mountain with the cheers of the crowd still ringing in his ears. Then a leper appeared and dropped to his knees before Jesus, praying, “Master, if you want to, you can heal my body.”

^3-4 Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there, all signs of the leprosy were gone. Jesus said, “Don’t talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed body to the priest, along with the appropriate expressions of thanks to God. Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.”

^5-6 As Jesus entered the village of Capernaum, a Roman captain came up in a panic and said, “Master, my servant is sick. He can’t walk. He’s in terrible pain.”

⁷ Jesus said, “I’ll come and heal him.”

^8-9 “Oh, no,” said the captain. “I don’t want to put you to all that trouble. Just give the order and my servant will be fine. I’m a man who takes orders and gives orders. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes; to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

^10-12 Taken aback, Jesus said, “I’ve yet to come across this kind of simple trust in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know all about God and how he works. This man is the vanguard of many outsiders who will soon be coming from all directions—streaming in from the east, pouring in from the west, sitting down at God’s kingdom banquet alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then those who grew up ‘in the faith’ but had no faith will find themselves out in the cold, outsiders to grace and wondering what happened.”

¹³ Then Jesus turned to the captain and said, “Go. What you believed could happen has happened.” At that moment his servant became well.

^14-15 By this time they were in front of Peter’s house. On entering, Jesus found Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed, burning up with fever. He touched her hand and the fever was gone. No sooner was she up on her feet than she was fixing dinner for him.

^16-17 That evening a lot of demon-afflicted people were brought to him. He relieved the inwardly tormented. He cured the bodily ill. He fulfilled Isaiah’s well-known revelation:

He took our illnesses,
He carried our diseases.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Faith leads people to Jesus. 

Jesus is impressed by real faith in Him. 

Jesus heals and restores.

Do we really believe in who God is and what He says about Himself and His Son, Jesus really real?  Our behaviors will reflect the depth of our faith in Him.

For me, the most startling words by Jesus in middle of His ministry to a leper, a servant of a Roman soldier, Peter’s mom, and the demon possessed are; “those who grew up ‘in the faith’ but had no faith will find themselves out in the cold, outsiders to grace and wondering what happened.”

We need to consistently check our hearts, minds, and souls.  Do a faith check today.  I don’t want to be caught out in the cold, do you? I want the faith of the Centurion that Jesus saw as real faith: “What you believed could happen has happened.” 

Lord,

I’m listening and learning from you in the quiet of this first hour of the day.  You never disappoint.  Our daily “manna” time together is of mountain top proportions and fills my hungry and thirsty soul.  But now the day must begin and tasks accomplished.  I know that you will lead me through the shallow to deep waters, through good times and the not so good times. 

Thank you, Lord.  I believe.  I know that nothing is impossible when you are leading and guiding me.  You are my life.  I believe what you say.  I am eternally grateful for all you have done, what you are doing now and what you will do in my life.  Thank you for allowing me to be an “insider to grace” while knowing what lies ahead for me—a home with You forever.  You are my blessed assurance, my hope of things to come but not yet seen now.  Help me live by faith.

In Jesus Name, Amen