It's Personal

Most of us have heard of the Personal Ministries Department in our local church, but few have probably given thought to the fact that personal ministry is something that, by its very definition, takes place outside the church.

After all, it’s not corporate, but personal–the ministry each individual member has in his or her own personal circle of influence simply by virtue of being a follower of Jesus.

And when it comes to effective personal ministry, there is no better example than His example, whose ministry model reveals the only successful way to reach souls for the kingdom –

“Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’”[i]

If there’s anything we want in our witnessing experiences, it’s true success. And apparently, there’s only one method that will work–Christ’s. Let’s briefly review four aspects of His method that will help make our witness more successful.

Christ’s method was personal.

Despite the fact that He preached to the masses, Jesus realized that the most effective way to minister was in one-on-one personal encounters. Commenting on this, Ellen White wrote:

“The Lord desires that His word of grace shall be brought home to every soul. To a great degree this must be accomplished by personal labor. This was Christ's method. His work was largely made up of personal interviews. He had a faithful regard for the one-soul audience. Through that one soul the message was often extended to thousands.”[ii]

Some of Jesus’ most well-known encounters were personal ones, like Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and the rich young ruler. This preferred method of ministry reveals that Jesus is first and foremost a personal Savior.

Christ’s method was intentional.

Ministry was not just a job for Jesus; it was the essence of His life. The Bible says “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). There was never a time when Jesus was not thinking of how to lead someone to salvation.

More importantly, Jesus didn’t only come to save, but also to seek. He didn’t just minister; He sought out people to minister to.

“Jesus saw in every soul one to whom must be given the call to His kingdom. He reached the hearts of the people by going among them as one who desired their good. He sought them in the public streets, in private houses, on the boats, in the synagogue, by the shores of the lake, and at the marriage feast. He met them at their daily vocations, and manifested an interest in their secular affairs.”[iii]

We’re told that “the spirit of Christ is a missionary spirit” (Great Controversy, p. 70). This same spirit motivates His followers, as it did Job when he said  “I was a father to the poor, and I searched out the case that I did not know” (Job 29:16). Not only did Job minister to the poor, but like Jesus, he actually sought out others to minister to. So it will be with every true follower of Christ.

Christ’s method was strategic.

In considering our Ministry of Healing statement, notice how it actually describes a process rather than an event. If we reverse-engineer the process, we find something fascinating. The last thing Jesus did was to bid (or invite) others to follow Him. But in order to do that, He knew that He first had to win their confidence; He had to let people know that He really cared about them before they would trust what He had to say about eternal things. So He sought them out; He mingled with them; He showed an interest in their lives; He studied, discovered, and then ministered to their needs. He did all this in order to win their confidence so that ultimately, He could invite them to follow Him. And it worked!

We see this strategy at work in His encounter with the woman at the well. He asked her for a drink, but behind His request was a greater purpose –

“The Saviour was seeking to find the key to this heart, and with the tact born of divine love, He asked, not offered, a favor. The offer of a kindness might have been rejected; but trust awakens trust.[iv]

This is not to imply that what Jesus did was superficial, or that His love, sympathy and compassion were not genuine. It is simply to say that, when it came to the matter of saving souls, Jesus didn’t leave His results to chance. He followed through on well-laid plans.

Christ’s method was successful.

This one seems obvious. “Of course, Jesus’ ministry was successful,” you say. However, it didn’t always appear so during His ministry; it didn’t look like it when the religious leaders were trying to kill Him (Luke 4:28, 29), or when the townspeople were begging Him to leave their area (Matt. 8:24), or when a multitude of His disciples turned and “followed Him no more” (John 6:66); and certainly not when the masses shouted for His crucifixion (John 19:6) and His own disciples forsook Him and fled (Matt. 26:56). And it may not always appear so in your labors for souls. But Jesus knew His method would bring true success for Him, and for all of His followers after Him. So my Brother, my Sister, let us follow Christ’s method in our circle of influence, and trust our results with Him who has guaranteed our success!

“There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time were spent in personal ministry, greater results would be seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and the bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed, the inexperienced counseled. We are to weep with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit.”[v]