Ministry to a Lost World

One of Jesus' most unusual healings gives us a compelling lesson in how to serve a lost world. In Mark 7:31-37 a deaf and speech impaired man is brought to Jesus for healing. This man was a Gentile. Jesus was still in the largely Gentile region of the Decapolis. Jesus takes the man aside and does several unusual things:

• Sticks His fingers in the man's ears
• Spits and touches the man's tongue
• Looks up to Heaven
• Gives a big sigh
• Speaks the specific words: "Be opened"

Why? Jesus was communicating in a way that this deaf and speech impaired man would understand.

• Fingers in the ear communicated, "I am about to heal your hearing."
• Spitting (on His fingers?) and touching the tongue communicated, "I will heal your speech."
• Looking up to Heaven, "God is the source of what is about to happen."
• Sighing, "God cares and I care."
• His Words, "My very words can heal."

Every physical healing performed by Jesus was a sign or a parable pointing to the ultimate spiritual purpose of His mission: To seek and to save the Lost. This healing was a tremendous lesson for the watching disciples and for us. It teaches us how to minister to a lost world. How? By COMMUNICATING and CONNECTING with them in a way that they will understand.

• We must communicate to the lost that JESUS ALONE SAVES (see Acts 4:12). Jesus looked up to Heaven to communicate that His Father was the sole source of this healing. We must always hold up the one and only Savior of the World by holding out the Word that points to Him. In the end we want the lost to look to Jesus and be saved (John 6:40).
• Our ministry to the lost must communicate that GOD CARES and SO DO WE. Jesus' sigh showed this. So did his touching this unclean, Gentile man. Often the question we must ask and answer if we want to be effective with the lost is, "Am I willing to become involved to whatever extent communicates God's love through my love?" Are we troubled by the lostness of the lost? Does the reality of a wasted life and the eternal torment of Hell evoke compassion for them? It did for Jesus (Matthew 9:36ff).
• Our ministry to the lost world must communicate the POWERFUL, SAVING WORD OF JESUS. How can they believe unless they hear...the Word? (Romans 10:14-17)? In the end it will NOT be our testimony or our great illustrations or our persuasive arguments and apologetics (though there is a place for each) that brings a person to conviction and faith. It will be the Word of God brought home to the heart in the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus' words, "Be opened" caused a deaf man to hear and a speech impaired man to speak plainly, so His Words such as "Your sins are forgiven" do just that (Mark 2:5). And these words are carried to the lost through us.

May the Lord who loves the lost in your life use you to hold forth Jesus, to show His compassion through direct involvement, and to hold out His Word of invitation to eternal life. May Jesus use you and me to bring many to life.