III. Teachings

A.     The qualification to serve – baptism of water and sending by the Holy Spirit (Mk 1:9-11)

1.       Before one can serve the Lord, he needs to receive water baptism and be sent by the Holy Spirit.

2.       We need to be sent prior to serving the Lord.

3.       Example: Br Hu of Taipei church baptized people on his own.

B.     The test before serving - overcoming temptation (Mk 1:12, 13)

1.       Jesus was tempted by Satan (Mk 1:12, 13)

2.       Prior to being ordained as a deacon or elder, one needs to pass the test (1 Tim).

3.       If a person fails in temptation, he is likely fail in his service. 

4.       Example: Judah started as a thief.

C.      The initial message in serving – “The kingdom of God is near” (Mk 1:15)

1.       The kingdom of God is near and one should repent and believe in the gospel.

2.       This is the initial message of John the Baptist for Jesus Christ. 

3.       The Gospel is the power of God to save those who believe (Rom 1).

4.       The Gospel demonstrates the righteousness of God.

5.       Our purpose in preaching is so that people can repent and return to the kingdom of God through water baptism.

D.     The source of power in serving - prayer (Mk 1:38)

1.       Praying is more important than preaching and preaching is more important than healing (Mk 1:37-39). Without praying, there is no power in preaching.

2.       Today, as a worker, we need to promote the spirit of praying in a church. This way, God can abide with the church and manifest His power. 

3.       After Jesus performed the miracles, he went up to the mountain to pray (Mk 6:46-52).  It is important that we offer thanksgiving and peace offerings after accomplishing certain work (ref: Num 6:18). It is through prayer that the pride of our heart can be controlled. Example: Elijah ran to the city gate after performing a great miracle. He failed from there.

4.       Jesus was able to walk on the sea only after praying (Mk 6:48).  For us to walk about the troubled sea, we need to have powerful prayer. 

5.       How long do you think Jesus prayed in the mountain from Mark 6:6:45-48? Jesus spent a long time communicating with His heavenly father.

6.       Jesus went up to the mountain of transfiguration to pray (Mk 9:2-13). He brought three disciples to follow Him and gave them special training in prayer. In prayer, Jesus displayed the image of God. In prayer, Jesus was able to reveal things of the future. In prayer, Peter was filled with both fear and great joy. 

7.       One time, Jesus was able to cast out a demon that His disciples could not cast out. Jesus said that one needed to fast in order to cast out the demon (Mk 9:29). This teaches us that we need to pray hard before going to cast out demons. However, sometimes we cannot cast out demons because of unclean items the person has not gotten rid off.

8.       Jesus taught us to pray with faith. After beholding the cursed and withered fig tree, Jesus told His disciples to pray with faith (Mk 11:12-14, 23). Jesus not only prayed by Himself but he shared that we should make the church a house of prayer and repent in our prayer (Mk 11:17, 25, 26).

9.       Jesus prayed most fervently during His most difficult time; he prayed in the garden prior to crucifixion. From Jesus, we learn that we should pray according to the will of God. We learn that we can cry out loud. We learn that we can ask people to pray with us in our most difficult time. We learn that mighty prayer produces mighty power, for the angel came to help Jesus after this prayer (Lk 22:43).

10.    Jesus even offered a prayer on the cross. He prayed before breathing his last breath and giving up His life.