At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way. [Luke 10.21]
Jesus prayed this prayer, according to Luke, in the wake of having sent 72 followers out who came back reporting great success and power for ministry. Evidently, the 72, at least, didn't think themselves "wise and clever" and neither did Jesus. From Jesus' words it would seem the 72 went out in childlike faith and performed the works of God - Kingdom works - with power even over demons.
What amazes me is that we have so much extensive in-depth ministry training nowadays with little actual power of the Holy Spirit evident as a result. The return on investment is not there! In fact, it just seems that the more educated a man becomes, the more 'explanation' he has for why the power of God is not present.
Jesus thanked God in the prayer above because the power of God was upon the obedience and ministry of the 72. He didn't thank God for their vast knowledge of the Law and the Prophets. He didn't thank God because they had proved themselves faithful to understanding ancient cultures and being able to explain ancient languages and customs. No, again, Jesus thanked God because His power was evident in unlearned people who simply believed. And, Jesus added, it pleased God to do it that way.
So, what IS effective ministry? It is a display of the power of God over otherwise hopeless situations. No amount of training, knowledge, or skill makes effective ministry happen. Only obedient child-like faith renders one a wielder of the power of God.
Does this discount training and preparation? That is a question each of us must answer. Each of us must submit our ministry (which we are all called to do) to the litmus test of the presence or absence of the power of God.
What preparation did the 72 undergo for ministry? Other than following Jesus, very little. In fact, Luke 10.4 points out something of an 'unprepared' approach:
Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road. [Luke 4.10]
Why did Jesus do this? It seems that the 'unpreparedness' actually fostered child-like faith!
Do you see where this is going? If we are to be effective in ministry, it will be because the Holy Spirit moves freely through our lives and not because we have contributed a single effort (besides obedience) to it.
This is not to say that education and preparation disqualifies one from effective ministry (with evidence of the power of God), but it does put up a serious point of concern. The apostle Paul would later write about his own education and preparation:
I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. [Philippians 3.5-7]
No amount of preparation surpasses the value of obedience to just look and act like Jesus in the earth today. And what did Jesus look and act like? He healed the sick, raised the dead, preached the Good News...
Father, I want to look and act like Jesus.
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