You Are Part of His Ministry – Book Excerpt

Posted by davidluiz in Family, Old files, Relationships and Family

Let me share with you something that points to your worth. When I discovered this, it made me know the value that God placed on the female gender. I said to myself, God, you mean the woman is worth this much to you! Yes, woman, you are worth that much to God. Do I hear you say how much? Well, you are worth so much to God that He made you part of His ministry. I have proofs to support this and I will be sharing them with you but first let’s look at the last words of Jesus.


First, when Jesus prayed for His disciples before He went to the cross, He said:

I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
(John 17:4, NKJV, emphasis mine)

Then two chapters later while on the cross just before He died, He said:
“…It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
(John 19:30, NKJV, emphasis mine)
In the first scripture, Jesus said He had finished the work God gave Him to do and in the second scripture, to prove that He had indeed finished the work, He did not give up His spirit until He openly declared to every one that indeed, it was finished.
What was finished? His work was finished – His ministry was finished; for him to finish His ministry, it means He had done all that God wanted Him to do and that included a ministry to you.
Throughout His earthy ministry, Jesus was in touch with women. Right from the very first public act of His ministry to the last day, on which He died on the cross, He was in touch with women.
The first act in His public ministry was to turn water to wine at a wedding. In many cultures, it is not uncommon to hear the wedding referred to as the bride’s day. We can then safely say that Jesus’ very first act in public ministry was to provide the best wine at a woman’s event. Just think about it: Jesus started out by making a woman’s day! Her greatest day in fact! I wonder how that woman would have felt if she knew what Jesus had done for her and her husband on their wedding day– what a gift!
If she knew, I wonder how she would have felt seeing Jesus on the cross the day he died. I hear her saying something like this Man made my day on my wedding day. I see the warm tears running slowly down her cheeks as she yearns just to kiss His feet and look into His blood-covered eyes to tell Him thank you for the wine the other day.
Also, on the day He died, He ministered to another woman – this time, His mother. Standing looking on with the most inconsolable pain at her son bleeding on the cross was Mary. Can you imagine the pain of seeing your son die for something He didn’t do? Can you imagine the agony of gradually seeing life leave the body of your son as the blood flowed freely from His thorn-pierced head, his nail-pierced hands and feet, his spear-pierced side, and his scourged back?
This is what Mary had to go through the day Jesus died. But Jesus, with the little strength He had left ministered comfort to her with the kind of love that words cannot fully quantify:
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
(John 19:25-27, NKJV)
Mary’s cry on that day is the pain of a woman grieving over the loss of her child. It is also the pain of a woman unable to have one. But Jesus, showing the greatest measure of selfless love, not only comforted her over the loss of a child but in the same breath gave her a child. He relegated His own pain to soothe the pain of this woman – what manner of love and value He placed on his mother – and women as a whole.
I draw great strength from the scripture above and I rejoice that He did not say “Mary, behold your son,” but rather said “Woman, behold your son.” By this I believe Jesus was prophetically speaking to every woman these words of love, and great comfort.
He was speaking to you. He was speaking healing to your pain. He was speaking strength to your weakness. He was speaking refilling to you from your past that made you empty. He was speaking a child to your aching womb. He was speaking worth to your worthlessness. He was speaking joy to your sadness. He was speaking sight to your blindness. He was speaking yes to the entire no’s in you life. He was speaking purity to your filth. He was speaking life to all the dead things in your life – your marriage, your children, your finances, your career, your academics, your future, and all that concerns you. Jesus was speaking to you.
When there was happiness all around at the wedding, He was there. When there was grieving all around at the cross, He was there and without a doubt, He was everywhere in-between! So it doesn’t matter where you are right now; woman, Jesus has got a word for you today and I hear Him declaring to you that you are free to be the woman within.
Do you still need convincing that you are part of His ministry? Let us look together at the lives of some of the women He ministered to in His three and a half years of earthly ministry.
The woman with the issue of blood as recorded in the Gospel according to Saint Mark:
Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
(Mark 5:25-34, NKJV)
The last verse is the sweetest but let me point out some things about this woman. First, she was referred to as a certain woman. Her name was not mentioned.
Secondly, she had a disease of the blood and according to the ceremonial law that obtained in that time, she was regarded as being unclean (Leviticus 15:19) and not fit to dwell among people.
Thirdly, she had suffered from this issue for twelve years and had lost everything she had trying to get healed but got worse. Her case was pathetic – she had lost her name, she was considered a stigma for twelve long years, she was broke, and on top of it all, her case grew worse.
Has life made you lose your name? Have people made jest of you and called you names that made you cry? Are you broke financially, emotionally or even spiritually? Do you feel like everything is getting worse as the days go by? Have you been suffering longer than this woman? If your answer is yes then listen to me: Today, God will say to you “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
All you have to do is have faith in Him like this woman. She believed there was a miracle for her at the hem of His garment with her name written all over it. She believed she was part of His ministry and she got her miracle.
Even though many people pressed on Him so closely that He could hardly move, He felt only her touch because it was special. He felt her touch because she was special. She was so special He called her daughter.
What makes her story even sweeter is that Jesus was on His way to attend to another issue when she got her healing. If she wasn’t on His overall agenda, He would have just passed her by but because she was part of His ministry, she got her healing.
Jesus was on His way to heal someone else but there was a miracle for her even though she didn’t have an appointment! His movement was stalled because of this woman who had faith that she was part of the Messiah’s ministry. Woman, you are worth that much because you are not an afterthought.
The Syrophenician woman is another proof that you are part of His ministry:
And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
(Matt 15:22-28, NKJV)
This woman was a gentile – an outcast. She was called a dog. Before you jump to conclusions about Jesus calling this woman a dog, read how the Albert Barnes’ New Testament Commentary explains verses 26 and 27 of the above verse: Our Saviour did not intend to justify or sanction the use of such terms, or calling names. He meant to try her faith. As if he had said, “You are a Gentile. I am a Jew. The Jews call themselves children of God. You they vilify, and abuse, calling you a dog. Are you willing to receive of a Jew, then, a favour? Are you willing to submit to these appellations, to receive a favour of one of that nation, and to acknowledge your dependence on a people that so despise you?” It was a trial of her faith, and not lending his sanction to the propriety of the abusive term. He regarded her with a different feeling.1
This woman passed the trial of faith and Albert Barnes’ New Testament Commentary on verse 27 put her response in a beautiful way: “What you say is true. Let it be that the best food should he given to the children. Let the Jews have the chief benefit of thy ministry. But the dogs, beneath the table, eat the crumbs. So let me be regarded as a dog, a heathen, as unworthy of everything. Yet grant one exertion of that almighty power, displayed so signally among the Jews, and heal the despised daughter of a despised heathen mother.”2
This woman was saying, Jesus, I am not looking for the front seat where you can see me. If you put me in the overflow I wouldn’t mind. In fact Jesus, if you put me in the overflow of the overflow it still wouldn’t make a difference. It doesn’t matter where You put me, I know You will reach me because I am part of your ministry!
That was faith speaking right there. She didn’t accept the term dog that she was labelled. She knew how valuable she was to Jesus and she got her miracle. God is willing to send that long awaited miracle your way today if only you come to believe and know that you are part of His ministry.
Again I say that you were not an afterthought to be included in Jesus’ ministry after His mission had been specified. You were at the very core of His mission briefing. Woman, you are worth that much to Him.