First Presbyterian Church
647 East Market Street
Akron, Ohio 44304-1684
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Food for Thought: Wonderfully Contagious (With Me)

From the "Acts 3:15 " series...

Dr. Mark Ruppert

Mark 6:6b-13

A Parable. “A Mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. ‘What food might this contain?’ He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning, ‘There is a mousetrap in the house!; there is a mousetrap in the house!’ The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, ‘Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.’ The mouse turned to the pig and told him, ‘There is a mousetrap in the house’. The pig sympathized but said, ‘I am so very sorry Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers.’ The mouse turned to the cow. She said, ‘wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you. But it’s no skin off my nose.’ So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned with a fever. Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer’s wife did not get well. She died; and so many people came for her funeral the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. So next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it doesn’t concern you, remember that when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

In the book of Genesis, Cain said about Abel his brother to our God: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and be willing to make that extra effort to encourage one another.”

This morning we come to the fifth Defining Practice of Ministry known as WITH ME. Life is filled with WITH ME opportunities where we engage with another person or persons. If only the chicken and the pig and the cow would have empathized and worked with Mr. Mouse in our parable they would not have ended up the way they did. Now I’m not implying that if we do not stand side-by-side with another person who is facing a difficult situation or time that we will end up dead, like the chicken, pig and cow. But there will be something missing from our lives. For when we fellowship and experience life with one another our lives are enriched; our lives are blessed; our lives and our horizons are expanded. And friends, it does become wonderfully contagious for there is great joy and satisfaction when we I am WITH YOU and you are WITH ME. And I believe when engage in the “WITH ME” principle we are the better, we are blessed, we are ministered to, and I believe it pleases God.

Over the past several weeks we have been discussing the Defining Practices of Ministry. We focused the first week on Witness to our faith in Jesus Christ; then Prayer and how important our prayer life is to our daily walk with Christ; then Care where we are being need-responsive and compassionately serving those whom God has put in our path; then last Sunday Word where the Word of God is essential to our daily walk and we are sharing or imparting the Word of God to others in a non-threatening way. And now today we focus on With Me.

This morning’s scripture passage tells us that Jesus gathers His 12 disciples who had been with Him for a time. He had been teaching them, they had been observing Him. They ate together, traveled the countryside together, they were inseparable, they were like 13 peas in a pod. Jesus had invited them to share life together, to grow together, to become friends. There was something wonderfully contagious about this Jesus who had assembled such a motley crew.

He had been with them for some time and now the game plan was going to change.

Here in our passage we read that He called the twelve and began to send them out in pairs and He gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He instructed them on what to take and not to take. How to enter someone’s home and what to do if there is rejection. And we read that they went out and proclaimed that all should repent and they cast out demons and anointed with oil the sick and cured them. It was time now for Jesus to pass on the mantle of ministry to His disciples. It was time for the students to step out and move from spectators to active participants in the ministry.

It is interesting to note that, at the time of Jesus, it was customary in both the Jewish and Greek cultures to send messengers in groups of two. This was done in case something happened and went wrong, there would be two witnesses to testify on behalf of the sender. When you think about this example of Christ, God never intended that you and I go it alone- in life or in ministry. We need help, we need encouragement, we need each other. And so prior to Jesus sending out the disciples He modeled the With Me principle at it’s best.

There are three points I would like to make as we focus on WITH ME. First, PERSONAL INVITATION. Jesus had to offer an invitation to the 12 men that He met along the road of life and to whom He said, “Come, follow Me.” He invited them to come and share life with Him and we need to do the same with those we know. Life is all about relationships, is it not? There are a lot of lonely people who do not have relationships with other people.

Jesus developed a relationship with each of the 12 men. Who do we need to be intentional with and invite them into our lives so that we can share our lives with them and hopefully share our faith? Who do you, who do I need to invite into my life?

Second, Concentrate on a Few. As you seek to make your faith a living faith where you are truly a witness to others, as you seek to pray for those you know, as you seek to care for those God has placed in your path, as you share the Word of God with others, you can only extend yourself so far. So focus on a few where you can engage in meaningful, intimate relationships. Jesus loved the many but really poured Himself into the 12. Now what happens when you concentrate on a few is that you are connecting the believer more deeply with others in the fellowship. And a by-product of the WITH ME principle is that leadership can develop with the few.

And third, WITH ME Possibilities. Just stop and think about this question: Where are those places in your life where you can invite people in so that your relationship with them can provide opportunities to share life with them? One place is if you are in a small group fellowship like a women’s or men’s group or youth group or Sunday school class. Another place is with your family. Invite that person or persons over to your house for the evening. Maybe for dinner, watch a video or play a game. A nice relaxing evening with your family can be a great “with me” possibility. Another way is at fun events. Maybe you are going to a ball game or on a picnic. Invite the other person or persons to join you. And another “with me” possibility is when you are involved in ministry.

(Witness from church member)

Key Points

Introduction: A Parable

The fifth Defining Practice of Ministry- WITH ME

Life is filled with WITH ME opportunities

This morning’s scripture passage…

At the time of Jesus in both Jewish and Greek cultures it was

customary to send messengers in groups of two

Three points as it focuses on WITH ME

First, personal ___________

Jesus said, “come follow me”

Second, concentrate on a ______

Jesus loved the many but poured Himself into the 12

Third, WITH ME ___________

Small group fellowships

Family

Fun events

Ministry

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)