When people aren’t affirmed or cast aside by a father or the body of Christ, they are scarred and hindered from being His instruments in spreading the kingdom of God. Depression and feelings of inadequacy demoralize and make them impotent. In contrast, God the Father’s affirmation of Jesus Christ as His beloved Son in whom He was well-pleased empowered Him to spread the kingdom of God.
John the Baptist prepares the way of Jesus so people confess their sins and received forgiveness. Jesus baptizes or identifies you in the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:1-8).
After Christ was baptized by John, He saw the heavens opened and Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. A voice came out of heaven saying this was His beloved Son of whom He was well-pleased. Satan then tempted Christ in the wilderness (Mark 1:9-13). A son or daughter receiving a blessing and unconditional love from an earthly father allows their relationship with the heavenly Father to become more real to them. Your identity in Christ as God’s beloved son provides the context to withstand the world’s temptations and spread the kingdom of God in the world.
Confessing sins and putting complete trust in the gospel during each moment of the day allows you to overcome temptation in spreading the kingdom of God. How do you trust the gospel? By following Jesus, not the world system. What is the result? You don’t live for yourself, but become fishers of men (Mark 1:14-20):
What activities does a fisher of men do? See the following:
First Priority: Feed Upon God’s Word
1. Listen and respond to Jesus’ authoritative teaching through the Scriptures (Mark 1:21-22)
Second Priority: Meet Felt Needs
2. Command unclean spirits to come out of people in the name of Christ (Mark 1:23-28)
3. Heal sicknesses, diseases and demon-possessed in Christ’s name (Mark 1:29-34).
Third Priority: Pray & Preach Christ
4. Continuous and constant prayer to determine what Christ wants you to do (Mark 1:35-38a)
5. Preach gospel of Christ (Mark 1:38b-39a)
Fourth Priority: Show Compassion to Disenfranchised
6. Cast out demons (Mark 1:39b)
7. Show love to “lepers” or marginalized (Mark 1:40-44)
As a result of Christ being affirmed on a human level, the kingdom of God spread to the leper who shared the good news of Jesus freely so that people came to Him from everywhere (Mark 1:45).
Have you received a blessing and unconditional love from your father?
If not, ask a trusted Christian leader who knows you to pray and pronounce words of blessing and love over you.
