In recent visits we've looked at the ministry of John the Baptist as seen in Mark's Gospel. Let's now look at how Jesus Christ launched His ministry.

As I read Mark 1:9-45 I was impressed with some of the things Jesus deliberately did as a preparation for launching His ministry. I also noted how He spontaneously responded to situations that came up along the way. In verses 9-12 it is clear He made sure the Holy Spirit was vitally involved in His life. He also determined that the Word of God was going to be His map and mandate.

He mentioned this throughout this chapter. He would not have preached or taught anything if first, He had not received a message from His Father as found in God's Word. Verse 35 emphasizes how important prayer was to him: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."

He made time for prayer before launching out on a day full of activity. Prayer was how He got His marching orders. He selected the nucleus of his team of disciples by observing men who were diligently working as fishermen, verses 16-20.

I never noticed before that three of the first four men He chose became His inner circle. You see Peter, James and John at His side during the disciples training and at critical moments in His ministry.

It would be good to periodically review your life and ministry to make sure these same elements that Jesus deliberately put in place are part of your ministry: consistent prayer, a working knowledge of God's Word, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, selecting the right team members to stand at your side and preparing them to take over when you are no longer there.