Text: Excerpts from Luke (Verses 3:21, 4:1, 4:13, 4:14, 4:18-19, 4:32, 4:36, 4:43)

As you read through the first few chapters of the gospels, it is told how Jesus’ ministry began. In Luke chapter 3 & 4 there is an interesting sequence of events that I think paints a good picture and gives us a good formula for how God empowers our obedience to Him. One of the things I hear most people in ministry ask is “How can I be more effective in my ministry?” There are a number of ways to answer that question. One answer is not to seek to be more effective in your ministry. The very question itself shows an improper alignment of spiritual priority. I don’t think Jesus ever sought to be effective in ministry, yet there was no one who was ever more effective in ministry than He. His life demonstrated a perfect harmony with the Holy Spirit and the will of His Father that is just as available to us today.
But in Luke chapters 3 & 4 we see another more significant answer to the question. The example that Jesus set for us was that in all He said and did He sought to be led by the spirit. In Luke 3:21, the gospel records his baptism by John. Other gospels share the incident and which ever account you read, they all end the same way, “…Heaven was opened.” When Jesus obeyed God by receiving water baptism, the heavens were opened to Him. I believe that an open heaven is an essential key to living a life led by the spirit and having an effective ministry. How do we get an open heaven? We seek absolute obedience to the will of our heavenly Father. In Matthew 3:14 John even tells Jesus, “You should be baptizing me!” (paraphrase) But Jesus humbled himself and set the example of a servant leader by allowing John to baptize Him.
In Luke 4:1 we read that Jesus, after His baptism and commissioning by His heavenly Father, went out in the desert to fast in the wilderness for 40 days. It doesn’t say He just went, the bible says He was “lead by the Spirit.” It is essential to make sure that you have clearly heard God’s voice before you undertake any task no matter how noble or right it might seem. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” If you’re not clearly hearing God’s voice then you are just following your own feelings. It is vitally important to have the ability to discern God’s voice and obey it if you want to live a life led by the spirit and be an effective minister.
In Luke 4:13 we see how perseverance and grounding in the word of God triumphs over the temptation of the enemy. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Jesus demonstrates that truth perfectly by using the word and setting himself to obedience of the Father’s will. Another important key to being led by the spirit and having an effective ministry is to know the word of God inside and out!
In Luke 4:14 Jesus is now returning to begin His public ministry. Once again, don’t miss the essential key phrase, “in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Waiting on the Lord, letting the Lord guide you, lead you and commission you in His timing and moving when He tells you to move are the ways that you will not only be sent out but you will be sent out in power.
Luke 4:18-19 records a climactic moment in the earthly ministry of our Lord. This was his “coming out.” He reads the text from Isaiah 62:1-2. Why did he pick this one? The scripture sums up not only what Jesus earthly ministry was but what our earthly ministry should be. You want to be an effective minister? Do the things that are in God’s heart! Preach the good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners & recovery of sight to the blind, release for the oppressed. Lastly, proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Any effective ministry should have all these elements. These are the things we will do if we are being led by the Holy Spirit.
So what was the fruit of Jesus’ life? That may sound like a rhetorical question but I believe we can learn a lot from asking ourselves this. I believe any ministry can be judged by its fruit. So what was the fruit from Jesus’ obedience? In Luke 4:32 we see that from the onset, the people recognized that Jesus had an authority that had not seen before. One way to know if you’re being led by the Spirit and being an effective minister is if the words you speak or the works you are doing are being received as from the Lord. Do your sermons have authority? Are people coming up to you telling you how something you said changed their life? Are you laying hands on people and watching them get healed? OD blind people see when you touch them. Are people being instantly delivered form oppression when you pray for them? These are all fruits of a life led by the Spirit. To accept anything less as a minister of the gospel is to deceive yourself.
We also see this authority in Luke 4:36. He casts out a demon and the people marvel at Him. They had never seen someone with authority over evil spirits. A life of fasting, holiness and submission to God’s will are keys to having the authority which is the key to effective ministry.
Lastly, in Luke 4:43 we read something interesting that might often be overlooked in a casual reading. Jesus says, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom…” Jesus was driven, focused and made God’s will for His life an earnest priority. We see the same attitude exemplified by Paul the apostle in I Corinthians 9:16, “…for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” When we give ourselves over totally to the Holy Spirit, our lives will be marked with a sense of urgency. We will look at all the lost and dying people around us and be moved with so much compassion that we won’t be able to help but to do whatever we can to rescue them from the grip of Satan. Many times in Jesus’ ministry we see this demonstrated. In Mark 6:34 He saw the crowd of people as, “sheep without a shepherd.” He couldn’t help but to preach the good news to them.
We as believers should pursue the same type of urgency in Christ. We should be willing to completely die to our own comforts and agendas and step into a life that is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Then and only then will we become effective ministers.

How to pray this scripture:

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray that I would seek a heart after your own. I pray that I would surrender my desires to purse a life led by the Spirit. I pray that I would not move until you tell me to move and that I would only say what you tell me to say. I pray that I would put the things that are in your heart into my heart and pursue your kingdom purposes with all of my heart. I pray that I would crucify my flesh daily and seek a life controlled by the Spirit. Mold me and shape me more and more into your image each and every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Additional Scriptures:

Romans 8:6
Philippians 3:10-11
Galatians 2:20