A Callous Spirit (1)

“You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.” Lk 9:55 NKJV

The disciples had a problem with their attitude, and Jesus “called them on it” six different times in two chapters. Let’s look at each and see what we can learn: A callous spirit. Instead of believing Christ could feed the crowd with five loaves and two fishes, they said to Jesus, “Send the multitude away” (Lk 9:12 NKJV). One of the dangers of succeeding in ministry is that you can end up loving crowds but not really caring for individuals. Or wanting contributors, but not wanting to spend time meeting people’s individual needs. Years ago a man decided to visit the churches of two well-known television ministers he liked. After hearing the first, he asked if he could say hello to him. But the minister’s “handlers” said no, suggesting he call for an appointment. Disappointed, he went to hear the other minister, and was invited to lunch with him following the service. Feeling valued, he handed the minister a check for—four million dollars. (This is a true story.) You must always be approachable, available, and affirming. You must keep the personal touch. True, you can’t personally minister to all who are sick and counsel all who are hurting. As a pastor, having quality time to prepare sermons and Bible studies must be a top priority. But Jesus was “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Heb 4:15) because He mixed and mingled with us. Only as you stay in touch with people’s needs, can God use you to meet those needs in real time. The saying goes, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” So, do you care?

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