The Son of Man has come to serve; Therefore…

Dear Friends,

At one point in his earthly ministry Jesus said, “For even I, The Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for others.”(NLT) One of the definitions I found for servant was: “A person serving as an agent for another to attend to the wants and needs of others.”

In our culture we don’t have a good understanding of servants because few of us have ever had any exposure to those employed as servants. We have some understanding from films or books they have been portrayed in but it is not common in our culture to be exposed to servants. Over and over throughout the Gospels Jesus shows us what God is like by serving. God wants to be known through servant-hood. Thus, when Jesus describes His return in glory at the end of the world, He says, “Happy are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them.” (Lk.12:37 NASB)

So we see in the Gospels this image of Jesus as a servant. This model doesn’t fit well with what our world values nor what most of us strive to become. When you ask a child what do you want to be when you grow up? How many say, “Oh I want to be a servant!” Would that sit well with you as a parent? How many classes do you think they have at your University on servant hood?

Obviously I am writing a little tongue-in-cheek because we all must be employed at some task to provide for ourselves and to utilize the gifts and education we have received. But servant hood, as stated above, has nothing to do with how we feel but rather what we do.

In his book “Abba’s Child,” Brennan Manning writes, “What a scandalous and unprecedented reversal of the world’s values! To prefer to be the servant rather than the lord of the household is the path of downward mobility in an upwardly mobile culture. To taunt the idols of prestige, honor, and recognition, to refuse to take oneself seriously or to take seriously others who take themselves seriously, to dance to the tune of a different drummer, and to freely embrace the servant lifestyle-these are the attitudes that bear the stamp of authentic discipleship.” Then he ends this by saying, “Servanthood is not an emotion or mood or feeling; it is a decision to live like Jesus. It has nothing to do with what we feel; it has everything to do with what we do – humble service.”

In my mind when I think about Jesus and how he went about in the ordinariness of his day I picture him interacting with people much like we do. He wasn’t always healing the sick, preaching, raising the dead or floating around with his head in the clouds. Come on, he was human, much like us. And we are called to be like him. Well, how do we do that?

For me, this is how it works. I try to live my day understanding that I am loved and I am called to love others. Sometimes I do well at this, other times I don’t. But I am learning that to be like Jesus is to try to respond everyday as he would respond. Here’s a testimony of me praying with a friend while waiting to be seated at a restaurant.

“Skip Honeyman, one of our members who is involved in the prayer team ministry testified to a miraculous healing in his hip after Mike Evans prayed for him outside the White River Fish Market where several had gone to eat during the weekend. Skip decided to ask for prayer as they waited in line outside the restaurant. Mike prayed for him right there rather than wait for the healing service. Skip has suffered from pain in this hip for three years after an injury using a ditch witch. His physical exercise habits have been curtailed all of this time due to the pain. He experienced instant healing.”

If you haven’t read it yet, you can grab a copy of my book, “Riding Shotgun With God” at the link below where you’ll find Skip’s story along with many others.

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One of the things I don’t often talk about is money. I want to encourage you that have faithfully supported Wholeness Ministries over these many years. We have had all of our needs met each month because of your faithfulness. We continue to be blessed by your giving and are very grateful.

God bless,

Mike

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD

Filled With Healing Testimonies to Encourage You!

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD: A JOURNEY WITH GOD ON THE ROAD OF HEALING AND MIRACLES

This newest book is filled with stories of over 150 healing miracles that I have witnessed in my travels. I believe God prompted me to write this to encourage His people that He is still healing and restoring today.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Riding Shotgun With God

“Learning To Do What Jesus Did” is available on YouTube.

In addition to the 9 DVD series being available through Wholeness Ministries you can now watch the entire series on YouTube. The book, an excellent training manual, has been taught around the world and is available in English and Spanish. You can buy the Book, CD’s or DVD’s at the Wholeness Shop.

Learning To Do What Jesus Did (9 parts)
Available on Youtube