Ministry was going great! They were gaining momentum. Jesus moved from town to town—preaching and driving out demons! Jesus was truly initiating something new. No one had ever witnessed such miracles and experienced such authority. Even the demons were kept from revealing who Jesus truly was—silencing your enemies so that they won’t reveal your true identity? That’s power! I would imagine the disciples were loving it! Everything’s coming up roses!

Be careful when everything is going your way—it’s easy to miss what matters most.

While the ministry of Jesus and disciples continued to expand, there was an inception point…a moment when things were never going to be the same. Sometimes we know these moments and other times we become aware of them afterwards. Consider these examples: a serendipitous meeting, a short conversation, a decision to fly rather than drive to a destination, helping someone in need, a short prayer. It is easy to dismiss these moments—because they are ‘moments’ that didn’t seem like a big deal to you or anyone else at the time. Inception points are different because they change the course of events to fulfill God’s most important purposes.

Inception points often reveal themselves in a pattern like this:

1. Opportunity presents itself.

2. A new situation develops and a change of plans often leads to a turning point.

3. Progress.

4. Complications and the stakes get higher setting up the point of no return.

5. A major setback occurs.

6. Push forward or give it up.

7. Afterwards...

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. (Mark 1:35) From this point in the development of Jesus’ ministry, there is a direct change. The disciples are likely excited—everyone is looking for you! Jesus responds by telling them he needed to go to other villages nearby to preach. Jesus said, "That is why I have come.” (Mark 1:38) And so Jesus and the disciples continued onto other villages as Jesus preached and drove out demons. More success! More momentum.

There are things only God could do. Two of them are purify to make people or items holy and forgive sins. After his solitary prayer time, Jesus began to publicly reveal his true identity but no one wanted to hear it. And the more Jesus revealed his identity the more the opposition grew. The inception point wasn’t rendered in the public actions that Jesus did like his preaching, driving out demons or in his ability to cleanse or forgive. I believe the inception point for Jesus was when he was alone in a solitary place where he prayed.

Disciples are made in the solitary place. So often we get swept up in the public action of Jesus that we miss the whole point of his arrival, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension. Being a disciple of Jesus is a life choice and requires an ongoing development of becoming a devoted, connected, generous follower of Jesus. But, the most important moments are not in the doing of ministry—the active, momentum building, public participation moments…our most important inception moments happen when we are alone in a solitary place so we can pray.

Watch what happens next in Mark’s gospel.

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus was indignant. (Mark 1:41)

The two times I see Jesus angry and annoyed at what he perceived as unfair treatment is here with a leper and when he arrived in Jerusalem to see what had happened to "His Father’s House.” Both circumstances revealed the inability for religion to make us right and the inept attempt of the Temple practices to atone for our sin. Jesus is the only way to make us right with God. Jesus indeed cleansed the leper and took the whip as he drove out the money changers. The Temple was meant to bring God and his people together in right relationship. The Temple was meant to be a House of Prayer.* But, the Temple had become a beacon of reality that it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (Hebrews 10:4) The Temple was a shining example of what was wrong. Jesus' indignant behavior didn’t begin on Palm Sunday, as we may have thought. Jesus’ indignation emerged from a broken heart—God’s broken heart over a broken relationship which began in a place called Eden.

God intended us for a relationship. But, what we ended up with was religion. God intended his people to be holy. But, what happened was sinful and unholy. God intended a life full of meaning, purpose and value. But, what happened was life that was dead, broken and damaged beyond repair. We needed a Savior but what we wanted was a magic man—a tent revival preacher—a demon slayer. But, what we got was a Messiah who loved the world so much he gave is one and only life that we might discover what truly living was all about. Jesus’ inception point wasn’t in the miracles, movements or mind blowing displays of power. His greatest moments were when he was one on one with his Father in a solitary place…where he prayed.

What if what you need isn’t a miracle or a divine provision of some kind. What if what matters most isn't a public act but a solitary act. What if everything we truly need is found not in what we accomplish for Jesus but who we become with him? Maybe it’s time to pray.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

*Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11; Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17

Pastor Jen