The Twenty Stones of Itinerant Ministry Introduction Prayer The Camel Knees Road to Revival Billy Graham was once asked, “What are the three most important ingredients to revival?”  He responded, “Prayer, prayer and prayer!”  The itinerant minister who does not have a healthy prayer life does not have a ministry but rather an occupation because the New Testament road to revival begins its journey with prayer.  A great example of this occurs in Mark 2 with Jesus in the city of Capernaum.  As a matter of fact we can draw a formula from these passages that can be utilized for any type of meeting whether it be a Disciple Now, a Revival, a one-day event or a conference.  Mark has been described as the ‘action gospel’ meaning that this book is very straightforward and focusing more on what Christ did than what he said.  It is a resume, if you will, driving right into the ministry of Jesus skipping genealogies and any childhood accounts.   The story in Mark 2 is a familiar one, Jesus goes into Capernaum so that He may preach (Mark 1:38) and word spreads like wildfire that Jesus was in the house.  More people showed up than there was room for, they were flowing out of the doorway and outside of the house!  But the Scriptures say, “He preached the word to them.”  During all of this, four men carried a paralytic to the house but could not get near Jesus for the crowd was too big so they took the him to the roof and cut a hole over where Jesus was and lowered him in on his bed before the Savior.  Because of their faith Jesus forgave their sins and healed the man, put the Scribes in their place and following all of this there was a celebration and “all were amazed and glorified God.”  Now that is revival!  Large crowds coming to Jesus to hear him teach the word, sins forgiven, lives healed and put back together and celebration over what only God could do and has done.  As itinerants, this is what we want in our ministry, God to show up in an extraordinary way.  So where does the Mark 2 formula for revival begin?  In Mark 1:35-38: Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”  But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”
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In studying the life and ministry of Jesus, I think we will find that the idea of getting away and getting alone with the Father is not an unusual one.  If it was a priority to the ministry of Jesus then should not our journey into an itinerant role begin and be constantly on our knees alone before God?  We must purge the thought from our minds that if we wear the right clothes, have the right look, a good website and a couple of culturally relevant sermons then we have positioned ourselves for God to use us.  With all of the chatter about positioning our ministries for God to use us, we must be firmly convinced and know that the only position God blesses is a servant on his knees.  The dictionary defines ‘itinerant’ as “traveling from place to place.”  As itinerant ministers we must always realize that we have no power if we don’t travel on our knees.  back
 
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