Life & Ministry of Jesus

In Sonlife, we have a strong conviction that Jesus is our model for life and ministry. The primary reason for this conviction is Jesus’ own words to his disciples throughout the Gospel accounts. His invitation to “Follow me” is actually a challenge to a life of imitation — to become just like Him (Matthew 9:9, John 1:43, Luke 6:40). He repeatedly shares the expectation that his disciples can and will do what he did, follow his example, and imitate his life (Matthew 20:25-28, John 6:57, 13:15, 13:34, 14:12, 20:21). Some of those disciples went on to write letters that are part of the New Testament, and they pass on this same expectation (1 John 2:6, 1 Peter 2:21).

Some pressing questions float to the surface in light of this conviction that Jesus is our model:

• Is it really possible to imitate Jesus?
• If (since) I’m filled with the Spirit of God, won’t I just naturally live the way Jesus lived?
• How can I know him and understand his ministry to such a degree that I can both live as he lived and do what he did?
• How important is it (really) to understand when, where, with whom, and why Jesus did different things during his ministry?
• What’s the best pathway to becoming a disciple-maker like Jesus and building a disciple-making ministry the way Jesus did?

Maybe you’ve wrestled with some (or all) of these questions. We certainly have.

This is why all of our resources, training seminars, and experiences are built around the life and ministry of Jesus. We want to know Jesus and dig into his life so deeply that it transforms us and leads to implementation in our own lives and ministries. We want to be like sponges, soaking up as much of Jesus’ character and priorities as possible. We want to be just like our teacher (Matthew 10:25).

One of the greatest tools we’ve discovered in the journey to becoming like Jesus is Thomas and Gundry’s Harmony of the Gospels. Looking at Jesus’ life and ministry chronologically gives us a framework for disciple-making both personally and in ministry contexts. As we unpack the events of Jesus’ life in chronological order, it becomes clear that he had a process for making disciples. Similarly, a chronological view of his ministry reveals a strategy and process for building a disciple-making ministry. In our opinion, the Harmony is a vital tool for leaders who want to be disciple-makers and build disciple-making ministries like Jesus.

However, the Harmony of the Gospels also leaves something to be desired. It’s true that we highly recommend it for studying Jesus’ life and ministry, but it can be difficult to read, and presents unique challenges as a resource to use with those you may be discipling.

For this reason, we’ve developed a new resource that makes it easy to read through the four Gospel accounts in chronological order, and has incredible value as both a discipling resource and a devotional tool. The Life and Ministry of Jesus is laid out as one flowing narrative, but it draws from the content of all four Gospel accounts in order to produce that narrative. We’ve arranged the content carefully so as to maintain the chronology while not leaving out any of the content of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

It’s arranged in sections that match Thomas & Gundry’s Harmony of the Gospels, so the two resources can easily be used in conjunction with one another. There are questions to facilitate thoughtful reflection and lead to disciple-making implementation throughout. It also contains maps and a chronology for each of the phases in Jesus’ life and ministry. This resource is not a gimmick or a silver bullet. It’s a tool that’s designed to help you navigate the Gospels chronologically. Our prayer is that you’ll find The Life and Ministry of Jesus helpful as you dig deeper into the life of the Son!

Check out the resource at our store by clicking here.

Want to learn more about Jesus’ strategy. Contact one of our team members.