There are many nations, governments, and people groups throughout the world, but there are only two kingdoms: The Kingdom of Darkness, ruled by Satan, and the Kingdom of Light, ruled by our Lord Jesus Christ. All of us are born into the Kingdom ruled by Satan, and we are held in slavery by our fear of not being in control of our life. This was what Jesus faced when He came to earth and lived an obedient life by overcoming the evil around Him through surrendering completely to His heavenly Father. Our ego will sacrifice just about anything to be in control, but the one thing it will not give up is absolute surrender to God.
People from all generations throughout history have been harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, came to earth to be the Great Shepherd of our souls. However, for that to happen, we must stop going our own way and start following Jesus. That’s the invitation given to those He tried to help. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said over and over again. The apostle Paul said it a bit differently when he encouraged people to “…follow him as he followed Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1). You see, ministry is really that simple. We hang out with people, get to know them, and invite them to follow us as we follow Jesus. To the degree that we are following our great Shepherd, to that degree we can lead other people to follow Him, also.