Passing Pastoral Encounters Along the Way
Passing Pastoral Encounters Along the Way
There are focused ministries carried out within places of worship.
Examples of these include the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in some of the Jewish synagogues. It was said of Him in Capernaum: “He entered the synagogue… and was teaching” (Mark 1:21).
And it was said: “When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished” (Matthew 13:54). It was also said: “So He came to Nazareth… and as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Luke 4:16), and “He was teaching in their synagogues, being glorified by all” (Luke 4:15).
There were also ministries carried out publicly among the crowds.
The Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), His teaching of the people until sunset in the miracle of the five loaves and the two fish—when there were five thousand men besides women and children (Luke 9:11, 14)—as well as His sermon in the house whose roof was opened and the paralytic was lowered down (Mark 2:3), or His teaching of the crowds from the boat (Mark 3:7, 9).
Yet despite His ministry to the multitudes, He also had passing encounters along the road.
Along the Way
You might call this “ministry on the move”—that is, while a person is walking, he performs acts of service, not restricting himself to formal ministries or those carried out inside the church.
Rather, it is a passing service with any person, in any place.
This is how the Lord was described: “He went about doing good” (Acts 10:38).
And it was said of Him: “Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
At times, He carried out pastoral work in homes.
In Peter’s house, where He healed his mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14–15).
In the house of Jairus, where He raised his daughter from the dead (Luke 8:51–55).
He also entered many homes, such as the house of Simon the Pharisee, where He granted forgiveness to a sinful woman and taught Simon (Luke 7:36–48).
He entered the house of Mary and Martha, where Mary listened to His teaching and He offered counsel to Martha (Luke 10:38–42).
He also entered the house of Levi (Matthew) the tax collector, where many tax collectors and sinners gathered, and He drew them to repentance (Mark 2:14–17).
As He walked along the road, He performed acts of love for people.
- Along the way, at the Pool of Bethesda, He saw a man who had been ill for thirty-eight years lying there. He had compassion on him and healed him. Later, when He saw him in the temple, He said to him: “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (John 5:14).
- Along the way also: “As He passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth” (John 9:1).
He had compassion on him and granted him sight. When He heard that the Jews had cast him out of the synagogue, He found him, called him to faith, and the man believed and worshiped Him (John 9:35–38). - Along the way in Jericho, despite the crowd, He looked up and saw Zacchaeus the tax collector, a man of short stature, who had climbed a sycamore tree to see Him. He said to him: “Make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
He paid no attention to the murmuring of all who said that He had gone to be a guest in the house of a sinner. He led Zacchaeus to repentance and said: “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:1–9).
I want you to learn this passing ministry. Every person whom God places in your path—do something for him. Do not limit yourself to your official service within the church.
Do not say, “My responsibility is only teaching Sunday School,” or “I only do social service,” or “I serve in a charitable association,” or “I am a member of the church council,” as if this passing service has nothing to do with you. No—this too is your responsibility.
One of the Lord’s passing ministries was guiding the Samaritan woman.
As He was traveling, He passed through a Samaritan village called Sychar. Tired from the journey, He sat by the well—Jacob’s well—about the sixth hour (John 4:6). A Samaritan woman came to draw water. She was a sinful woman who had lived with five husbands, and the man she was with at that time was not her husband. The Lord saw in her an opportunity for salvation.
It was a passing encounter, but a powerful opportunity for spiritual work.
He began speaking with her, asking her for water to drink, and spoke to her about living water. He led her to confession, resolved doctrinal issues concerning the relationship between Jews and Samaritans, and guided her to faith. She left her water jar and went to proclaim the message to the people of her village. The Lord then went and met them, and they all believed, saying: “This is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world” (John 4:42).
This remarkable result came from making use of a passing encounter for spiritual work. Even in passing encounters, He called some of His holy apostles. “As He was walking by the Sea of Galilee” (Matthew 4:18), He saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew, casting a net into the sea. He said to them:
“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
He had previously passed by them when they had toiled all night and caught nothing, and He advised them to let down their nets into the deep. They caught a great multitude of fish (Luke 5:6). They left everything and followed Him.
A similar story occurred with John and his brother James (Mark 1:19–20)—all in passing encounters.
Nearly the same happened with Matthew the tax collector: “As Jesus passed on… He saw a man sitting at the tax office named Matthew. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him” (Matthew 9:9).
In the same manner, the Apostle Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was called.
The Lord met him on the road to Damascus in a great light and reproached him, saying: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 9:4–5).
He called him to be a chosen vessel and an apostle to the Gentiles.
The same approach appears in the Old Testament with Moses the prophet.
The Lord met him along the way while he was tending the flock near Mount Horeb (Exodus 3:1). He drew his attention by a bush burning with fire yet not consumed. When Moses turned aside to see it, the Lord called to him and said: “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground… I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:5–6).
Other Ministries Along the Way
The Lord’s approach was followed even by some of the angels.
The seraphim were praising God around His throne, saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.”
Isaiah was deeply affected by this majestic scene and said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips.”
One of the seraphim could not bear to hear a human say, “Woe is me,” so he flew with a live coal taken from the altar, touched Isaiah’s mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged” (Isaiah 6:3–7).
It was a passing encounter. The seraph did not say, “What is that to me?” or “What is my responsibility?” His compassion moved him to perform a profound spiritual service for Isaiah.
It was ministry along the way—comforting a soul and preparing him for service. When the Lord said, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”, Isaiah immediately replied, “Here am I! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8).
Thus we see three significant encounters carried out by God, a seraph, and Isaiah—all along the way.
Another example praised by the Lord is the Good Samaritan.
He was traveling and, along the road, saw a wounded man lying between life and death. He had compassion on him, bound up his wounds, set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him at his own expense (Luke 10:30–35), while a priest and a Levite had passed by earlier.
The Samaritan did not say, “What does this have to do with me?” or “I am a stranger to him,” or “There is no dealing between Jews and Samaritans” (John 4:9). Instead, he had compassion and saved his life.
And you, dear reader—how many people has God placed in your path, waiting for you to offer such meaningful passing service?
Do you complicate matters by saying that you did not receive a divine calling to do good? And what calling did the Good Samaritan receive?
Or has God sent many people into your path, and you passed them by with indifference, as the priest and the Levite did with the wounded man? (Luke 10:31–32)
How many friends, neighbors, relatives, in-laws, or coworkers have you known for years, yet never once spoke to them about God or any spiritual matter—even in passing?
May each of us be reproached by his conscience regarding those whom God placed in our path, yet we failed to serve with this passing ministry—the ministry of the road.
Worse still, instead of serving them, we criticize them.
This is what happened in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18).
The Pharisee, meticulous in observing the Law, offered no spiritual service to benefit the tax collector. He merely condemned him in his prayer, saying: “I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.”
In contrast stands the Lord Jesus Christ, who made Matthew the tax collector an apostle, and through love led Zacchaeus the tax collector to repentance, bringing salvation to his household.
Another profound passing service is the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch.
The eunuch was returning from Jerusalem, sitting in his chariot reading the prophet Isaiah. Guided by God, Philip approached the chariot and asked whether he understood what he was reading. The conversation led to faith in Christ. The eunuch asked to be baptized, and Philip baptized him. The eunuch went on his way rejoicing, while the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and he was found at Azotus (Acts 8:27–40).
It was a passing encounter along the road that had a deep impact on the salvation of a soul.
In addition to the collective preaching of the holy apostles, they also had passing ministries with remarkable influence, such as:
- The healing of the lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3). Many gave him money, but Peter gave him healing and faith. Though it was a passing incident, its impact was far greater.
- The healing of Aeneas the paralytic and its effect on many believers (Acts 9:32–35).
- The raising of Tabitha in Joppa, leading many to believe (Acts 9:36–42).
- The baptism of Cornelius in Caesarea and its effect (Acts 10).
- The conversion of Lydia, the seller of purple, in Philippi (Acts 16:13–15).
- The conversion and baptism of the Philippian jailer and his entire household.
All these were seemingly individual acts, carried out in passing encounters, yet they bore great fruit.
Passing Encounters in Your Life
The spiritual person does not cling to formalities or hide behind them. He serves whenever God opens a door.
Sadly, some excuse themselves from work under the guise of humility, others under the excuse of “calling,” and some restrict themselves to their official church roles, quoting: “Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3).
But those with a sensitive conscience are moved inwardly.
Their hearts are stirred with compassion for others and holy zeal for their salvation. Their hearts burn with love in the field of service, and they do not offer excuses—nor are they paralyzed by fear of inadequacy or lack of visible results.
They set before themselves the example of the sower who scattered seed everywhere—not only on good soil that yielded thirty-, sixty-, and a hundredfold, but also on rocky ground and thorny soil. His task was to sow; the rest he left to God’s working grace.
Such a person also keeps before him the words of Scripture: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).
He also remembers the Lord’s words to His disciples: “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16).
“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:8).
My brother, are you a fruitful tree in the Kingdom of God?
Our fathers began from nothing, without resources, and delivered the faith to us. They labored, and we have entered into their labor (John 4:38).
May we continue their mission.
