Sunday, Nov 9th was our 5th anniversary as a church. It was great to look back on the memories in the slide show at church and hear testimonies to what God has done in people’s lives through New Heights. There is nothing more exciting than seeing God transform lives. But I believe God’s primary concern this morning is what are we going to do in the future? We may look around and think, “Well were too small to do much!” Is that the truth?
I think Jesus wants to challenge that notion. In our Monday small group Bible study, we're going through Henry Blackaby's “Experiencing God” workbook. In unit 6, Blackaby says, “Never determine the truth of a situation only by looking at the circumstances. Don’t evaluate your situation until you have heard from Jesus. He is the truth.” (p. 122)
For a Biblical example of this, let's look at John 6:1-15 “After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, ‘Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!’ Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ‘There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?’ ‘Tell everyone to sit down,’ Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, ‘Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.’ So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves. When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, ‘Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!’” (NLT)
Do you ever wonder if God tests our faith like Phillip's? Might Jesus say to us, “Feed 5000 in this community with the Gospel"? If so, how should we respond? Would we say, “Our budget can’t do it”? There’s too few of us! We’re too afraid! We don't have the time!"
If you had asked the disciples, “What is the truth of this situation?” They might have said, “The truth of this situation is that it is impossible.” Was that correct? NO
Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am…the Truth.” The Truth Himself fed the 5000. The Truth Himself is here with us. He lives inside each of us who are a follower of Jesus. Together, we the church are the Body of Christ.
Truth stands and says to us today, “Believe Me!” The question for each of us is, do we believe Jesus is able to accomplish what He wants here at NHCC? God has given us a vision and it can succeed beyond our wildest dreams because Truth Himself is here with us!
I think Jesus wants to challenge that notion. In our Monday small group Bible study, we're going through Henry Blackaby's “Experiencing God” workbook. In unit 6, Blackaby says, “Never determine the truth of a situation only by looking at the circumstances. Don’t evaluate your situation until you have heard from Jesus. He is the truth.” (p. 122)
For a Biblical example of this, let's look at John 6:1-15 “After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, ‘Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!’ Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ‘There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?’ ‘Tell everyone to sit down,’ Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, ‘Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.’ So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves. When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, ‘Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!’” (NLT)
Do you ever wonder if God tests our faith like Phillip's? Might Jesus say to us, “Feed 5000 in this community with the Gospel"? If so, how should we respond? Would we say, “Our budget can’t do it”? There’s too few of us! We’re too afraid! We don't have the time!"
If you had asked the disciples, “What is the truth of this situation?” They might have said, “The truth of this situation is that it is impossible.” Was that correct? NO
Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am…the Truth.” The Truth Himself fed the 5000. The Truth Himself is here with us. He lives inside each of us who are a follower of Jesus. Together, we the church are the Body of Christ.
Truth stands and says to us today, “Believe Me!” The question for each of us is, do we believe Jesus is able to accomplish what He wants here at NHCC? God has given us a vision and it can succeed beyond our wildest dreams because Truth Himself is here with us!
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