The Faith of an Outsider: the Syrophoenician Woman

 Please read Mark 7:24-30.

OVERVIEW: Jesus went to an area around Tyre … north of Israel to minister to one lady!  That is why He went there.

     He entered a house there which may not have been Jewish—this was not a Jewish custom.

    He tried to be there in secret. He still needs rest and time alone.

   A woman fell at His feet. She rushed to Him AS SOON as she heard about Him. The stories that had been told to her-- she believed them. She had a real need: her daughter was possessed by an evil spirit.

   This woman was from Syrian Phoenicia—and a Greek. She was an outsider!

She begged Jesus to drive out the demon in her girl.

   This area was wild and very non-Jewish. In the past, it was the Canaanite tribes home land --not of the tribe of Israel. They were enemies of Israel. They practiced a decadent, depraved and idolatrous religion.

     Going way back after the Great Flood, Noah became drunk and his youngest son Ham was cursed because of his behavior with his father. Ham’s son, Canaan, was to live a life of servitude to his brothers (Gen 9:20-27).  His brother Shem became the father of Israelites, Moabites, Edomites and the Ammonites. (Gen 19:30 ff) 

     The Bible describes God cautioning the Tribe of Israel against the idolatry of the Canaanites and their fertility cult worship (Lev. 18:27). The Canaanites were driven out by Israel after 400+ years because of their lack of morality. One passage states that they were all to be killed once they were conquered by the Israelites (Deut. 20:16-17). “In the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.” .

   When Israel was taken from the Land during the captivity, many of those still in the land were from many other areas of the known world and had intermarried with still other people groups. There was a need for the people to ‘find religion’ as there were many difficulties in the land. See how the area was resettled by the king of Assyria.

     2 Kings 17: 24 The king of Assyria brought people … settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. …

 27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the LORD.

 29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. … burned their children in the fire as sacrifices …  32 They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. 33 They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

 34 To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel. 35 When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, He commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. …  37 You must always be careful to keep the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. 39 Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is He who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

 40 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. 41 Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.

   When the time of Jesus came around, those who lived in that area were considered way off base and outcast … even though they practiced some form of the Jewish faith they also worshiped as they had back when the King of Assyria ruled. They were outsiders.

     And this was this lady’s background.  There was nothing she could have done to change what she was.  And to add to the mix, this woman was a Greek.  She would be considered an unclean person … maybe not even considered a human! She was one of them, but there was a difference and Jesus saw it!

     Jesus’ first response to her is somewhat alarming. Sounds so racial, so harsh.  In effect, he called her a dog.  Not so kind.  At first sight, I was concerned that Jesus was bowing to social pressure and disregarding compassion.  But, look at this again.  He allows her to continue to request help AND He sees in her more than a seed of Faith. 

     Many times in Jesus’ ministry, He would be teaching concerning a certain topic and then, a short time later, would focus His attention on that very issue.  Such was the case here.  Just before this passage, He was doing some major teaching concerning the Jewish traditions of being clean and what was unclean.  He taught that to wash one’s hands was not as important as to have a clean heart.   The society there was ever so concerned about the need to observe many traditions of washing cups, pitchers and kettles. The religious leaders asked why His followers did not wash their hands ‘like they were supposed to.’  See Mark 7:6-8, 13-16.

     The key is in verse 15: Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him.  Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’ ( … like being a Gentile … )

     Look again at His response to the woman.  He was addressing her the same way the leaders would—with their world-view covering over the Grace of God.  Black and white.  Our way or the wrong way.  But know this: God looks at the heart.  Jesus saw in her answer a great belief system.  She believed in Him. She believed in what she had heard about Him.  The testimony of His authority had reached her ears and that information gave way to belief.  

     How do people believe?

     Romans 10: 11-13 (The Message)  Scripture reassures us, "No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it." It's exactly the same no matter what a person's religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. "Everyone who calls, 'Help, God!' gets help."

 14-17 But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?

… But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: "Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?" The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ's Word is preached, there's nothing to listen to.

What kind of faith did she have, this outsider? 

     -She had heard ‘things’ about Jesus. 

     -She acted upon what she had heard. 

     -Investigate the result with personal contact.

     -Kneels before Jesus.

     -Calls Him Lord.

     -Makes a request. 

    Simple, to the point.  Does not speak of differences in her faith like the woman at the well.  (She too was of this mixed race.) 

    She just said that she was in need of a touch on her girl.

 Conversation between the both sounds harsh, racial, and cruel. 

“children” = Israel.

“Dogs” Gentile/Greek, anyone who is NOT Jewish.

         • Jesus had just taught about clean and unclean.  This was not a matter of Jewish rules or tradition but of the heart. 

   Jesus was speaking as one IN the culture but heard as One from the Culture or Heart of God. God seeks those who seek Him---and who seek Him with a clean heart.

   Jesus spoke that it was not right for Him to spend any time with those who were not Jewish.  “Not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” Was He speaking of the bags of bread left over at the feeding of the 5,000?   Maybe, the 12 did not understand!

   She gave a great answer: Calls Him Lord! “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

   He was impressed with the answer.  Not the first time He said so about a non-Jew.  Said the same to the Centurion in Matt 8:10 When Jesus heard this, He was astonished and said to those following Him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith."

   He did not touch the daughter.  It was just His Word that was spoken.   

 Such Authority! 

                                                                                                           “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

   She did not stick around.  She must have believed because she left Jesus and returned home to find her girl well!

     So, that leaves us with a question: How do you approach Jesus?  How much do you really need to know to put your trust in Him? What kind of faith do you have? How much does He require of you to know?  Know this: His ways are not our ways and His needs are not the long list we NEED to know or have.  He is looking for a people who both know Him and want to make Him known! 

     We don’t read about it in this passage but you can well believe this lady did not keep this healing to her self!  She would have told EVERYONE!  And why not?  I once was blind but now I see.  I was in darkness and now I am in the light.  I once was burdened with worry and care but He has set me free.  I have been touched by His healing touch! The Gospel is to be known.

     Our role…our job—is to be gossiping about Jesus.  Telling all about His Grace and mercy in our lives.  If you do not know Him that way now, you can.  How much did the lady know?  Not very much!  But it was enough to feed her faith.  Jesus saw that seed form of faith and rewarded her with the desire of her heart.  Her daughter was set free.

   Do you need to be set free as well?  Turn to Jesus.  Kneel before Him and call Him Lord of your life.  There is no need to clean up first! He will clean you up once you give it all to Him.  His death on the Cross opened the way for everyone--even an outsider--to come in and find His Love and Forgiveness.  You need to do that.  If you do ask for this forgiveness, kindly write to us at the International Community Chapel of Saitama at iccsjapan@aol.com and let us know about that.  We'd be honored to pray with you and for you.  Hope to hear from you soon!

The Faith of an Outsider

Just what kind of faith does anyone need to really have faith?  This is a good question.

We want to look at that this Sunday as we turn our attention to Mark 7:24-30.

If it is at all possible, try and be at the Chapel before 10:30 AM so that all can have the seat they want and that you will be there for the beginning of our time of worship.

May His Grace fill you as you seek ways to know Him and to make Him known!

My Dad is stronger than your Dad 2/6/11

When I was a kid, it was really important to establish a certain status of where you were on the teen food-chain. Who had the upper hand? “I can do this” and “I’d did blab, blab, blab.” My Dad is stronger than your Dad! My Mother is stronger than your Dad! It was all for show and it really did not have any basis on truth or whether or not your dad could indeed even want to be stronger than another man.

It was all status. Who you were and what you could do was always challenged. An over night at a friend’s house would ALWAYS include each kid telling the most outrageous lies about themselves. Things that were really extreme! Mine was that the De La Cour family adopted me as Space Travelers had left me behind in New York City. Since few boys had ever been to NYC, it was believed. My older brother went along with this lie and told the boys that it was true; I was from a planet behind the Coalsack Nebula. (FYI: The Coalsack Dark Nebula (or simply the Coalsack) is the most prominent dark nebula in the skies, easily visible to the naked eye as a dark patch silhouetted against the southern Milky Way.)

That is nothing in the scope of being outrageous as our next passage in Mark’s Gospel, chapter 6:45-56. A man who could walk on water! That would have been a great campfire story, except that it was 100% true. Let’s read this and see what we can learn from it.

Jesus Walks on the Water Mark 6:45-56

45 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, He went up on a mountainside to pray.

47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and He was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night He went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw Him walking on the lake, they thought He was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw Him and were terrified.

Immediately He spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. 56 And wherever He went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged Him to let them touch even the edge of His cloak, and all who touched Him were healed.

Let’s walk through this story and see what is going on:

As soon as the feeding of the 5,000 were over and that the extra bags of food were picked up, IMMEDIATELY Jesus made His men get into the boat. He was to stay behind to dismiss the crowd. He also had some unfinished work to do. It says: 46 After leaving them, He went up on a mountainside to pray.

The crowd might have tried to persuade them to FORCE Jesus to be their political leader. After all, He could do it all! He could make sick people well; He could feed them, protect them from death and maybe even make the Roman army leave. He was a superman!

Crowds in this sort of a situation look for someone to follow. Look at the events in Egypt. Who will lead them? Who is talking the most? Who is getting the people to side with them? The one who is the most dynamic might indeed be leader of that country were 40% live under the poverty level. The Christian minority has been suppressed for over 30 years. The economy is in shambles. Police can’t be trusted. The SAME man held the power over them for most of their lives! Certainly, there most be someone who can walk on water? And, if we find him, we will follow him. We just need a change. Almost---any change will do!

But is that OK with you? Anything other than what I am going through right now. I need a change. If it would get me out of the problems I am facing now, fine! Even if it takes away some personal freedoms and be outside what I know to be God’s Will for me? But, NO! I’d better not! I have a Christ-Life to live. Stay the course!

So, Jesus gets away to pray. He finally finds some peace and quiet and He talks with His Father. What would He say to Him? What would His Father say back? Speculation again: “I love you Father! I praise You! I lift up Your Holy Name! Thank You for what You are doing! Thank You for what You will be doing!” And as evening comes, Jesus looks out over the Sea and sees His men in that boat. He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.

And what did Jesus do next… About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. It was almost dark when they started. During the night, Jesus could see them out there. Now, it is 4 in the morning and still they are rowing. The wind was up against them all night long. It was a hard day’s night. They’d been working like a dog! And at 4 AM, Jesus walks on the water by them while they were in the boat on His way to the other side of the Sea. He intended to go right by them.

He went to them. True, not in the usual way but He went to them. He cared, yet He was about to pass by them, What is all that about? He was also not going to show off to them. And when they saw Him, they greeted Him and called out to Him with glee. No, they freaked out! when they saw Him walking on the lake, they thought He was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw Him and were terrified. Very … predictable response on their part.

Granted, none of them have ever seen anything like it before and neither have you. You’d do the same as they. Walking on the water is radical! It is not something you see every day---in fact, you will never see it! But here comes Jesus. Walking on the water.

My Savior can walk on water; Can your savior do that? There are a lot of false saviors in the world today. In First John, he calls them the “anit-christ.” And they will increase in the world as the end comes nearer. Many claim to be The Christ but only One is the REAL Christ…and His name is Jesus. And there is huge amount of evidence to support that! The Bible, changed lives. Many verses in the Bible point to Him as being The Messiah.

Isa 50:6 for one, tells of the time of His problems at the trial. “I offered My back to those who beat Me, My cheeks to those who pull out My beard; I did not hide My face from mocking and spitting.”

And the long verses from Isa 53:4-12.

That Savior was walking on water. Is that so hard to believe? We have seen from our studies so far, that this Jesus had 100% authority over scores of things…from nature, to sickness, to demon spirits, to death itself. He did not do this to show off. He was going to pass them but when they cried out, He went to them to give them comfort.

“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Comfort, ye My People!”

You see, the fishermen and those who lived around the sea had a belief that demons lived in the deep waters. They lived down there and they would, from time to time, visit the surface and cause damage. Jesus spoke to them, “It is I!” “Don’t be afraid!” I’ll take care of you. Haven’t I already shown you how I take care of you? I provide all you will need. You can be filled and be satisfied in Me.”

And the waters in your life are stormy. You are in deep water and the wind is blowing, and you may fall overboard. It is dark and there are no lights but you are splashing, turning, falling deep into the dark unknown. And Jesus speaks to you. Right where you are today! Verse 36-b and all who touched Him were healed.

Does that sound good to you? That is how this passage ends. That is a good ending. But the rest of the story is yet to be lived out.

The Gospel has a good side to it! Redemption, Salvation, eternal life! Forgiveness! The rewards of following Him! Being partakers of the Divine Nature! (2 Peter 1:4) It’s all-good!

But the Gospel also has a dark side to it. We will have persecution. “My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one.” John 17:15

Think about it! Jesus had been with them as they came over the sea in the storm…He calms it. They landed and are met with a man with a legion of demons…He sets him free. They see a woman who, for 12 years, has been bleeding…she is healed. A young daughter of a synagogue ruler been brought back from the dead. 5,000 people filled with fish and bread and now this-walking on the water. ……..And all along, they were hearing the teaching of this Man Jesus. Vs 51-52 They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. So why should we be surprised? Are we hardened, too? Jesus has the authority over all things.

He has authority over you. He is calling you to follow Him. He is calling you to give what you have to keep that which only He can give you. Life in HIS Name! He is calling you to call Him ruler of your life. He will not knock you down. He will not smack you on the side of the head. He will not pull your leg. He just went to the Cross and died for you.

And now He is walking on the water. Showing you His Power. Let Him take you for a walk of your life. Let Him be who He is: Lord of ALL. And all who touched Him were healed…

How Does God Feed You? And Why Should I Care?

Please read Mark 6:30-44

With just one month into 2011, most resolutions have probably waned or vanished altogether. As followers of Christ, it's exciting to remember that we have the unfailing love of God and the constant promise of renewal through His Grace. There is no need to wait for New Year's or spring or any other outside prompting. God helps us to see our errors, forgives us, and shows us how to correct them and to grow closer to Him. God is never boring! Every moment with Him is full of promise and transformation.

This month is almost over. As we say goodbye to this month and welcome February, we need to ask ourselves a question: How can this month be different from all the other months in my life? We will be looking at the same passage this week as we did last Sunday. Let us look to God’s Hand to show us how to depend on His leading and on His providing us with all we need to walk this Walk of Faith.

Today, we will be looking at six statements or questions that deal with this miracle.

First: the background.

The “Feeding the 5,000″ is the only miracle recorded by all four Gospels.

Disciples came back from their mission, they were tired and hungry, did not have time to eat. They needed rest.

Jesus just heard about the death of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:13).

Jesus wanted Himself and His disciples to withdraw from the crowd so that they can have some rest.

They headed to Bethesda, by boat to discourage the crowd from following them. Trying to get away from them.

Bethesda – City name means “Fisherman’s house”, it was home of Philip, Andrew and Peter.

They were looking for a Mini vacation!

Crowd there was in deep need; much physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. The people sought teaching and healing. They were already gathered at the place, before Jesus arrived.

Mark 6:34 says that Jesus had compassion on them because they were sheep without shepherd.

How do we respond when they invade our privacy?

So many times, when we are tired and weary, under stress, and people come to us in need, and we try to avoid them. They come with hope of getting something, to share or to have fellowship. Are we available to their needs?

Jesus had compassion on them; He welcomed them not out of duty or obligation, but out of love and care & God’s Will. You may want to think of an incident, when you are so tired and need rest, and your friend comes and you start thinking, “Oh, no, how do I get rid of him?” Need to be careful!

Jesus was a caregiver—first to His disciples and then to the crowd.

Jesus taught them about the Kingdom of God, healed them (for hours). (During this time, the Beatitudes were being shared as well as teachings on being Poor in Spirit and what the Kingdom of Heaven was like. HUGE topics and spiritual battles.)

Jesus must be teaching well, that crowd did not disperse in the evening; they were too engrossed into listening to Jesus. (Of course! As NO ONE TAUGHT LIKE THIS MAN, with such authority!)

Think of any church meeting, when preacher goes little long, and people start looking at their watch. Not this way with Jesus. Not a sin to look at the watch but there are things that must be more important. Only two hours a week in worship is not enough for any believer.

“Give them something to eat”

Crowds were not worried, but the disciples were. It’s like the 12 came and tells Jesus, “its time to close, let them go.” Jesus reply is startling, “Give them something to eat.” – What!?

Was Jesus serious, 5000 men, women, and children? They didn’t have enough money to feed them. It is like an eight-month’s wages, thousand of dollars, were they going to use all that for feeding them one meal?

I am sure they were trying to think practically, "Let them go." But Jesus’ ways does not seem practical at times.

Read Judge 6-7: Gideon’s army of 300 men winning against 150,000 Midianites.

“What do you have?”

Jesus asks another question, “What do you have, go and see?” Don't just wonder what is for your use. Get active. They found a boy with five loaves of bread and two fishes

How can a few pieces of loaves, fishes feed the 5000?

Totally inadequate, impossible to feed them all, but this is all they had.

Jesus prepared them for a Miracle – All were hungry, He didn’t want chaos, disorder, shoving, pushing. He wanted to organize, to give order to the crowd.

Disciples don’t understand, “Why is He doing that?” However, as confused they were, they followed what He said. Sometimes you just got to do what He said to do! Jesus wants us to act in faith, though it may sound foolish or silly or unlikely at the time. Jesus did not do miracle first and then told them about organizing crowd. He readied the crowd and His 12!

Prayer of thanksgiving –most important part of miracle. It came from God! Giving thanks to The Father, not credit on Himself, but exalting God, the Father. Thanking and blessing God. He then broke them and distributed them.

Five thousand people-- must have taken some time. AND ALL were fed and satisfied!

Jesus’ final assignment for His disciples:

“Go and gather broken pieces.” To make them realize that God’s provision is more than adequate. (He, in fact, later on reminds them about it in Mark 8:19) Profound impact on disciples, all gospels have account of it. How does it impact you?

Why this miracle?

This miracle created a problem for Jesus’ ministry. Popular for providing but not so much in the spiritual sense.

In was also a Lesson of Discipleship for His Disciples. Do what He tells us to do!!!

“What do YOU have?”

Of course, our resources are way inadequate for the needs of this world. But we are to bring what we have to Him. And put it into His Hands.

There may be a need for clear vision and planning. This is not always the case. Time is sometimes an issue. We must be open to His leading: stop what you are doing, look and see what He is doing and go do it WITH Him! He will in turn, bless them and place them back into your hands, multiplied, more powerful than you can ever imagine. Too often, we are overwhelmed by the need, and give up, questioning adequacy of God.

When we see the world, we are stunned by the need all around us. People are deserting God. So much of pain, and suffering, persecution, hurt, wars. And we realize that our resources are very limited. We might feel we cannot help due to lack of resources, so we hold back: Don’t!

Jesus is looking for people who are ready to believe, trust Him, who are willing to bring whatever little they have. (Instead of complaining or stepping back.) God’s provision is more than adequate. Are we ready to trust Him, believe that even though the task is immense! Our God is more than sufficient!

All we need to do is to bring our resources, use our gifts, talents, time, energy, and He is going to bless them and multiply them. Our role in all this is to agree with is plan to make disciples. We need to discover out spiritual gifts and work inside that framework.

Consider this truth! (APPLICATION)

Q: How does five loaves of bread and two fish feed 5,000?

A: God’s math doesn’t need to add up.

Now, I can understand the saying: “… the wise man (who) will invest everything he has in the life of Faith.” ~Michael Eaton. Rather than holding back on what we have, hoarding it for ourselves, we are to extend our influence—our resources—to the needs around us. God invites us to be investors for the Kingdom of God. This is not only about money, It is about having the Holy Boldness to do many things to spread the Gospel and then wait for God’s blessing to come in.

Some of the things we do, we do them because of time restraints. The Singapore Team has come here for the past three years. They had invested a large amount of money in their outreach into our neighborhood. They spent a lot of time in prayer before they came. While they were here, they engaged in extended prayer times for the Work of God’s Spirit. Ken-San spoke three times this past Christmas. At one meeting, only a few came and heard his message. On Christmas Day, he spoke again and the response was very positive! Five adults FROM OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD responded that they wanted to ask Jesus into their lives. Three others indicated interest in learning more about the claims of Jesus. Question: can you put a price tag on that? Sure a lot of money was spent. But also, five of our neighbors have new life.

But, now, what is our response to that? Invite people from Singapore to come again in 11 months and do it all over again? I think not. We need to do that work—as a Church Body. We need to be the ones who give up our five loaves and two fish so that Jesus can touch our efforts and bless them and feed others in our area with the Good News. If we don’t, then we better not open ourselves to teams from outside our area to do the work for us. We need to be the ones who do the outreach.

We should never stop investing with the Gospel in as many places as we can. Whenever we as a Church engage in Kingdom activity, we offer the Holy Spirit something He can and often will use to save people’s souls.

Wasn’t that what Jesus was aiming at? Was it to feed the people with bread and fish or was He interested in meeting special needs of the people? They looked at this miracle as proof that He could be the political leader of Israel. Jesus was looking to set them free from the bondage of being self-centered and careless and free from the dullness of life. Of being concerned more for the needs of people’s broken hearts.

We are broken people. Jesus did not come to fix us! He came to make us new! That is the Power of the Gospel. To take away our cold hearts and to give us new hearts that is made in the likeness of our Creator God.

What do you have to give to Jesus today? Something small? It does not matter—not in His Hands! Five or 5,000 loaves of bread. Two or 20,000 fish. When He touches our gifts, a miracle happens. Let Him touch what you are & what you have and see what happens!

How Does God Feed You?

Please read Mark 6:30-44

Does Jesus really care about your needs? After reading this passage, you may wonder… sure, He did such a wonderful job with the small obento the boy had. Five loaves and two fish—to feed over 5,000 people on that hillside—was more than enough!

But does He do that kind of thing today? Does He really provide for His People? When we look at the Old Testament, we can see times in the Hebrew’s history when God sure had provided for them. Victory in war, manna from the sky when no food was available, opened the Red Sea to escape the Egyptian army. Even when things looked bad for Israel, God’s promise was to hold the test of time. He would say: “I am the God of Israel!” “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

So, today, we hear of people’s needs. Someone will share his or her need for a job. Another, their need for better health. Still another, the need for comfort. Does God really answer—like He did in the times of the Bible?

Who would say YES to that? And why would we say YES? Because some of us have seen such answers to our prayers. Our needs were met. Our bills were paid. Our loved one is yet alive! And still we have some doubt. Please understand that some doubt is good—when it brings us face to face//heart to heart with the Person of Jesus. In our story today, He was the One who directed the action, the one who caused the 12 to see something that was out of the ordinary. ~ A miracle.

Some would say that when the people there saw the generous actions of the one with the small lunch, they broke down and shared what they had and when it was all over, everyone had shared with everyone else and everyone was filled—even with a surplus left over.

But that was not what happened. If it did happen that way, the story would have been told that way. In truth, Jesus, who knew that there was going to be a need, took what was given to Him and He multiplied it many times over.

Think of what that would mean to us today! A point of application here: IF WE GIVE WHAT WE HAVE TO JESUS, HE WOULD BLESS IT AND MULTIPLY IT MANY TIMES OVER.

Whenever we as a Church engage in Kingdom work (enterprises), we offer the Holy Spirit something He can and often will use to save people’s souls.

Wasn’t that what Jesus was aiming at? Was it to feed the people with bread and fish or was He interested in meeting special needs of the people and of His 12? The people looked at this miracle as proof that He could be the New Leader of Israel. He was looking to set them free from not the bondage of Rome but from the bondage of being self-centered and careless. From being concerned more for the things of this world than the needs of our broken hearts.

We are broken people and as Vidar reminded us last week, Jesus did not come to fix us! Jesus came to make us new! That is the Power of the Gospel. To take away our stone cold hearts and to give us new hearts that is made in the likeness of our Creator God.

So, how does God feed us today? First, you need to know when you are hungry. Sometimes during the workday, you might just keep working without a break. You start to have a hunger pains and you feel a little dizzy. Then you look at the clock and say, “Wow, I have not eaten yet!” Once you feed your body, you feel refreshed and continue the work.

It is true with Spiritual Hunger. Do you know that you are spiritually hungry? Many people don’t know that they are starving their spirit. Many don’t even know there IS a spiritual part of their being! They go through life and there may be a tug in their sprit but the person is not use to that feeling so they let it go. Jesus said that if you are hungry, come to Him and eat and be satisfied!

It is true with being thirsty. Without water, you can become dehydrated and fall sick. Again, Jesus said—and he is talking of a different level of thirst, Come to Me and drink and not be thirsty again.

John 4:14 "whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.

John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink.

There is a vast hole in our lives. We try to fill it with all sorts of things; some good things ~ other bad things. We look for love. (We might look for it in all the wrong places.) We look for it friendships; we look for it in families; in fellowships and it seems dry and lacking real joy.

I asked the question at the start of this talk: How does God feed you? Here are some ways: He feeds us through Friendships. A true friend is a gift from God. One that will stick closer than a brother. A friend that we can share our life with! This is a true Gift from the Lord.

He feeds us with Family. Sometimes, families are the most difficult people to live with. Strangers get along better than some families do. Why is that? Because the family is God’s building block for community. He wants us to be in a family that reflects His love and care. It is His way to build us up into the people we need to be. The Evil One, Satan’s design, is to fight the ways of God. To destroy families. To hurt friendships and to drive a wedge between family members. But God’s design is to build up the family. He feeds us with families that care.

He feeds us with Fellowship. Many times, after the service is over, people stay around here for one, two even three hours and then, leave together to go have more fellowship someplace else. That is feeding time for us. We are made to fellowship. We do our best service for Him when we fellowship, because that reflects His Love and Holy Character. He feeds us in our fellowships.

The Bible talks about Wisdom as a person. Looking at the Book of Proverbs, verse after verse teaches us how important Wisdom is in our life. With Wisdom, we can really know Him. Proverbs 4:5 says “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget My words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you. Love her and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”

The beginning of wisdom is the knowing of God! With Wisdom, the walls of doubt and loneliness are pushed down. Proverbs 24:3-4 “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”

The biggest way Jesus feeds us is by His WORD. The Word of God, the Bible, is the source of all there is to know about Him and His plan for you. His Word is a lamp unto my paths, a light unto my way. He makes the path clear when I look at it from His Word.

His joy is found in His creation enjoying Him. That is the full duty of man. To love Him and to enjoy Him forever. Our hunger goes away when He satisfies our soul. We thirst no longer for the things that will dry up because we have taken His Word into our lives and we now are really alive! We are not fixed but made new.

Once a person becomes a follower of Jesus, all the old things pass away and all things become new! 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. We are no longer sheep without a shepherd—alone in the world—blinded by the shinny stuff of material lust. We are found. We have a place to go when we die. He has prepared a place for us. He died on the Cross to take our sins away. We all need to turn to the God of the Bible and receive what He died to give us: FORGIVENESS for our sins!

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Next Sunday.

Only a few weeks into 2011, most resolutions have probably waned or vanished altogether. As followers of Christ, it's exciting to remember that we have the unfailing love of God and the constant promise of renewal through His Grace. There is no need to wait for New Year's or spring or any other outer prompting. God helps us to see our errors, forgives us, and shows us how to correct them and to grow closer to Him. God is never boring! Every moment with Him is full of promise and transformation.

When someone asked me what my New Year's resolution was, I quickly realized that the myriad of things I'd been considering - to be kinder and more patient, to be a better friend, to develop a more positive attitude - were all covered by being a dedicated follower of Jesus. If my life truly reflects the love of Christ, then patience and kindness and cheer will naturally follow.

How can this week be different from all the other weeks in my life? Maybe as we look again at the Feeding of the 5,000 from Mark 6, the Lord will show you how to depend on His leading you and on His providing you with all you need to live this Life of Faith.

The Power of God

The Power of God is the Power of the Gospel.

Romans 1:14-17 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Next Week: Mark 6:30-44

Just what was Jesus' main point in this passage?

Was it only to feed 5,000 people with a small obento of five small loaves of bread and two fish?

How does the Church today face shortages and can God provide us with all we want and need?

How does this feeding relate to the Mission of the Church today?

Come next Sunday, 10:30, for Worship and the Word.

Special Service on Jan 9th!

We are welcoming staff from 24-7 Prayer to share Sunday at ICCS.

They are part of an international interdenominational community committed to prayer, mission and justice. Starting in England in 1999, 24-7 Prayer has spread to 100+ nations. Mr. Jon Petersen leads the 24-7 Prayer teams in USA & Canada. He was raised in Japan as a missionary kid.

Go to their web site for more details: www.24-7prayer.com


Worship starts at 10:30 and goes until about 12:15.


Come and learn how YOU can be part of a Prayer Movement that will change the country of Japan and that of all Asia.