Point 3. THE MIRACULOUS FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND
Mark 6:35-44
Three lessons here:
(i) The Concerned Ministers of Christ – Mark 6:35-36; Matthew 14:15. The disciples had concern, but they did not take laws into their hands by sending the multitudes away by themselves. Rather, they came to Christ, the Master, their Leader. “And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat” (Mark 6:35,36). There are overzealous people today, that have no regard for leadership; they take laws into their hands by sending people away from the Church without recourse to Church leadership. You don’t care to the point of neglecting leadership; it is not right and will not be rewarded by God. If the disciples had sent the multitudes away by themselves, we would have missed the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, the orderliness, organisation and structure set out by Christ (Mark 6:39-40). So don’t take laws into your hands. Let the Lord take the final decision
(ii) The Creative Miracle of Christ – Mark 6:38,41-42; John 6:10-13. “And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.” (Mark 6 41). “When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost” (John 6:12). What a lesson from Christ! No wastage. When we eat and have leftovers, we don’t throw them away but give to the people that do not have.
(iii) The Corrective Message of Christ – Mark 6:43; John 6:15-17,24; Romans 14:17; Philippians 3:18-19. See the corrective message, “Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed” (John 6:26-27). They were seeking just for the material gain, but their souls were starving and famished. They were not thinking about their eternal destiny but for the loaves of bread. The Lord wants us to think beyond the material gain and think about the kingdom! “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17). Your stomach is full, but your soul is empty, no spiritual experience of salvation yet. Go beyond the stomach, or earthly things; and think about your soul. Earthly blessings without eternal life profit nothing; food from Christ without faith in Christ equals final separation from Christ. Christ multiplies food, and yet He also gives us bread from Heaven; He heals but He also gives us holiness. If you have prosperity without purity, the final destination will be eternal perdition. The question then is, are you saved? Are you born again? You have food, do you have faith in Christ? Have you taken care of your spiritual needs? “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36,37). I pray that we will take in all that God has provided without throwing away the spiritual in Jesus’ Name. Miracle, healing, holiness, salvation, renewal, righteousness, eternal life are all available. Understand and meditate on this, if Christianity only gives you prosperity and all the material gains without salvation, holiness and righteousness, then all will be in vain eventually. You will not believe in vain. Remember to take time for renewal, refreshing, to read the Bible for yourselves and be refreshed spiritually so that by the grace of God, you will be taking inventory of your spiritual growth and progress in life and ministry, and you will not fail nor faint in Jesus’ Name.
Ponder on this! The Master never lost focus, never turned aside, nor deviated from the goal that the Father had appointed. The Father taught Him what to do and teach, and Christ kept at it. The people’s response or reaction did not distract Him; their regard or rejections did not change Him; their readiness or refusal did not make Him to stop; their repentance or resistance did not make Him to be diverted, neither did their respect or reproach mean anything to Him. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Ponder on this! The journey ahead of you is great, so you need strength and renewal. We need that refreshing and to take care of our personal lives if we are going to be the best for the people we are ministering to. You do, teach and then you rest; you work, labour and then you retire; you run, walk and then you find time to refresh yourselves. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Ponder on this! As you look at your ministry, you must make clear what you do and what you teach. Not just to have ministry without doing something and teaching the truth. The whole essence of the Christian ministry as laid down by Christ is to do and teach. Make it clear, the miracle and the message; the influence of your life and the profit to the people, and what you teach, the light of the message you bring to them. Your deeds and works are relevant. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Hard Sayings – You don’t care to the point of neglecting leadership; it is not right and will not be rewarded by God. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Reflection – We need to regularly and constantly come back to the Lord and tell Him how our lives have been during the day. And where we need strength, encouragement and support, we should tell Him too, and He will give us all we need for the following day. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Words on the Marble – Earthly blessings without eternal life profit nothing; food from Christ without faith in Christ equals final separation from Christ. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Key Words – Recharge your battery; refresh, renew, revitalise and restore your strength; rejuvenate and revive yourselves. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
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