Mans Three Basic Needs

Would you take your Bibles, please, and turn to Mark chapter 6? So we talked today about our three basic needs. It's in this little section of scripture again that we have it's similar to last week. We have three little stories of three parickies as they call them. Strong together to illustrate and to set forth a theme that Mark wants us to be aware of. Last week we saw three stories about being the witnesses of Jesus Christ. How Christ witnessed to his family and friends in his hometown of Nazareth, how the Apostles went out into all the towns and cities of Galilee. Perhaps their hometowns where their families were and witnessed for Jesus Christ and how John the Baptist was a fearless witness to Herodontopost the King which eventually cost him his life. And in this passage of scripture today, beginning in Mark chapter 6 verse 30, we have a change of scene. The Apostles have come back from their great and their first fruitful missionary journey which Jesus sent them out at six pairs of two each. They had preached and cast out demons and healed the sick and they had had tremendous success. In fact in chapter 6 verse 12 it says so they went out and proclaimed that people should repent and they cast out many demons and anointed with well many who were sick and healed them. So they returned to Jesus Christ and they're pumped. They're excited about what they what they were able to accomplish in chapter 6 verse 30. The Apostles returned to Jesus and told them all that they had done and taught. They were amazed that that the demons were subject to them and that that their preaching was as effective perhaps in some places more effective than Christ said then. And and they're just beside themselves. In fact in another instance in another gospel they said, Lord even the demons were subject to us in your name. And Jesus surprises them rather than say, well men let's strike while the iron is hot. We're on a roll. He does the opposite in verses 31 and 32. Jesus said to them, come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. From any were coming and going and they had no leisure even to eat and they went away into boat to a desolate place by themselves. It appears that the crowd that had been following Jesus Christ because of his powerful preaching and his amazing miracles has now leaped into a 12-fold crowd because now not only are the fans of Jesus Christ following him, but the fans of these 12 Apostles who were able to do these amazing things. This is the only place by the way in Mark's gospel where the word Apostle is used. These men who were disciples, these 12 were sent ones from the word Apostaleo to send out. They were Apostaloid in the Greek. But before they were Apostles, they were disciples. The word Apostle speaks about their mission, what they were to do for Jesus Christ. The word disciples speaks about their status, what they were in Jesus Christ. And what they do flowed out of who they were,

maintaining that balance is difficult for us. The balance between our status and our function, our discipleship and our mission, and there always seems to be in all areas of church history, kind of attention between these things. Donald English is a little commentary on the gospel of Mark says, in most of our denominations, we seem more committed to status definitions than to function definitions, to structures rather than to tasks, and to self-preservation rather than to ministry and mission. It's not that status is somehow wrong, or that structures are evil. It is simply that they play too large a part in our thinking and in our activity while function and service play too little. I've just returned from our general assembly, and during that week we have a panel discussion. We had three men who talked about the past and the present and the future of the Presbyterian Church in America, Roy Taylor, our state clerk, who 70 years old talked about our past, and how we came to be the denomination of the church that we are today. And the man who talked about our present was Dr. Brian Chappell, who's 60 years old. And Murray Lee, who's in his 40s, talked about our future as a denomination. They all had amazing things to say, but it was, I think, the comments of Brian Chappell that were the most insightful and compelling. He acknowledged that this was an oversimplification, but most illustrations are, most summary statements are, that if we divided the PCA as we would divide the church today into two generations, those 50 and older and those 50 and younger, that they would have two different ways of looking at the Christian life and ministry. Those 50 and over, Brian Chappell said, had a halt ministry. They wanted to stop abortion and stop homosexuality and stop the tree huggers. But those under 50 have a help mission. They want to adopt children, to evangelize gays and lesbians, and to save the environment. Those over 50 were concerned about gaining control of our society, which led to culture wars. Those under 50 are concerned about gaining credibility within our society, which leads to cultural engagement. Older folks wanted to protect the church, and especially the children of the church. They wanted to combat threats and reverse cultural drift and preserve our status. Younger folks want to promote the faith. They want to create opportunities, reverse cultural impotence, and transform our society one person at a time. The heroes of the older folks to younger people are emblems of the church's misdirection. They're misdirection of trying to take America back for God. And so the younger people tend to say that the older folks are harsh and too aggressive and too combative, and that they are proud, too proud to admit that they were wrong. Of course, the older folks save the younger folks that they're not willing to put on the uniform and to defend the children and grandchildren in the faith, and that they tend to be compromising and worldly and even cowardly at times. In some way the two generations have two parallel, but distinct points of focus. The older generation tends to be prophetic. They take perhaps as their theme verse, seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. But the younger people, lacking perhaps the power structures or the wisdom or even the status to be prophetic, tend to be priestly. Their verse is this. He has told you, oh man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. It appears that the older generation is concerned about being faithful to their status as disciples, and the younger folks are concerned about completing their mission in the world as is sent ones. And in truth, if we have to be honest, there is truth in both sides and some of the criticisms are legitimate, but there is no need for us to choose between the two. We are the disciples of Jesus Christ. That's what the gospel makes us go therefore and make disciples baptizing them. Once we're baptized into Jesus Christ, we are a follower, a learner, an imitator, literally what it means, but they taste one who imitates Jesus Christ. And because of that, you shall receive powerful Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses. Because we are disciples, we are sent ones. We have the status of being in Christ and imitating Him and the mission of Christ as the Father sent me, so send I you, Jesus said. Donald English says, these apostles were reminded of their discipleship and of the frailty and humanity of that status. They had been used by God greatly and they were excited. They were also probably tired. So Jesus helped them to face their humanity without being ashamed of it. He seemed to have the resource hidden in Himself that was not from them but for them as He fed the crowds and walked on water and healed the sick. They were not to imagine that they could keep going endlessly. They needed quiet and recreation and more opportunities to learn and grow. And so do we. Last Sunday, we have three messages, three stories in one section about our mission going out to be God's witnesses in Jesus Christ to the world. These three stories make us back up to the source of that mission, which is our discipleship. The story of Jesus feeding 5,000, walking on water and healing the masses of people. So let's look at this first story as our first point today. Jesus Christ feeding of the 5,000 in verses 30 to 44. The apostles returned to Jesus and told them all that they had done and taught and He said to them, come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest while. For many were coming and going and they had no leisure even to eat and they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them and they ran there on foot from all of the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd and he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, this is a desolate place, literally a lonely place. And the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat. But he answered them, you give them something to eat. And they said to him, shall we go and buy 200 denariah worth of bread and give it to them to eat? And he said to them, how many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they found out they said, we have five loaves and two fish. Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups by hundreds and by 50s. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to sit before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up 12 baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were 5,000 men. It's an amazing miracle. We'll find that it's the critical miracle in Jesus Christ's life. It is the most mission-sensitive of all of his miracles because it comes at a tremendous turning point in his life in ministry. It's one miracle that recorded in all of the four gospels, one of the few that are, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. John records this feeding of the 5,000 walking on water. Luke records only the feeding of the 5,000 and Matthew and Mark record all three of these miracles that we'll look at today. But this is the lead miracle and the key point of this whole section. The story has moved from Nazareth to Beseida and then back to Kerurnium onto Beseida. So each one of these three miracles happens in a different place. Jesus and the 12 apostles have sailed eastward, northeastern across the lake or the sea of Galilee, so that they could go out by Beseida and find a lonely place. There was a mountain out there. Some people think this could have been. The place where Jesus Christ often preached and gave his famous sermon on the mount. But the people knew they were going there and they walked quickly around the northern rim of this sea of Galilee and they beat the people there so that when they got off the boat, there was already a massive crowd there. Matthew tells us that those who ate were about 5,000 men besides women and children. So if each man brought his wife on the average are two children, which is not unreasonable. There were perhaps as many as 20,000 people. It is believed to be the largest crowd that Jesus Christ ever preached to. 20,000 are more people. If we combine the four accounts, we learned that this happened in the spring around the time of Passover. In other words, late March or mid-April. They were asked to sit down in groups of 50s and 100s like Moses was asked to break the people into groups of 50s or 100s to take them to the Exodus and to manage them better through the elders. The feeding happened late in the day at sundown around dinner time and Jesus Christ and all four accounts says, you give them something to eat. It is Philip who grew up right down the road in this town of Beseita who says, master, it would take us 200 denariah to buy in the food for these people. That's 200 days wages. Besides the fact that we probably couldn't find a town that could bake 20,000 lobes. I doubt if it's them. He loaves a bread and fish in Jerusalem, the big city. And Jesus says, in all four accounts of this, you go find what you do have. It's Andrew also from Beseita who says, well, there's a young man here, a boy, which means the word means probably an adolescent, 11 or 12, 13 years old, whose mother's packed him a lunch. He has five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus says, give them to me. I'm sure they asked the boy before they took it. The little fella probably willing gives it and Jesus Christ has them sit down in groups of 50s and 100s. It says he turned his eyes towards heaven and he gave thanks for it and then he began to break it into pieces. Place them into baskets. I don't know where they found the baskets, but they were there and they began to pass them out. And of course, everyone ate their fill. John says, when the people saw the sign that Jesus had done, they said, this is indeed the prophet who has come into the world, perceiving them that they were about to come and take him by force to make him their king. Jesus withdrew again to a mountain by himself. None of the evangelists tell us what Jesus preached on that day, but John tells us that the next day when they sailed back from Beseita to Capernaum, their headquarters, that a crowd gathered around, the same crowd many who had been fed in this massive lunch. And Jesus said this, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the bread. Do you not work with food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life? Which the Son of man will give to you. For on him, God the Father has said his seal, and they said to him, what must we do to be doing the work of God? And Jesus said, this is the work of God that you should do. You should believe on him whom he has said. And they said to him, but what sign do you do that we may see and believe in you? What work do you perform for us? Our Father's eighth man in the wilderness, as it is written, he gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus responded to them, truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you that bread from heaven, but my Father who gives the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world, then they said to him, sir, then give us this bread always. Jesus said, I am the bread of life who comes to me, shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. I am the bread of life. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. Now we know the reaction. The people said, this is a hard saying. How can this man give us his flesh to eat? So Jesus said to them, truly, I say to you, unless you eat this flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. John tells us that many of the disciples said this is a hard saying, and they followed him no more. So many left that Jesus Christ turned to the 12 apostles and said, are you going to go away also? Jesus took a crowd of 20,000 people and more and blew it the pieces in one afternoon with one sermon, the sermon about the bread of life. This miracle comes at a strategic point in Jesus Christ's life. It's the concluding grand miracle of his display of power, the first half of the book of Mark. It's the beginning of his life of passion. From this miracle on, Jesus will turn away from the crowds and avoid them, they've gone anyway. And he will begin, as Luke says, to turn his face toward Jerusalem and increasingly talk about his crucifixion and his death. It is a time when Jesus Christ is turning from popularity to passion. It is the miracle, by the way, that leads Peter to faith. It is Jesus miracle that causes him to confess, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. It's a reminder of the Exodus that we are moving through the wilderness of this world, but Jesus Christ, who's given us a new manner, breaking us down into groups of 50s and the hundreds and churches that will receive bread of life by which we will live. It's the miracle that the apostles understand least of all because we'll find out they have a hardness of heart. We in the church today tend to think about our resources, how much we have, what our abilities are, how we can organize things, how professional and successful will be. The American church in particular is a church that is addicted to methodology and idolizes its own programs. And yet Jesus Christ is challenging us time and again to see things differently. My friend Rick Phillips says in his little book, Mighty to Save, discovering God's grace in the miracles of Jesus, the disciples were like us, focused on themselves, they were indifferent to the plight of others. Faith was such a great problem, they turned away rather than doing what they could. To both of them and to us, Jesus Christ speaks out of his great compassion, says you give them something to eat. His compassion is the motive that derives all true Christian ministry. Isn't that true? We look at all of the missionaries and all of the church plants around us and we say, Lord, how could we support them? Jesus says you give them some money. We look at all of the hurting people in the world. The people we've encountered in our get off our donkey series and the people that the young people met this week to seek to see. We say how could we meet all of their needs? Jesus said, you show them mercy. We look at building another building on our program and say, Lord, how can we come up with all that money? Jesus says you build it. How can we do these things? Well, the same way we've always done these things. Same way we build all these other buildings and this sanctuary in the high school. Same way we've supported missionaries for 30 years and ordained dozens of men here and sent them out to plant churches and support them which we'll be doing again with one of our own young ministers soon. How do we do it? Because we take what little we have and we place it in the hands of Jesus Christ and somehow the little we have becomes much when Jesus Christ grabs ahold of it. How? I don't know how. You know, I don't know how this miracle worked. It's interesting to read the guys who write about these things in commentaries. Did Jesus Christ touch these loaves and fishes and then in front of everybody they become this mountain of bread and fish or did he just break a couple pieces and put it in a basket and send it down the line and every time somebody reached in there was more there. Think what happens by the time you get to the end of this massive crowd of 20,000? The last guys putting his head down there saying this is incredible. But the more they reached in the more there was until there were 12 baskets one for each apostle left over. How did it happen? Well if I could tell you how it happened it wouldn't be much of a miracle in Jesus Christ wouldn't be God if I could figure out everything he does. Amen? How could we figure out how God does anything anyway? But he does. He says you take what you have and put it in my hands. I'm less concerned about what you have than how you see things. You saw an insurmountable problem. I saw a massive group of people who were like sheep without a shepherd. If you had compassion I would do great things for you. This little message is throughout the New Testament. Now to him who was able to do exceedingly more abundant than all we could ask or think according to the power that works with us that power of compassionate faith. To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations for an ever and ever amen. Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead that great shepherd of the sheep to the blood of his eternal covenant even Jesus our Lord equip you with every good thing to do his will working in each of you which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. The world has the need we have Christ God gets the glory and that's how it works. Once we look at what we have and what our responsibility is and this bottomless pit of broken humanity of course it's overwhelming but once we focus on Jesus Christ who says give it to me all the sudden amazing things amazing things begin to happen to God's glory not ours if that lesson wasn't enough and it it just didn't register then there comes the second almost a spectacular Jesus takes a stroll on the water verse 45 immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side to Bessada or really should read on the way to Bessada while he dismissed the crowd and after he had taken leave of them he went up on the mountain to pray and when evening came the boat went out on the sea and he was alone on the land and he saw that they were making headway painfully for the wind was against them and about the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea he meant to pass them by but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost and cried out for they all saw him and were terrified but immediately he spoke to them and said take heart it is I do not be afraid he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased and they were utterly astounded for they did not understand about the lows but their hearts were hardened immediately there's that word from Mark again Jesus puts his apostles in a boat sends them westward towards Copernium he it says dismisses the crowd and goes up on the mountain to pray but he notices as early morning comes that the apostles haven't made much headway at all if we assume that they left in the evening after this massive meal at supper time they could have left 8 or 9 o'clock and by it says the fourth watch that is between three and four in the morning they had made little headway on fact Mark says they're rowing with painful it was painfully slow so Jesus decides to walk out to them he walks on water of course they think he's a ghost and Greek a phantasmus from where we go to phantom which was a weightless spirit they said the only thing that would walk on the water would be a weightless spirit not a bend in a body but as it comes closer the other three evangelists tell us Matthew at least that they noticed it was the Lord in fact Peter notices him first and says Lord if that is really you command me to come to you and I will come so the Lord said then come so Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus but when he saw the wind he was afraid to begin to sink and he cried out Lord save me Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him and say oh you have little faith why did you doubt and when they got into the boat the wind ceased by the way the Greek doesn't really say he meant to pass them by look at verse 48 it says that he meant to pass them by it you would think that Jesus Christ was going to walk past them and get to companion before they were but that can't be true because the text tells us that Jesus walked out to help them this is a bad translation the little word the verb here peracomai means it's a special word that means when a god physically manifests himself for people to see so what the text really means is that he meant to manifest himself to them he meant to show them that he was god once again so he stands outside the boat and they see where there's only two beings the could walk on water a weightless ghost a god the spirit it's interesting that at the end of one of these accounts they confess truly you are the son of god Jesus meant to show them his divine nature and power and one text says that as soon as he got into the boat three things happen number one the wind died down and ceased to be an obstacle number two according to John they were instantly immediately on the other side and thirdly they were amazed and they worshipped him Matthew says and they're in the boat they worshipped him saying truly you are the son of god marked ties these two miracles together the feeding of the 5,000 and the walking on water by saying at the end of the miracle of walking on water but they did not understand about the loaves because their hearts were hardened what does he mean is it that they didn't believe in Jesus Christ and I don't think so they've said repeatedly you are the son of god you are the Messiah you are the one god has sent it is Peter who will confess now at the Christ the son of the living god now the hardness of their heart came in their self-sufficiency that they were willing to trust Jesus Christ in things that were safe but there was also part of them that said I'm going to do my part when they realized that they could not even cross the lake because of the wind their heart and heart should have said without Jesus Christ we can do nothing but they were hardened I think they were Americans these 12 apostles because they value their self-sufficiency and Jesus shows them that if you try to do these things in your own strength it will be impossible but if you go in the strength of the Lord you can do mighty things you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you my grace is sufficient for you for power is perfected in weakness I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me little children greater as he who was in you than he who was in the world Paul would write later on who is sufficient for these things such as the confidence that we have through Christ and God not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything is coming from us but our sufficiency is from God who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant not of the letter but of the Spirit for the letter kills but it's the Spirit who gives life you see their first great need was not that they needed lunch if they needed the provision of Jesus Christ his miraculously multiplying power and their second great need was not that they needed to be more self-sufficient they needed the power of the Holy Spirit they needed the Spirit to come upon them and then they could do all things Ronald Kernigan says to follow Jesus is to keep venturing out past our comfort level the encouragement that God does not forsake us even when our hearts are hardened God continues to take the initiative to give us parables and to come to us in the night when we are making absolutely no headway in life God's faithfulness is greater than our fear greater than our sin and greater than our unbelief this portrait of Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles invites us to find a place of rest and power in the gift that He has given us the Holy Spirit David said oh grant us help against our foes for vain is the saving arm of man but with God we shall do valiantly for it is God who will tread down all our foes what these apostles would come to realize shortly is what they needed from Jesus Christ was found in the resurrected power of Christ himself infinite unlimited unbridled power to do what God had ordained him and his Christians his disciples his sent ones to do Paul would write if the spirit of him who raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in you then he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the spirit who dwells within you we tend to think that what we need is a little bit more study a better method a little bit more professionalism some better people but what we really need is the unleashing of the Holy Spirit whom we are often afraid of you shall receive power power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will I think of that great commission in Acts 1 8 the key word is not power the word is will you will not it's a possible thing you may want to think about it you can't you will you will receive power and you will be my witnesses and you will succeed then a third miracle Jesus heals the multitudes versus 53 to 56 when they had crossed over they came to the land of Guinnessorant and more to the shore and then when God out of the boat the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was and whenever he came to a village a city or a countryside they laid the sick in the marketplace and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment and as many as touched it were made well when they arrived back at Capernaum the next day they rested and then the day after that they sailed north to a place called Guinnessorant just up the shore the apostles were exhausted confused and unsure of themselves still learning that they had a lot to learn but Jesus Christ was the opposite he was relentlessly energized full of love and infinite power his divine goodness was so great that it literally was permeating through his flesh to his garment so the people even touched the hem or the fringe of his coat this power went out and made them well the apostles at this point if we were to read in some of the other passages were very very close to giving up everybody had left everybody was leaving and they were unsure of themselves but Jesus Christ had not given up on them despite their hardheartedness their fear and their slow to believe natures Jesus Christ gave them one more divine lesson they were tired but he was strong they were tentative but he was confident they were confused but he was as clear as a bell they didn't know what to do so Jesus did and for them they didn't know what lay in the future but Jesus told them it was across and then an empty tomb and then glory and they learned something in Jesus and about Jesus they learned the steadfastness of hope while they were flagging and doubting and unsure Jesus Christ was full of a relentless hope we know that Jesus Christ had perfect faith and that he was infinite in his love what we often miss in him is that he was the most optimistic man ever to live on the face of the earth his hope in God was invincible and they needed that hope that they too might be steadfast we must work the works of him who sent me while it is still day for night is coming when no man can work and I when I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all mankind to myself what other confidence if it wasn't the son of God it would be the most cross boastful arrogant statement ever to have passed through the lips of a man but because it's Jesus Christ it is true and this steadfastness of soul this unflinching and invincible hope is available to you and me through the grace of God within us that's why Paul says therefore my beloved brethren be steadfast and movable always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that in the Lord your toil is not in vain it seems to me my friends that you and I ought to argue less about our status or our mission about whether we should be prophetic or priestly about whether the old people had it right or the young people have it right whether we're to rebuke the culture or engage it stop evil or evangelize it because all these things are true we should do all of them and we can do all of them through Jesus Christ we have first of all his provision he will multiply what little we have and make it abundant for the people who have what appears to be a limitless need he will give us power as we rest in the spirit the spirit gives us an action from above so that our spiritual gifts and our spiritual fruit and our spiritual ministry has a greater impact in the spirit than it ever had in and among ourselves as a mighty force of people and he will give us hope hope that Paul says never disappoints that will label us to be steadfast and movable always abounding in the work of discipleship and mission it seems to me that when we look out at the world all we see is great problems great hostility

great mystery and we ask ourselves what should we do Jesus tells us take heart it is I do not be afraid take heart because you have all you need in Jesus Christ it is I the Jesus who saves and sustains and is steadfast do not be afraid with Christ we can do all things with God we shall do valiantly there is always a tendency to think that our greatest needs are provision for every day

some kind of enabling that makes us successful in whatever we undertake and an easy road through life that's not what we need what we need is God's multiplying grace the spirits energizing power and the invincible hope that comes from God

Kiddelsoffield wrote a little hymn about this he wrote it based upon the feeding of the 5,000 and the little boy's lunch it's an old hymn it's a rich one in the harvest field now ripen there's a work for all to do hark the voice of God is calling to the harvest calling you there's a place you're called to labor seem too small a little known it is great if God is in it and do not forget his own are you laid aside from service body worn from toilet care you can still be in this battle in the sacred place of prayer when the conflict here is ended and our race on earth is run we will say if we're faithful welcome home my child well done little as much when God is in it labor not for wealth or fame there's a crown and you can win it if you go in Jesus name you remember that my friends and loved ones little is much when Jesus Christ is in it and we go not in our own strength in our own sufficiency and our own optimism we go in Jesus name and through Jesus Christ we will do great things let's pray Father God we do face in our own humanity insurmountable need and obstacle and in confusion this world appears to be falling apart by the day there are billions of people literally who are in need of the rescuing message and ministry of Jesus Christ and we who are relatively so few who are to take them this message help us not to lose our focus for our calling is not to provide for ourselves our daily bread as we read the scripture Lord you said that was your responsibility not ours and we do not need from you an easy way through life what we need is the power of a Holy Spirit so that when the winds of change and the storms of culture make our rowing painful we are able by the spirit strength to tow the line bend the back until we bring the ship to shore with many who have come to Jesus Christ we do not need to be sufficient in ourselves what we need is hope the hope that we can do all things through you who strengthen us so that we will not give up we will be steadfast and ammovable and always abounding in the work that you have given us knowing that what we do is not in vain because it's in the name of Jesus Christ that name which makes us his disciples the name that launches us out into our mission in the world as his sent ones give us our basic needs of grace and power and hope so that we will be sufficient in Christ enabled by him and confident in who he is and what he's done to set before us any challenge that you give us and to move into it knowing that Jesus Christ is behind us and our little will become much when Jesus Christ is in it give us faith today to believe in Jesus Christ to turn from our sins because sometimes the greatest mountain and obstacle of all is the idea that we are so wicked that you could never receive us but that is not true Jesus has shown us in this that the hardness of our own hearts is no obstacle to his love and mercy and saving grace and despite that he will bring us by his compassion to repentance and faith and into new life in him so give this day to those who need it in this room the repentance and faith to turn to Jesus Christ and trust him alone for salvation to become this day one of his apostles and to enter into his great mission and do all this we pray and ask not just for our good but for your glory that all these things might redound to the honor and praise of Jesus Christ and all men might say to Jesus Christ be glory and honor forever and ever a men