Participants:
Series Code: SUES
Program Code: SUES000002A
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00:17 Hello once again,
00:18 my name is Kameron De Vasher. 00:19 I'm a pastor in the Michigan Conference 00:21 but we're enjoying time here in Hawaii 00:23 with Secrets Unsealed, 00:25 and we're in the middle of a series of messages 00:27 entitled "Equipping the Saints." 00:30 Now in our previous message, the Ministry of Angels, 00:34 we noted that God has a particular method 00:37 of governance 00:39 by which He controls His created universe. 00:42 In the courts of heaven, of course, 00:43 there's the three members of the Godhead 00:45 and the four living creatures and the 24 elders, 00:48 but also there's 10,000 times 10,000 angels 00:51 and the Bible describes them 00:53 as ministering spirits sent forth to minister 00:56 for those who inherit salvation. 00:57 And we established the concept 00:59 that most everything God does with rare exception, 01:02 He does through not His own personal work, 01:05 but through the agency of created beings 01:08 through the angel messengers and Jesus prayed 01:13 and taught us to pray 01:16 that we should speak to our Father and say, 01:18 Your will be done on earth 01:21 as it is in heaven. 01:23 So we need to work for the Lord on the earth 01:26 in the same way 01:28 the Lord is going about His work 01:30 in the courts above in heaven. 01:32 And that passage reminded me 01:34 of a particular Spirit of Prophecy statement 01:36 that I wanted to share with you now, 01:37 you can find it in the book Christian Service, page 90. 01:41 Speaking of the Lord's Prayer 01:43 and our responsibility to do the work 01:45 of God here on the earth. 01:46 Mrs. White writes, 01:48 "How can you who repeat the Lord's Prayer, 01:51 'Thy kingdom come, 01:53 Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven,' 01:56 sit at ease in your homes 01:59 without helping to carry the torch of truth to others? 02:03 How can you lift up your hands before God 02:05 and ask His blessing upon yourselves and your families, 02:08 when you are doing so little to help others?' 02:12 "Clearly the Lord has given us the three angel's message, 02:16 but what He's looking for now 02:17 are those three angels' messengers. 02:20 And thus our series "Equipping the Saints," 02:22 we want to know 02:23 not just what God wants us to do, 02:25 but how He wants us to go about His business 02:27 and by His grace to hasten His soon return. 02:30 Now we're gonna turn attention 02:32 to our second message in the series, 02:33 who fed the 5,000? 02:36 But before we begin, as always, 02:38 let's start with a word of prayer. 02:40 Dear Heavenly Father, thank You so much 02:43 for the privilege and joy of being Christians. 02:48 Oh, Lord, help us to truly be followers of Jesus, 02:52 not just watchers, but workers with Him. 02:54 And as we study the method of Christ's ministry, 02:59 help us to learn our lessons 03:01 to be your servant, your ministering spirits 03:05 that we may enjoy 03:07 the fellowship of service with You 03:10 and by Your grace see Jesus come soon and very soon. 03:14 For we pray it in Jesus' name. 03:16 Amen. 03:19 Let's go to Matthew Chapter 4 03:20 as we begin the message entitled, "Who fed the 5000?" 03:25 Matthew Chapter 4 03:26 and as you're working your way there, 03:30 let me pose this almost too simple of a question, 03:34 but it's one I wrestled with it a while ago 03:37 and it was this question right here. 03:39 Why did Jesus have disciples? 03:45 Why did Jesus have disciples? 03:48 You think about it, if He came to do ministry, 03:50 why did He have around Him a group of 12 men 03:54 who witnessed His every move was it... 03:55 And this is what I had concluded earlier in my life, 03:58 I thought well, He must have had disciples 04:00 because He needed people 04:02 to be firsthand witnesses of His work 04:04 because He knew He was gonna leave 04:05 and He wanted to convey 04:07 the story of His life and death 04:09 and resurrection to those who would follow. 04:11 And there is an element of truth to that, 04:13 but what I want you to see from scripture itself 04:16 is that when Jesus called His disciples, 04:20 He did not only call them 04:24 to be witnesses of His work. 04:28 Watch in Matthew Chapter 4, 04:31 it says here, 04:33 where is he talking about Jesus collecting His first disciples. 04:37 It says in verse 18, "And Jesus, 04:39 walking by the Sea of Galilee, 04:40 saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, 04:44 and Andrew his brother, 04:45 casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen." 04:49 Then He said to them, 04:51 'Follow Me,' "and watch closely, " 04:53 and I will make you fishers of men." 04:58 He did not say, 04:59 "Follow Me and witness my fishing for men." 05:04 He said, no, no, "Follow me 05:06 and I will make you fishers of men." 05:10 When the disciples left their nets, 05:12 which by the way, the verse says, verse 20, 05:14 "Then immediately they left their nets and followed him." 05:18 They knew what they were signing up for, 05:21 they knew what they were getting into. 05:23 Jesus had made it clear 05:24 what He was calling them to do is not just to watch, 05:28 but to actually work 05:29 that they were gonna be trained to do ministry. 05:33 And this is one of the main points 05:35 that I want to put right here at the very beginning, 05:37 the foundation idea that we need to have in our heads, 05:40 that Jesus did not merely come to do ministry, 05:45 but to train ministers. 05:49 Jesus, of course, did lots of ministry, 05:51 but that wasn't His primary purpose. 05:52 Primary purpose was not merely the accomplishment of ministry, 05:56 but to actually train up ministers. 05:59 He kept in mind the view 06:02 that someday He would be gone, 06:04 but the church would have to go forward. 06:07 And if you think about this, 06:09 Jesus entire personal ministry here on the earth 06:12 only lasted for a short time. 06:15 Basically, He was here for three and a half years 06:17 doing public ministry. 06:19 He stayed 40 days after His resurrection 06:21 and a little bit here and there, 06:23 but for the most part, His job was done 06:24 within three and a half years. 06:28 But He also knew that long after He ascended into heaven, 06:32 the church that would be built in His name 06:34 would go forward. 06:36 And so when He called those first disciples, 06:37 He was telling them right off the bat 06:39 what He was gonna do, 06:40 "I will make you fishers of men." 06:44 And from that introduction, 06:46 as you study the life of Jesus 06:48 and the ministry of Jesus, 06:50 you will see this recurring theme emerge over and over. 06:54 For instance, let's give it an example of this. 06:56 In John Chapter 3. 06:59 Matthew, Mark, Luke, then John Chapter 3. 07:02 Let's go to verse 22, 07:06 still towards the beginning of His ministry. 07:09 It says here, 07:11 "After these things 07:12 Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, 07:15 and there He remained with them and baptized." 07:20 Now the way that that particular sentence is worded, 07:22 it seems like Jesus did two actions, 07:26 that He remained and baptized. 07:31 Did Jesus did that work? 07:33 Then it adds in verse 23, 07:34 "Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salem, 07:37 because there was much water there. 07:39 And they came and were baptized." 07:41 But as you keep reading the story, 07:43 you know, there was some tension 07:45 between the disciples of John and disciples of Jesus 07:47 and John humbly says, 07:49 "He must increase and I must decrease," 07:50 and it's beautiful. 07:51 But go to the next chapter John Chapter 4, 07:56 "Therefore, when the Lord knew 07:58 that the Pharisees had heard 07:59 that Jesus made and baptized 08:02 more disciples than John." 08:04 Two times it certainly seems like Jesus 08:07 was doing all the work. 08:08 He was doing the preaching, 08:10 He was doing the baptizing, 08:11 and that would be the impression 08:12 the disciples were standing around watching. 08:14 But look at verse 2, 08:16 in parenthesis the scripture adds, 08:18 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His) 08:23 whom? (Disciples.) 08:26 So the question comes, did Jesus baptize? 08:30 Well, yes. 08:32 It was by His authority, 08:35 but the agents who did the actual labor 08:38 were His disciples doing the act of baptism. 08:41 Does that make sense, right? 08:43 So Jesus commanded baptism, 08:45 but never personally baptized anyone. 08:48 He left that to His disciples 08:50 because He was training them to be fishers of men. 08:55 Go to the... I'm sorry. 08:57 Back to the Gospel of Luke Chapter 9. 09:02 Luke Chapter 9. 09:05 Again, as we recall that Jesus only had three and a half years 09:08 of public ministry. 09:09 You would imagine that 09:10 once He called those disciples to them 09:12 with such a limited amount of time 09:13 to spend with their master, 09:15 they wouldn't want to have even one day apart. 09:19 But somehow the Lord in His wisdom knew 09:21 that would not be best for them. 09:22 So He actually sent His disciples away. 09:25 Look at Luke 9:1, 09:28 "Then he called the 12..." 09:32 "Then He called His twelve disciples together 09:34 and gave them power and authority over all demons, 09:38 and to cure diseases." 09:40 Now up until this point, 09:42 Jesus had been casting out demons 09:44 and healing diseases, 09:45 but at this point now, He gives them the authority, 09:48 He delegates that responsibility. 09:51 Verse 2, 09:52 "He sent them to preach the kingdom of God 09:55 and to heal the sick. 09:57 And He said to them, 09:58 'Take nothing for the journey, 10:00 neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money, 10:02 and do not have two tunics apiece.'" 10:04 So notice this instruction 10:06 is not just general platitudes of go and bless people. 10:09 No, He was very specific. 10:10 Here's where you're gonna go, here's when you're gonna go, 10:13 here's what you're gonna take with you, 10:14 who's gonna go with you. 10:16 Verse 4, He continues His practical instruction, 10:19 "Whatever house you enter, 10:20 stay there, and from there depart. 10:23 And whoever will not receive you, 10:24 when you go out of that city, 10:26 shake off the very dust from your feet 10:27 as a testimony against them." 10:29 So verse 6,"They departed and went through the towns, 10:32 preaching the gospel and healing everywhere," 10:35 which is exactly the ministry Jesus Himself had been doing. 10:38 He had been going everywhere, healing diseases 10:40 and preaching the gospel. 10:42 But now at this portion, 10:43 He says, "Now wait, 10:44 I want you to go do it." 10:46 And He sends them out, 10:48 and He gives them intensely practical instruction. 10:50 Again, about what to take with them, 10:51 about where to go, 10:53 about who will be their companions, 10:54 all of this? 10:55 He's intensely practical. 10:58 In fact, go to Luke 10:1, 11:00 we see that Jesus does it again 11:02 with an even broader group of people. 11:05 Luke 10:1, 11:07 "After these things 11:08 the Lord also appointed seventy others also, 11:11 and sent them two by two 11:13 before His face into every city 11:16 where He Himself was about to go." 11:20 So now he... After He sends out the 12, 11:22 now He sends out an even larger group 11:24 of the 70, 11:26 which you put the two together, 11:27 that's 82 people 11:29 He has sent out in mission work. 11:30 And notice where He sends the 70? 11:33 Everywhere where He Himself is about to go. 11:38 Now, friends, let's think. 11:39 By the way, I'm trying to get out 11:41 of my vocabulary, empty phrases, 11:42 like let's think logically 11:44 because there is no other way to think. 11:47 We're built to deduce truth step by step, logically. 11:53 So let's think about this 11:55 in a logical manner. 11:59 Why would Jesus sent 12:00 70 disciples, 12:05 70 followers of His 70 trainees 12:10 out to go do ministry to the very places 12:13 where He Himself is about to go? 12:17 Wouldn't it have been simpler just to have them tag along 12:19 because He's going there anyway 12:22 and do the ministry, 12:23 watch them, have them witness His ministry. 12:27 Of course, it would have been. 12:29 But He sends them out ahead of Him, 12:30 so that they can get the practice 12:32 but then He comes behind 12:34 for what purpose do you think? 12:36 To check on their progress, 12:37 to see how they're doing, 12:39 to right any wrongs, to correct any errors, 12:40 to fix anything is going on, right? 12:42 So they send out first... 12:44 He sends them out first, 12:45 and then He follows up with them. 12:47 Basically, for all intents and purposes, 12:49 Jesus was a living training school 12:53 for Christian workers. 12:55 He was a training seminar day in and day out. 13:00 When people signed up to follow Jesus, 13:02 they were not gonna be watchers, 13:04 they were gonna be workers. 13:06 He was gonna make them fishers of men. 13:10 And why did He do this? 13:12 Why was this His method of ministry? 13:15 Well, He explains it in the very next verse. 13:19 Luke Chapter 10, now look at verse 2, 13:22 "Then He said to them, 13:24 'The harvest truly is great, 13:29 but the laborers are," what? 13:31 "Few.'" 13:34 He said, I'm only one, 13:35 the disciples of mine are only 12, 13:36 and you all are only 70, 13:38 but there's a vast harvest field beyond. 13:44 And so what is the resolution to this problem? 13:46 We've got so much work and so few workers. 13:49 Notice what He says, 13:52 "But the laborers are few, 13:54 therefore pray the Lord of the harvest 13:57 to slow down the harvest." 14:00 Is that what He says? 14:01 No. 14:03 He's not asking for the work to decrease, 14:05 He's looking for the workers to increase, 14:07 right? 14:09 "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest 14:11 to send out laborers into His harvest." 14:15 Christ was a minister and He got 12 around Him 14:18 and trained them and sends them out. 14:19 Then He had 70 others and sent them out 14:21 because he's look, the harvest is great, 14:23 but the laborers are few. 14:29 By the way, speaking of this Luke 9 and Luke 10, 14:31 Jesus sending out of the 12 and the 70. 14:34 Mrs. White comments in Acts of the Apostles, page 32, 14:39 and I want you to listen carefully, 14:40 "In all His work," how much of his work? 14:44 All of it. 14:45 "In all His work, 14:47 He was training them for individual labor, 14:53 to be extended as their numbers increased, 14:57 and eventually to reach to the uttermost parts 15:00 of the earth." 15:01 Think about that. 15:02 Sometimes we think, well, why did Jesus do it this way? 15:05 Well, they were just a really small band of people 15:08 a little scrappy insurgency, 15:09 so every man had to play a part. 15:11 If you've ever been in a local church, 15:13 all the reason this person has this responsibilities 15:15 because we only have so many people, right? 15:17 But when you get into a bigger church, 15:18 you can think, well, don't worry, 15:19 there's someone who will do that, 15:21 and there's someone else who will do that, 15:22 and there's someone else and the bigger it gets, 15:24 the less responsibility you personally have. 15:27 Christ went the other way, 15:29 He came down here to model ministry in His own person, 15:32 and then train the 12 for individual labor 15:36 and then train those 70 for further individual labor, 15:39 so that every part does it share 15:42 in the body of Christ. 15:44 And notice, she says, 15:46 if this was to be extended as their numbers increased. 15:50 Friends, Christ had a model of ministry in mind 15:53 where every member was a missionary. 15:57 Every single part of the body of Christ 16:00 was an active functioning outreach for Christ, 16:06 eventually to reach 16:08 to the uttermost parts of the earth. 16:10 Individual work 16:13 by individual people, 16:14 by individuals 16:16 was not supposed to be only a stopgap measure 16:20 until the church grew large enough 16:22 to establish mammoth institutions. 16:24 Oh, now that we are big and established, 16:27 now that we have a printing press, 16:28 now that we have a hospital, 16:30 now that we have a school, 16:31 now that we have a large church. 16:33 Good, now I can just pray for those workers over there. 16:38 It was never supposed to be that way. 16:42 The intent was that every individual will do their work 16:45 as a disciple of Jesus Christ 16:48 and that would continue as new disciples were made. 16:54 We'll come back to that institutional framework 16:57 later on in this series. 16:59 Just a little teaser there, it's gonna be a good one. 17:02 But let's look at another example 17:04 in the ministry of Jesus, 17:05 how He modeled this training ministry. 17:07 Go to John Chapter 11. 17:11 If you're already in Luke, just go to the right 17:12 to the Gospel of John Chapter 11, 17:15 and here we read the story of the death 17:17 and resurrection of Lazarus. 17:23 Now, we're gonna take just a minute 17:25 and look at the story a little bit more entail, 17:28 but clearly Jesus had a plan in mind 17:33 when this situation with Lazarus arose. 17:37 For instance, it says here, verse 1, 17:41 "Now a certain man was sick, 17:42 Lazarus of Bethany, 17:43 the town of Mary and her sister, Martha. 17:45 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil 17:49 and wiped his feet with her hair, 17:50 whose brother Lazarus was sick. 17:52 Therefore the sister sent him saying, Lord, behold, 17:55 he whom You love is sick." 17:58 So because they had a close relationship with Jesus, 18:00 they felt comfortable with Him 18:02 and they appealed to Him on a personal level. 18:03 Lord, "You love him and he is sick." 18:05 The implication being he's sick and you can help. 18:10 Right? 18:11 Verse 4, 18:13 "When Jesus heard that, 18:14 He said, this sickness is not unto death, 18:16 but for the glory of God, 18:18 that the Son of God might be glorified through it." 18:20 And if you heard that comment, you're like, oh, well, good. 18:22 He's not going to die. 18:25 No, Christ, just said, 18:26 it wasn't going to end in death, 18:29 but He saw this as an opportunity 18:31 to glorify God. 18:33 Now, let's keep reading verse 5. 18:34 Now Jesus... 18:36 And watch how oddly constructed these sentences are. 18:38 It's almost funny. 18:40 Look at verse 5. 18:41 "Now Jesus loved Martha, 18:43 and her sister, and Lazarus." 18:46 So, comma... 18:49 Now whatever is gonna come next 18:52 is big out of a motive of love, right? 18:55 It specifically says He loved Martha, 18:57 He loved Mary, He loved Lazarus, 18:59 therefore so, what did he do? 19:02 "When He heard that he was sick, 19:04 He stayed two more days in the place where He was." 19:09 Because He loved them so much, 19:12 He purposefully stayed away. 19:16 That's weird. 19:18 But Jesus has a plan. 19:20 Let's keep reading. 19:23 Then after this, He said to His disciples, 19:25 let us go to Judea again. 19:27 So He purposely holds off two more days 19:31 and just kind of waits. 19:35 And, of course, the disciples didn't understand this 19:37 and the Lord tries to explain it to them. 19:39 When He said that our friend Lazarus sleeps, right? 19:42 That means that he has died. 19:44 But look at verse 12, 19:45 "His disciples said, 'Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.' 19:47 However, Jesus spoke of his death, 19:50 but they thought that He was speaking 19:51 about taking rest in sleep." 19:53 Verse 14, another weird sentence, 19:55 "Then Jesus said to them plainly, 19:57 'Lazarus is dead.'" 20:00 Verse 15, "And I am," what? 20:04 "Glad." 20:06 What? 20:08 Because He loved him so much, He stayed away. 20:11 And now it says, Lazarus is dead, 20:14 and I am glad. 20:16 He's dead and I'm happy. 20:19 What in the world? 20:21 Is He glad for Lazarus's sake that he's experienced death? 20:25 No, look at the text again, He says why He's glad? 20:28 "And I am glad for your sakes 20:32 that I was not there, 20:36 that you may," what? 20:38 "Believe, 20:41 nevertheless let us go to him." 20:43 Now apparently they believed Him enough 20:47 to be following Him already, right? 20:50 And they would have been working for Him, 20:52 they've been baptizing with Him, 20:53 they've been witnessing all that He's done, 20:54 they've obeyed His command, 20:56 so what do they still not believe? 20:58 Well, for instance, 20:59 did they believe that if Jesus had shown up, 21:01 He could have healed Lazarus? 21:03 Yes, that's why they were antsy to go. 21:07 But Jesus said, you know what? 21:08 "We've done sick before. Let's let him die." 21:13 And Lazarus dies and Jesus said, 21:15 "All right now, good. 21:17 Now let's go." 21:21 And by the way, 21:23 Thomas 21:24 must have been just a ray of sunshine to have around. 21:26 Look at verse 16, 21:27 "Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, 21:28 said to his fellow disciples, 21:30 'Let us also go, that we may die with Him.'" 21:35 I'm sure he was on the subcommittee 21:36 for morale you know. 21:39 Anyway, verse 17, "So when Jesus came, 21:42 He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 21:47 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 21:49 And many of the Jews had joined the women 21:50 around Martha and Mary, to comfort them 21:52 concerning their brother." 21:53 Verse 20, "Now Martha, as soon as she heard 21:56 that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, 21:58 but Mary was sitting in the house." 22:00 Verse 21, "Now Martha said to Jesus, 22:02 'Lord, if You had been here, 22:05 my brother would not have died.'" 22:09 Notice she does not equivocate, 22:10 she said he might not have died. 22:12 There's a hope You could have helped him. 22:13 She says he would not have died. 22:18 Friends, does Martha believe that Jesus can heal the sick? 22:22 Yes. 22:24 Did the disciples believe Jesus can heal the sick? 22:27 Yes. 22:29 But watch what she continues to say, 22:32 "Lord, if you had been here, 22:34 my brother would not have died. 22:35 But even now 22:38 I know that whatever You ask of God, 22:41 God will give You." 22:44 Do you notice that there seems to be a split in her mind? 22:47 There's the Jesus level things 22:48 that He can do without having to check in with the Father. 22:51 But the big things you're gonna have to, 22:54 God will do that. 22:57 Apparently they had a striated view 23:00 of Christ's abilities. 23:03 That He can do, you know, 23:05 the little things water wine, 23:08 blind to see, okay. 23:10 But once some... 23:11 They had this view that once someone went beyond the grave, 23:14 they went into the grave to death. 23:18 Well, Jesus couldn't do that one, 23:19 only God could do that. 23:25 Look at how plainly Jesus speaks. 23:28 Verse 23, "Jesus said to her, 23:29 'Your brother will rise again.' 23:33 Martha said to him, 23:34 "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection," when? 23:38 "At the last day." 23:40 Well, I believe in the resurrection. 23:42 You know, 23:43 the big one at the end that God does. 23:48 And Jesus said to her in verse 25, 23:50 "I am the resurrection and the life." 23:54 You know, sometimes I think that Jesus was always calm 23:57 and placid and maybe otherworldly kind of spacey 23:59 when He said these things. 24:00 I think He genuinely had some emotion in His voice 24:03 when He said, 24:05 'I am...' 24:07 Who do you think is gonna be coming at the last day? 24:09 That's Me. 24:11 It's the same Me now as it will be then. 24:15 I am the resurrection, like He who believes in Me, 24:18 though he may die he shall live. 24:22 This is frustrating. 24:24 By the way, let's skip over now 24:27 verse 32, 24:28 "Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, 24:31 she fell down at His feet, 24:32 saying to Him, 'Lord, if You had been here, 24:34 my brother would not have died.'" 24:36 Word for word, the same lament 24:37 that Martha had shared. 24:40 So far, we have the disciples, we have Martha, we have Mary, 24:43 all believing that Jesus can heal the sick. 24:47 But now that he's died, they're completely undone. 24:50 In fact, 24:52 verse 37, look at the on looking crowd. 24:56 "And some of them said, 24:57 'Could not this Man, 24:59 who opened the eyes of the blind, 25:01 also have kept this man from dying?'" 25:06 The crowd, Martha, Mary, 25:09 His own disciples, 25:11 they all believe in His ability to heal the sick 25:15 and prevent death. 25:18 But none of them had the idea in mind 25:20 that He could actually return life 25:22 and resurrect the dead. 25:26 This is what they needed to believe. 25:28 Then, verse 38, 25:31 "Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself 25:34 came to the tomb. 25:37 It was a cave, and a stone lay against it." 25:39 Now, let's set the context here, 25:40 I want to be clear about this. 25:45 Everyone there to a person 25:49 believed He had some power, 25:52 but not that kind of power. 25:58 Everyone was doubting His strength, 26:01 His capacity, His ability, 26:04 His power 26:06 to do this level of work. 26:11 Christ knows that that's their doubt. 26:13 This is why He allowed the scenario 26:14 to develop as it does. 26:16 He wanted the circumstance to arise 26:18 so He can dispel those doubts, right? 26:20 So they would believe. 26:22 So as He comes to the grave, and everyone's watching, 26:27 there's an obstacle in the way, what is it? 26:29 A stone, right? 26:31 It says here 26:32 and a stone lay against it. 26:34 Verse 39, wouldn't it be powerful, Jesus said, 26:37 and the Bible says, 26:38 and Jesus commanded the stone 26:39 to fly out into space. 26:42 Or He just looked at the stone 26:44 and it crumbled in His presence, 26:45 or He opened the earth 26:46 and it just caved in under its own weight, 26:48 or He sent fire to the stone and like it like... 26:51 What does He do? 26:53 He strides up to the tomb... 27:00 and He says, 27:01 "Oh, can somebody get the big rock? 27:05 It's really big, can somebody help?" 27:09 And what's the one thing they're doubting? 27:11 His strength, His ability, His power 27:13 to do this big thing. 27:15 And He runs into a rock 27:17 and He's like, 27:18 can we get some folks 27:20 to move, roll the thing away? 27:22 I need to... 27:24 And notice the response. 27:26 Martha tries to save face for Him 27:28 and bail Him out of this embarrassing situation. 27:30 "Martha, the sister of him who was dead said to Him, 27:32 'Lord, by this time there is a stench 27:34 for he has been dead four days.'" 27:36 It's like, you know... 27:38 We know your heart's in the right place. 27:42 "Jesus said to her, 27:44 'Did I not say to you, 27:45 that if you would believe 27:46 you would see the glory of God?' 27:50 Then they took away the stone 27:52 from the place where the dead man was lying. 27:54 And Jesus lifted up His eyes, and said, 27:56 'Father, I thank You that you have heard me. 27:58 And I know that you always hear me 28:00 but because of the people 28:02 who are standing by I said this, 28:04 that they may believe that You sent me.' 28:08 Now when He had said these things, 28:09 He cried with a loud voice, 28:11 'Lazarus, come forth.' 28:17 And he who had died came out, 28:21 bound hand and foot with grave clothes, 28:24 and his face was wrapped with a cloth. 28:27 And Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, 28:30 and let him go.'" 28:37 There are several lessons we can learn from this. 28:41 But I think that Jesus intended to teach 28:43 two primary lessons that day. 28:46 First of all, 28:47 He wanted them to understand what He could do. 28:54 But the second lesson is He wanted them 28:56 to understand what they should do. 29:02 If Jesus were gonna go to 29:03 all the trouble of raising the dead 29:05 and do such a powerful evidence 29:07 of divine power, 29:11 why wouldn't He just move the rock? 29:14 And furthermore, as Lazarus comes out, 29:17 why wouldn't He just take, I mean, think about 29:18 as Lazarus is coming out of the tomb? 29:21 What options for mobility did this poor brother have? 29:24 It lists the parts of his body that are bound, right? 29:27 His hands, His feet... 29:33 and it even goes too far to say 29:34 that His face is wrapped with a cloth. 29:37 So that means his eyes are covered too, 29:38 his eyes, his hands, his feet, 29:40 and Jesus gives the command, "Come forth." 29:44 I can almost imagine him mumbling. 29:47 How? 29:49 What options for ambulatory movement 29:51 does he have? 29:53 I mean, he could kind of like, 29:55 maybe sideways shuffle or shimmy, 29:58 you know, out of the tomb, or maybe he would hop. 30:02 By the way wouldn't it be tremendous 30:03 if the Bible said and he who is dead 30:05 hopped forth. 30:08 And I guess the least dignified of all would be just simply 30:13 fall forward and roll on out 30:15 but somehow he made it out, right? 30:18 He struggles to get out 30:19 and Jesus says, 30:20 now loose him and let him go. 30:23 If you're gonna raise the dead, 30:24 why don't you just remove the cloths anyway? 30:27 Why don't you have a glorious moment 30:28 where he comes striding out free? 30:35 But He leaves the stone in place 30:36 and says you guys go get it. 30:38 And He leaves the grave clothes on and said, 30:39 you go help him, why? 30:41 Because He was trying to teach two lessons, 30:43 number one, here's what I can do 30:44 and here's number two, what you can do. 30:48 Listen to this, Desire of Ages, page 535. 30:52 "Take ye away the stone." 30:54 She's gonna comment on his delegation 30:56 of this responsibility. 30:58 "Take ye away the stone." 31:00 Christ could have commanded the stone to remove, 31:03 and it would have obeyed His voice." 31:05 Right? That's an option He had. 31:08 "He could have bidden the angels 31:10 who were closed by His side to do this..." 31:13 At His bidding, invisible hands would have removed the stone. 31:16 By the way, that would have been 31:18 a really interesting way to do it. 31:19 Just have the angels go do it. 31:20 And invisibly, just watch it just kind of be carried off. 31:27 "But it was to be taken away by human hands." 31:30 Why? 31:32 "Thus Christ would show 31:34 that humanity is to co-operate with divinity." 31:38 Now listen to this principle. 31:39 I'm gonna say it twice. 31:41 It's just that important. 31:42 "What human power can do 31:46 divine power is not summoned to do." 31:50 I'll say it again. 31:52 What human power can do 31:55 divine power is not summoned to do. 32:02 God does not dispense with man's aid. 32:06 He strengthens him, 32:08 co-operating with him as He uses the powers 32:11 and capabilities He's given him. 32:13 So notice this, 32:14 there are things God can do. 32:16 By the way, are there things God can do? 32:19 Sure. 32:20 But are there things God won't do? 32:24 Because those are things He's given you to do. 32:29 What human power can do 32:31 divine power is not summoned to do. 32:33 Let's think about this in the work of saving souls 32:37 and giving the three angels' message to the world. 32:40 Could the Lord Himself just like He did from Sinai, 32:43 I speak audibly across all the created sphere 32:47 and give the message Himself? 32:50 Yes. 32:52 Could He send angels to go do the work? 32:55 Yes. 32:57 But He is elected not to do that. 33:01 He has given us and, you know what? 33:03 You have tools and abilities 33:08 to actually work for Jesus. 33:10 You have a voice that can make words 33:13 and you can interact with other human beings. 33:15 You have a hand to reach out and give literature. 33:19 You have eyes to read and a voice to... 33:22 Maybe people can't see for themselves 33:24 and you can be their eyes, 33:25 you've got tools that you can use. 33:26 And sometimes let me just cut to the chase this way. 33:29 Sometimes I fear that when we pray 33:31 for the powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit 33:33 and the latter rain power, right? 33:36 That we don't know what we're asking for. 33:40 We want the Holy Spirit to come down 33:42 and do a work in us to be alive to witness it. 33:47 That's not how it's gonna be. 33:50 God is not gonna do a work 33:53 in front of us. 33:54 He's gonna do a work through us 33:58 in giving the message to the world. 34:01 What human power can do 34:03 divine power is not summoned 34:06 to do? 34:07 Let's look at another example from the Gospel of Mark. 34:11 Mark 6:35 34:17 tells the story of the feeding of the 5,000. 34:21 And you know, they were all gathered that day 34:24 and multitudes were with Him. 34:27 And it says here in verse 35, 34:29 "When the day was now far spent, 34:31 His disciples came to Him and said, 34:33 'This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. 34:37 Send them away, 34:38 that they may go into the surrounding country 34:40 and villages and buy themselves bread, 34:41 for they have nothing to eat.'" 34:43 So notice they recognize the problem. 34:45 We've got all these people and no food. 34:47 Our solution is to send them away 34:51 so they can take care of themselves. 34:53 But verse 37, 34:55 "He answered and said to them, 34:56 you give them something to eat." 34:59 Jesus saw this as a training opportunity 35:02 and I'm this close to thinking He set the thing up. 35:04 I'm guessing He just went all the way through lunch 35:06 just to set up a scenario to test their faith. 35:09 He did it with Lazarus, why not do with bread? 35:13 But he answered and said, you give them something to eat, 35:15 "and they said to him, 35:17 'Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread 35:20 and give them something to eat?'" 35:23 By the way, I don't think 35:24 it's ever the wise course to sass Jesus. 35:29 Sometimes I look at the scripture count, 35:31 I think, boy, if I would just shake them, 35:34 you know. 35:36 But they first, oh, 35:37 we're supposed to have all that money. 35:39 Now we just gonna go buy food for everybody. 35:43 Look at the simplicity 35:45 and practicality of Christ's response. 35:47 Verse 36, I'm sorry, verse 38, 35:50 "But He said to them, 35:52 'How many loaves do you have? 35:55 Go and see.' 35:56 He's like, you're dismissing the whole, idea, 35:58 you're just jumping to the whole. 35:59 Let's go buy it without even seeing 36:01 what you have on hand. 36:02 Why don't you go check and see what we have first 36:05 before you get all panicky 36:06 and start threatening the...? 36:07 Come on. 36:09 What do you have on hand? 36:12 "And when they found out they said, 36:14 'Five, and two fish.'" 36:15 My guess is that they felt they were off the hook now. 36:19 Look, we went everywhere, 36:20 we dug to every hand, every basket 36:22 and you know, we came up with five 36:25 and two fish. 36:27 Five loaves, two fish, that's all we've got. 36:28 So I'm guessing they were like, 36:30 you know, see, I told you so. 36:35 But verse 39, 36:37 "Then He commanded them 36:38 to make them all sit down in groups 36:40 on the green grass." 36:41 Now, maybe your picture in your head 36:43 is the same as mine used to be. 36:44 But I had this picture of the 5,000 plus, 36:47 of course, women and children, 36:48 this massive group of likely 10,000 36:50 or so was just kind of scattered on a hillside 36:52 and they were just indiscriminately 36:53 dotting the landscape 36:55 and that Jesus prayed this prayer 36:57 with these five loaves and two fishes 36:59 and He handed to the disciples 37:00 and they just started willy-nilly 37:01 passing it out to all the people. 37:03 But that is not what the scripture says. 37:04 Look again at 6:39, 37:08 "Then he commanded them." 37:11 Let's break down the sentence. 37:12 Who is the He in this sentence? 37:15 He is Jesus, right? 37:16 That's capital H, He commanded them. 37:19 Who's the them? 37:21 It's not the crowd, it's the disciples. 37:24 Commanded them to make them 37:27 all sit down in groups on the green grass. 37:29 Now, if Jesus wanted everyone to sit down, 37:32 what would be the simplest way to make that happen? 37:36 I mean, aside from taking out their legs 37:38 and forcing them to sit, you know, 37:40 what could He have done? 37:42 Is there maybe one voice 37:43 they've been listening to all day? 37:46 His, right? 37:47 It wouldn't be simple for Jesus to say, 37:49 everyone sit. 37:54 And all of sudden, 5,000 to 10,000 people going. 37:58 He would have taken, I don't know, 38:01 four or five seconds, 38:04 but He doesn't do that. 38:05 He turns to disciples says, all right, 38:07 I've been talking to them all day. 38:09 Now you go make them sit down. 38:14 And my imagination likes to think 38:16 of Peter stepping forward. 38:17 He's like, I got this no problem. 38:18 I know how to do it. 38:20 Hey, everybody, listen. 38:21 Sit but look carefully. 38:23 Sitting down was not Christ only objective. 38:26 Look again. 38:28 He commanded them to make them all sit down how? 38:32 In groups on the green grass. 38:38 Now sitting down is one thing, 38:42 but sitting down in groups, 38:45 that takes a little work, 38:46 that takes a little organization, 38:48 that's gonna take a minute, isn't it? 38:51 In fact, look at verse 40, 38:53 "So they sat down in ranks." 38:58 That means they were order, 38:59 there's order within the groups, 39:01 in the ranks, 39:03 in hundreds and in fifties." 39:07 How big was the group to start with? 39:09 At least 5,000 people 39:13 and he wants them to make them 39:14 all sit down in groups, in order, 39:20 in groups as small as hundreds and fifties. 39:24 That's gonna take a while. 39:27 If His only goal is to get them to sit down and be quiet, 39:30 He could have done that almost instantly, 39:32 without even a miracle just by the command. 39:35 But He purposely has the disciples do this work. 39:40 So they sat down in ranks in hundreds and in fifties. 39:44 It says in verse 41, 39:45 "And when he had taken the five loaves 39:47 and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, 39:48 blessed, and broke the loaves, 39:52 and gave them to His disciples 39:53 to set before them. 39:55 And the two fish he divided among them all." 39:57 So they all ate and were filled. 40:01 So Jesus takes the bread 40:02 and notice neither in the story of Lazarus 40:04 nor in the story of the feeding of the 5,000, 40:05 does He delegate the miracle itself to the disciples. 40:10 He does the divine part, 40:11 but what human power can do 40:13 divine power is not summoned to do. 40:15 So He organizes them and He says, 40:17 "All right, now I'm gonna provide this miracle, 40:19 but we need a structure in place." 40:21 So He organizes the whole group. 40:24 And as He prays, 40:26 the Lord answers His prayer. 40:28 And the bread is multiplied given to the disciples, 40:32 but the disciples then don't just take basketsful 40:34 and go hand them out. 40:36 Why were they in groups to start with? 40:39 And why were those groups ordered 40:41 and structured in ranks 40:44 as though you had a first one, 40:45 second one, third one, fourth one, 40:49 why? 40:51 The disciples did not go randomly tossing bread. 40:57 They gave to the groups 40:59 and what would the groups supposed to do? 41:02 Well, let Sister White help us out. 41:07 Desire of Ages, page 369, 41:11 "In this parable is wrapped up a deep, 41:13 spiritual lesson for God's workers. 41:16 Christ," now notice the chain of command, 41:18 "Christ received from the Father. 41:22 He imparted to the disciples, 41:25 they imparted to the multitude." 41:27 And then she adds one more step. 41:30 And you think what is left to add to the step 41:32 the disciples give to the multitude? 41:33 No, no. 41:36 "And the people to one another." 41:42 So you get the idea. 41:45 Father and the Son is the first step, 41:49 then Christ to the disciples, 41:53 and then the disciples give to the multitude, 41:55 but they don't get to every individual in the multitude, 41:57 they just give to the leaders of the groups. 41:59 And then the group leaders have to pass that along 42:02 so that every person is fed. 42:05 So my question is, who fed the 5,000? 42:12 Was it God the Father? 42:15 Yeah. 42:16 Was it Jesus Christ? 42:19 Yeah. 42:21 Wasn't it the disciples? 42:23 Well, yeah. 42:26 And wasn't it every individual there 42:28 that day feeding his neighbor? 42:31 Yeah. 42:34 God gets the credit, 42:35 but He works through an organized structure, 42:39 so that every part does its share. 42:43 This is a fascinating concept. 42:49 You know what the one sentence application she makes, 42:51 she says, 42:52 "So all who are united with Christ 42:56 will receive from Him the bread of life, 42:58 the heavenly food 43:00 and impart it to others." 43:02 Every one of us 43:03 who has received the gospel message 43:06 is expected by God 43:08 to share that with someone else. 43:11 God intends that every member is a missionary 43:15 for Jesus Christ. 43:18 Listen to this, 43:20 Signs of the Times, January 22, 1902, 43:24 "None can keep His law 43:26 without ministering to others." 43:31 Think about that. 43:32 Is it possible you can turn a faithful tithe 43:33 and keep the Seventh-day Sabbath 43:35 and honor your parents and not kill, 43:36 and not steal, and not... 43:39 And keep all of the law 43:40 and still come short of God's expectation? 43:42 Yes. 43:44 "None can keep His law without ministering to others. 43:51 Happiness is the gift of God to him 43:55 who in the Spirit of Christ, toils for the good of others." 43:59 If you want to be, you know, two little things, 44:02 saved and happy. 44:05 It comes from doing the work of ministering to others. 44:09 Let me tell you something, friends, 44:11 oftentimes in the Christian church 44:12 and even inside the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 44:15 we are rich with a message 44:16 and we receive and receive and receive. 44:19 But we're very little emphasizing the obligation, 44:22 the responsibility, 44:23 and the joy of giving to others. 44:27 But this isn't eat just as much as we receive 44:29 we're supposed to give. 44:32 Now... 44:38 John Chapter 17, 44:41 Jesus praise to His Father. 44:48 This is truly the Lord's Prayer, 44:50 the rest was our prayer like the model prayer for us. 44:52 But here Jesus is having a conversation in prayer 44:55 with His heavenly Father. 44:57 And in the first five verses, He prays for Himself, 45:01 and then in verses six and onwards, 45:03 He prays for His disciples. 45:06 But I want to draw your attention 45:07 specifically to verses 18 through 20. 45:11 Notice what Jesus says, 45:13 "As you sent Me into the world, 45:17 I also have sent them into the world." 45:22 Right, Jesus sent out the 12, 45:23 He sent out the 70, 45:24 now He's gonna send them on the Great Commission. 45:26 He has this sending idea 45:27 and where did He get it from? 45:29 From God sending of His Son, Jesus Christ Himself. 45:32 He said the same way that You sent Me, 45:34 I have sent them. 45:37 Verse 19, 45:39 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, 45:41 they also may be sanctified by the truth." 45:43 And then He adds in verse 20, 45:44 "I do not pray for these alone, 45:49 but also for those who will believe in Me 45:51 through their word." 45:54 Notice that Christ is expecting a chain of command. 45:57 God sent me, I send the disciples, 45:59 the disciples go out 46:01 and other people are gonna hear this message 46:02 and they're gonna go out too. 46:03 It's the same model 46:05 that He set up in Mark Chapter 6 46:07 with the feeding of the 5,000. 46:08 He said, this is how the gospel is gonna go to the world. 46:13 So when Jesus in Matthew Chapter 28 46:15 gives the Great Commission. 46:19 And He says in verse 18, 46:20 "All authority has been given to Me 46:22 in heaven and on earth. 46:23 Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, 46:26 baptizing in the name of the Father, 46:28 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 46:29 teaching them to observe all things 46:31 that I have commanded you And lo, 46:33 I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 46:35 When He says, go to the ends of the earth. 46:37 He didn't just mean, you 12 are My only ones. 46:40 Now you go. 46:42 Jesus modeled not only ministry, 46:44 but the training of ministers. 46:47 And He says, "Now you do the same thing. 46:50 Go and cover the whole world 46:52 the same way I began to work, 46:54 you continue the work." 46:58 So we go to the Book of Acts. 46:59 How do they understand and apply that teaching. 47:02 Acts Chapter 2. 47:04 Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, 47:05 and Acts Chapter 2, 47:07 we have the beginning of the Christian church 47:10 with Jesus ascended into heaven. 47:14 The power of the Holy Spirit is poured out. 47:17 The ability to communicate 47:19 in others tongues is given to the disciples, 47:22 and Peter stands up 47:23 and he preaches a powerful sermon. 47:25 By the way, we're not getting into this now, 47:27 but you look at the things 47:28 we typically call Pentecostal these days. 47:31 Whether it's loud music 47:33 and whether it's you know, faith, healings, 47:34 and whether it's speaking in unintelligible tongues 47:37 and all of that kind of stuff. 47:39 Not one bit of that was actually occurring 47:41 on the day of Pentecost. 47:44 There's no mention of music at all. 47:45 No, I'm not against music, 47:47 but there's nothing in that passage 47:48 about music that happened on the day of Pentecost, 47:49 nothing. 47:52 Also, there's no faith healing. 47:54 I have no problem with Jesus being a powerful healer 47:56 and the great physician and we can pray by faith 47:58 but that was not a powerful demonstration 47:59 that people were just falling out dead, 48:02 healed, slain in the spirit, that wasn't there. 48:05 Also, 48:08 that whole speaking in tongues 48:09 was not so arresting to people 48:12 because they could not understand 48:13 what they were saying. 48:15 They were interested 48:16 because they could understand 48:17 what they were saying. 48:19 In fact, it's the exact opposite of everything 48:21 we typically call Pentecostal. 48:23 And Peter stands up and he preaches a sermon, 48:25 not about his own opinions, and not just emotion, 48:27 and not just all kind of shouting and screaming. 48:29 He preaches a Bible based present truth message, 48:32 it's 26 verses long, 48:34 13 verses are direct quotes from scripture, 48:37 11 verses are explanation of those scriptures 48:41 and 2 verses are the appeal. 48:43 And let me tell you something, 48:45 Peter preached, he preached straight. 48:46 Look at verse 36. 48:48 He preaches "Therefore 48:51 let all the house of Israel know assuredly, 48:54 that God has made this Jesus, 48:56 whom you crucified, 48:58 both Lord and Christ." 49:01 Got to remember, this is the same crowd 49:03 who just 50 days earlier was chanting, 49:05 "Crucify Him, crucify Him. 49:06 Let His blood be on us and on our children." 49:10 But now that that mob mentality is calm down 49:12 and the fog of war is left their heads 49:14 and now they're clear thinking again, 49:16 Peter comes in with a sword of the Spirit, 49:18 which is the word of God. 49:21 And he tells them, you killed your own Messiah. 49:26 In Peters, and they said in verse 37, 49:29 "When they heard this, 49:30 they were cut to the heart, 49:34 and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 49:36 Men and brethren, what shall we do?" 49:39 Praise the Lord, Peter didn't say, oh, 49:40 there's nothing you can do, you're lost. 49:44 His response was simple, 49:45 "Repent and let every one of you be baptized 49:48 in the name of Jesus Christ 49:49 for the remission of sins, 49:51 and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." 49:53 And as we go over to verse 41, it says, 49:55 "Then those who gladly received His word were," what? 49:58 "Baptized: 50:00 and that day about three thousand souls 50:03 were added to them. 50:05 By the way, I must make this point too. 50:08 When they were baptized, 50:09 they didn't just join Jesus in a spiritual way, 50:11 they joined the body of Christ in a literal way, 50:15 and they were part of the body, which is the church. 50:18 They were added not just to Jesus, 50:20 they were added to them, 50:21 the apostles. 50:23 And what happened in these newly converted people's lives? 50:26 Boy, they had an experience like none other. 50:29 Look at verse 42, 50:30 "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' 50:33 doctrine and fellowship, 50:34 in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." 50:36 Now look at verse 44, 50:37 "Now all who believed were together 50:39 and had all things in common, 50:41 and sold their possessions and goods, 50:43 and divided them among all as anyone had need." 50:45 What a beautiful utopian picture? 50:47 Almost Edenic, where everyone is converted 50:49 by the power of the Spirit. 50:50 They become like Christ 50:52 and disinterested benevolence 50:53 and anyone who has need they give. 50:56 Powerful. 50:59 Go to Acts Chapter 4. 51:02 Acts Chapter 4. 51:04 We have almost the same thing happen. 51:08 Acts 4:31, 51:10 "When they had prayed, 51:11 the place where they were assembled 51:13 together was shaken 51:14 and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, 51:16 and they spoke the word of God 51:17 with boldness." 51:18 And what was the response? 51:20 "Now the multitude of those 51:21 who believe were of one heart and one soul, 51:22 neither did anyone say that any of the things 51:24 he possessed was his own, 51:25 but they had all things in common." 51:27 Verse 34, 51:29 "Nor was there anyone among them 51:30 who lacked for all who were possessors of lands 51:33 or houses sold them, 51:34 and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold 51:36 and laid them at the apostles' feet 51:39 and they distributed to each one 51:41 as anyone had need." 51:45 I read that kind of fast 51:47 but I don't know if you saw the difference 51:48 between Acts Chapter 2 and Acts Chapter 4. 51:50 In Acts Chapter 2, 51:52 everyone saw the need of the other person 51:53 they gave of themselves 51:54 and address the need, 51:56 in Acts Chapter 4 that same spirit is there, 51:59 they see the needs and the other people, 52:01 this time they sell their goods 52:02 and they lay it this time at the apostles' feet 52:06 and the apostles distribute to anyone who has need. 52:10 They've established a middleman. 52:15 When they were first converted, 52:17 they gave directly to the cause. 52:19 They saw someone need, they helped. 52:23 They saw something to do, they acted. 52:26 In Acts Chapter 4, they saw the same need, 52:28 they felt the same conviction to do, 52:30 but this time instead of doing directly, 52:32 they lay at the apostles and say, 52:34 "Could you on my behalf go do this?" 52:39 Thus it's little wonder in Acts 6:1, 52:45 we find this statement. 52:48 "Now in those days, 52:50 when the number of the disciples 52:51 was multiplying, 52:53 there arose a complaint against the Hebrews 52:54 by the Hellenists, 52:56 because their widows were neglected in the daily," 52:58 what? 52:59 "Distribution." 53:03 A complaint arose. 53:05 By the way, I like to joke 53:06 that this is the official beginning 53:08 of the Christian church. 53:10 Now that there's complaining, it is a church family. 53:15 But what is the basis of their complaint? 53:17 What is their concern here? 53:19 Is that there's being a discrepancy, 53:21 some unfairness, some inequity 53:24 in the distribution of the goods? 53:26 And whose responsibility was it now 53:28 to distribute the goods according Acts Chapter 4? 53:31 The apostles. 53:32 So they came to the apostles and said, 53:34 look, I know this church work is great 53:35 and your winning of souls. 53:36 And I'm glad the message is going out, 53:38 but we got some problems here at home. 53:39 Did you know that you guys are not being fair? 53:41 Did you know, and a complaint starts rising up 53:44 and it's racial, it's ugly, 53:45 it's Hebrews and Hellenists, 53:47 it's all kind of cultural divide, it's ugly. 53:53 And I'm guessing 53:56 that it was at this moment 53:58 because you know, they had 3,000 baptized, 54:01 and then the church grew some more in Acts Chapter 4 54:03 and here in Acts Chapter 6, it says, 54:05 when the number of the disciples 54:06 was multiplying, 54:08 now they have a great multitude of followers, right? 54:12 And they're all complaining 54:13 about something being distributed fairly. 54:20 And something flashes in their mind. 54:24 Doesn't this remind you that one time 54:27 where Jesus had that multitude following Him 54:31 and they're all needing, something distributed? 54:35 It's the feeding of the 5,000. 54:39 Watch what they do. 54:41 Verse 12, 54:42 "Then the twelve summon the multitude 54:44 of the disciples and said, 54:46 'It is not desirable 54:47 that we should leave the word of God, 54:49 and serve tables.'" 54:50 Is there anything ignoble 54:52 or ungodly about serving tables? 54:55 No. 54:57 They're just saying that is not our job. 55:01 It's a good job, it's just not our job. 55:05 Therefore, so what are we gonna do about it? 55:07 If the pastor doesn't feed us, 55:08 what are we gonna do? 55:11 Verse 3, 55:12 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from," where? 55:15 "From among you seven men of good reputation, 55:19 full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, 55:21 whom we may appoint over this business, 55:24 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer 55:27 and to the ministry of the word." 55:29 They said, if we were to stop doing our ministry 55:31 that God has given us, 55:33 we would start caring for every individual effort 55:36 and start serving over the tables, 55:38 hovering over the church 55:39 and our expansion forward work would halt. 55:43 Instead of going out 55:45 we would just stay in and settle over you people. 55:48 There's nothing wrong with you people 55:50 and your needs are legitimate, 55:51 but it's not our job to do that. 55:56 One of the first miracles in the church is verse 5, 55:59 "And the saying pleased the whole congregation, 56:02 the whole multitude." 56:05 And it lists off the name of those chosen 56:07 to do this work and what was the result? 56:09 Verse 7, 56:11 "Then the word of God spread, 56:13 and the number of the disciples 56:14 multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, 56:17 and a great many of the priests 56:18 were obedient to the faith." 56:24 Ministry of Healing, page 147, 56:25 you can also find it in Christian Service, page 10, 56:28 "Everywhere there's a tendency to substitute 56:31 the work of organizations for individual effort. 56:34 Human wisdom tends to consolidation, 56:37 to centralization, to the building up 56:39 of great churches and institutions. 56:41 Multitudes leave to institutions 56:43 and organizations the work of benevolence, 56:45 which is the doing of good for others. 56:49 They excuse themselves from contact with the world 56:51 and their hearts grow cold. 56:54 They become self-absorbed and unimpressible. 56:57 Love for God and man dies out of the soul. 56:59 Christ commits to His followers an individual work, 57:03 a work that cannot be done by proxy. 57:06 Ministry to the sick and the poor, 57:09 the giving of the gospel to the lost, 57:11 is not to be left to committees or organized charities. 57:14 Individual responsibility, individual effort, 57:17 personal sacrifice, 57:19 is the requirement of the gospel. 57:22 Friends, let me tell you, 57:23 we have the three angels' message, 57:24 what he's looking for are three angels' messengers, 57:27 who will individually see the need 57:29 in their families, their homes, their communities, 57:31 the people around them 57:32 that the mission fields are local and abroad 57:33 and go and give the gospel to the world. 57:36 Praise the Lord for wonderful institutions, 57:38 but what we need are individuals 57:40 who are gonna take the Word of God 57:41 and be a soldier for Him, 57:43 a ministering spirit sent forth to minister for those 57:46 who will inherit salvation. 57:48 Dear Heavenly Father, 57:50 I thank you so much for the joy 57:51 and the responsibility of ministry. 57:54 Please give us Your method of working, 57:57 help us to be your angels, 57:59 your messengers here in this world 58:01 that we may do the will of our Father 58:03 and hasten the coming of Jesus. 58:05 For I pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. |
Revised 2019-07-12