Jesus is in the boat

Rev Gideon Lee

Mark 4:35 - 5:15

Jesus Calms the Storm

4:35-41pp – Mt 8:18, 23-27; Lk 8:22-25

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man

5:1-17pp – Mt 8:28-34; Lk 8:26-37 5:18-20pp - Lk 8:38, 39

​1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!”

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man–and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

One day a wife woke up and said to her husband. I just had a dream that you bought me a diamond ring. What do you think it meant? The husband said I don't know. Valentines day is coming so you'll know. The next day she dreamt again and she told the husband I dreamt you gave me a gold chain, what does it mean? The husband said you'll know on Valentine's day. Then she dreamt again the next day that the husband bought her a bracelet. What do you think it meant? Again, the husband said on Valentine's Day she'll find out. On Valentine's day, the husband gave her a gift wrapped package. She was so excited and when she opened it, it was a book, "How to interpret your dreams".(laughs)  There will probably be a storm in the home that night.

There was a demon possessed man who needed deliverance. Jesus got on the boat to cross to the other side because this man needed Jesus. And there was a storm.

Sometimes when we have a storm in our life, we think it's the enemy. But sometimes we cannot put everything to spiritual warfare. We have to account for some of the decisions we make.

The place where they went was called Gerasenes. It is actually a place of 10 cities. And a place of gentiles. Why? There were many pigs and Jews don't eat pigs. Let's see how Jesus ministered to this man. Let's go verse by verse.

Mark 4:37

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.

It means the storm caught them off guard or unexpectedly. When they started it was a good day. But the storm came unexpectedly. These are fishermen who are used to storms. But it was not an ordinary storm. It was a furious squall. KJV called it a great storm. That word basically come from the Greek word megas from where the word mega came from. It was a mega storm.

The waves spilled over the boat. Maybe some of you are going through a mega storm. It may have caught you unexpectedly and your boat is almost sinking.

I have good news for you.

As this was happening Jesus was sleeping at the stern. They asked Jesus, don't you care? You seem to be asleep in my situation. I pray but I don't feel you. There was a sense of discouragement with the disciples. And I don't blame them.

The thing you have to ask yourself is whether Jesus is in your boat. There were other little boats that were there but they didn't have Jesus in their boat.

You don't have to tell Jesus what to do. He is in control. He rebuked the storm "be still". And the Bible say there was a great calm. When you have a mega problem Jesus brings a mega peace. Jesus can say to your situation be still and bring that mega calm.

We have authority over our situation and what is happening in our lives.

1 Corinthians 14:14-15

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

I want us to be practical when we are in a storm. Jesus is in your boat and he is able to provide that mega peace. In those situations you need to be praying both with understanding and in the spirit.

Do you know when you pray in the spirit you are talking direct to God? It is God's language. When we pray with understanding sometimes we reason our way out of a miracle. When you pray in tongues and in the spirit it bypass our mind and reasoning.

After we pray with understanding as much as we can, we then pray in tongues and faith increase for you to trust God for what is happening in our situation.

Mark 4:40-41

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Here Jesus is beginning to reveal who he is. That he is the son of God. That he is God. Back in those days if you can command the elements, that power only belongs to God. Only God can speak to the wind and the storm. He was showing himself God.

This morning is Jesus in your boat? I hope he is not just a teacher to you. Just a good man. He is God.

He comes to this town and he ministered to him and set him free. He had authority over the demon possessed man. He had authority over the spirits. Who has authority over the demons? God. Now the second thing he did by setting this man free they knew Jesus is not an ordinary man. He reveals himself as God. We need to know he is the one true God. There is no other like him.

Jesus  then commissioned this man for ministry. Everybody knew about him and what God did for him. That God has set him free. Jesus went through a storm to do this for this man that this man will rise up and be the first missionary in this place.

So if you go through a storm know that there is a purpose for you in going through this storm. That God will show himself in your situation. And he will bring about something good.

When I read this passage I'm so excited. That Jesus did something for this man and something good came about it.

Last night we did the Bible reading marathon. And the passage was about Job. We know Job went through a big storm but he came out victorious. We had a WhatsApp group and there was chatter in the group the night before that some had flu and sore throat and they don't know if they can make it. But what was great was we prayed for one another and we came through to deliver the word of God. Jesus was there. As we read the word of God it will not return to him void. We spoke at the dome outside St. Georges church. And the 3 hours passed by so fast and they enjoyed themselves throughout those 3 hours. It felt more like 1 hour. And we waited for one another until the end. We declared the word of God over the city.

I don't know what storms are in your life but he is able to calm the storm. He is God. And if you are going through the storm God has a plan and a purpose for you. He will get you ready for ministry.

I want to close with this.

You remember Paul? How he was so mightily used of God. Yet he has this thorn in his flesh that is bothering him. It was some sort of spiritual warfare that is disturbing him. And he asked God to deliver him three times but God always say to him "my grace is sufficient for you". So that in our weakness, God can come through and show himself strong.

How many of you know about Noah's Ark? Learn from Noah.

First don't miss the boat. Whether it is pre-trip, mid-trip or post-trip, just make sure you don't miss the boat. Plan ahead because nobody saw the rain coming. And stay fit. There's no retirement just refirement. Don't listen to critics. We all have our critics but just get the job done. Then built your future on high ground. And always travel in pairs for safety's sake. The cheetah and the snail where in the same boat. The Ark was built by amateurs but the Titanic was by professionals. When God is in the boat there is the promise of a rainbow. It's a promise of hope.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Whatever your situation is, there is hope. We are not driven to despair. The word of God says God is with you. You are not abandoned. And you are not destroyed.

God Answers Prayer beyond your Expectations

Sis Melinda Song

We often go to the movies to be wowed, for example, Mission Impossible, but there are many stories with great “wow” factor in the Bible. Today we are going to look at one such story that will be a major block-buster if it is made into a movie. 

Acts 12 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

Acts 12 marks the turning point in the book of Acts. The first eleven chapters highlight the ministry of Peter and the spread of the gospel to the Jews. However, with the conversion of Cornelius in chapter 10, the way is prepared for the ministry of Paul and the spreading of the gospel to the Gentiles, beginning at the end of chapter 12 and all the way to the end of the book. 

HEROD

Acts 12 records King Herod’s persecution of the church in Jerusalem.  This Herod was Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great (who ruled Judea before Jesus’ birth and massacred the infants at Bethlehem, Mt 2:1-16) and nephew of Herod Antipas (who beheaded John the Baptist, Mt 14:1-12, and met with Jesus before His crucifixion). The Romans had placed him as king over parts of Judea and so he was also known as king of the Jews.

Herod saw the Christians as a threat; Jesus as a direct competition to his “kingship.”  So, he killed James, one of the apostles, the son of Zebedee and the brother of John.  When he saw that this was received favorably by the Jews, he had Peter arrested and imprisoned, intending to bring Peter before the people after the Passover. [Killing Peter during the Passover would have offended the Jews who kept the Law of Moses strictly]

As far as Herod the Great’s religion one scholar stated properly that “Herod curried favor with the Jews but was staunchly allied to Rome and embraced Greco-Roman culture and religion”. [Archeological Study Bible, notes on Herod the Great, p.1629].

He was a man without principles vacillating between the Romans and the Jews, trying to please both parties. He was more interested in saving his own skin and pandering to his supporters than in doing what is right. 

Herod takes every precaution to make sure that Peter does not escape. There were 4 squads of 4 soldiers guarding Peter around the clock. During each shift, 2 soldiers were inside the cell actually chained to Peter and 2 were outside the cell. 

Why is there a need for such tight security? Because in Acts 5 we are told that all the apostles were imprisoned in Jerusalem, but an angel came at night to open the doors and let them out. 

THE CHURCH IN PRAYER 

Verse 5, “So Peter was kept in prison, BUT the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” 

While Herod intended to make sure that no earthly power would intervene to save Peter, the church was petitioning for intervention from a higher power. Our real enemies are not human.  They are evil spiritual forces at work all around us whose agenda is to prevent the church from impacting the world!

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12)

Here and throughout Acts prayer is central to the life of the church. Prayer is the only weapon the church has, but it is more than enough. 

Luke presents prayer as "the natural atmosphere of God's people and the normal context for divine activity" (Longenecker 1981:409; Acts 1:14, 24; 2:42; 6:4; 13:2). 

If extended, fervent, united prayer is not a church's first resort in a time of crisis, the church reveals that it is ultimately depending on something or someone other than God.

Note that there is no mention of the church holding a prayer meeting when James was taken captive. They probably did pray thinking that God will release him from prison, as he had on a previous occasion (Acts 5).

When news came that the first of the apostles had laid down his life as a martyr, it was a wake up call to the church. So, when Peter is taken, there is great concern and the church began to pray earnestly for him.

The word “earnest” pictures someone stretching out all they can for something. 

• "The verb ektenos is related to ektenes, a medical term describing the stretching of a muscle to its limits." (MacArthur)

• Luke uses this same word ektenos for the agonizing prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44).

Application:

1. Much of our prayer is powerless because it lacks earnestness. Are we stretched to the limits? Do we sense the urgency? Do we really care about the things we pray about? Or are we just going through the motions?

2. Earnest prayer has power because it demonstrates that our heart cares passionately about the things God cares about. We are not trying to persuade a reluctant God. “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). Are  our hearts breaking for the things that break God's heart?

3. Earnest prayer shows our dependence on a great and mighty God, the Living God, Creator of the heavens and earth. He is faithful to hear us and answer our prayers. When every other gate is shut and locked, the gate to heaven is wide open. We must take advantage of that open gate through prayer!

PETER’S SUPERNATURAL DELIVERANCE (Verses 6-11)

6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.

Peter was sleeping peacefully on the eve of his trial and execution.

• He has a deep trust in God's sovereignty (Ps 3:5; Lk 8:23); faith in his Savior that whatever happens to him, his life is safe in Christ. 

• Perhaps he also remembers that Jesus said he would live to old age (John 21:18, “But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ESV).

7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell.

Prayer can activate the angels of God to aid us in seemingly impossible situations. The Hebrew writer taught that the angels serve the believers in Heb 1:14: “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”

He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Peter was directed every step of the way. It was only as he was outside on the streets of Jerusalem that he “came to himself” (v. 11).

11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen. 

Peter’s reaction of “Now I know” is very interesting. It is almost as if he hadn’t expected this miracle. It was an “Aha” moment when he understood God’s plan and purpose for the deliverance. 

What did the Jews hope would happen? That the church would be exterminated once its leaders are disposed of. 

Not every prayer is answered immediately and dramatically. Why did James die and Peter find deliverance? 

• The reason that Peter is rescued while James was executed may be found in the term “rescued”. 

• Jesus speaking to Paul at the Damascus Road encounter, said “‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” (Acts 26:16-18)

• Acts 26:17 uses the word to describe God's protecting hand on his witnesses to make sure they fulfill their responsibilities. As long as it is necessary that a particular servant of the Lord be actively deployed in accomplishing Christ's mission, he or she will be rescued. 

• Any rescue is a sign of the triumphant advance of God's mission and a mark that nothing can thwart the accomplishment of his purposes. Peter's work is not done yet.

• Martyrdom is still a mark of God's sovereignty, not a sign of his weakness; his gracious purposes, not his sadistic pleasure, may be traced in it. Matt. 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. 

THE CHURCH ASTONISHED (Verses 12-17)

12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

They did not believe Rhoda who informed them that their prayers had been answered. They said that she was crazy and, thinking that Peter had been martyred said that she had seen his angel. The Jews think, as many people in the first century do, that guardian angels exist, and are a kind of spirit counterpart resembling the person. 

The disbelieving reaction to Peter’s release by a church who is earnestly praying for God to save Peter is ironic. What does it show?

1. God answered their prayer in such a remarkable way, and so suddenly, so clearly supernaturally, that they could hardly believe it when it occurred.

2. Their prayer was earnest, but they had little faith after seeing what had happened to James. They had probably prayed for James and he lost his life, so doubt as to exact answer might be understandable. But God still came through. We need people of faith to be praying with us, but God can work without 100%. 

There have been many times when I have prayed in the face of hopeless circumstances and found that earnest prayer can bring results even in the presence of doubt. 

Mark 9:21-24  Jesus asked the [demon possessed] boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

23 “‘If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

The fact that they prayed was in itself a demonstration of faith. A little faith can accomplish great things if it is placed in the great God.

Matt. 17:20 … if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

3. We are assuming that the church was praying for his deliverance, but based upon their reaction to Rhoda’s news, could it be that they were praying for something else? Perhaps it was prayer similar to that in Acts 4:27-30, that he would be bold and have the Spirit, that he would be strong even in the face of martyrdom. This might be why they thought Rhoda had seen Peter’s “angel” (his resurrected body); they thought he had already been martyred.

There is great wisdom in praying for strength in trials more than to be delivered from them. If we ONLY pray to be delivered from trials, then we will tend to think that only deliverance from trial shows the Lord's care for us. God’s love is independent of our circumstances, and His care for us is tailored to both our needs and His purposes.

16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

The James mentioned here is Jesus’ half-brother, [Mark 3:21; 6:3; Matthew 13:55; John 7:5.] not the apostle who had been executed.

Peter did not stick around to be arrested again. Charles Spurgeon wrote: “prayer without taking heed is only another name for presumption: prayer and carelessness can never walk hand in hand together.” 

The devil tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:7-10) by trying to get him to force God’s hand. We do not manipulate situations in order to coerce God to fulfill his promises to us. 

Peter was not presumptuous expecting God to always watch his back while he lived carelessly. He used wisdom and avoided unnecessary danger.

LESSONS FROM THE PASSAGE

1. We are to be united in prayer. Jesus declared "... that if two [people] agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by [His] Father in heaven" (Matthew 18:19).

The psalmist reminds us that it is good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity, for there God pours out the precious oil of His Spirit and distills the dew of His blessing (Psalms 133).

Significantly enough, at the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost it is recorded that "... they were all [of] one accord ..." (Acts 2:1).

2. We are to pray earnestly. Their situation was extremely dangerous. They didn’t know what would happen to Peter and, more importantly, what would happen to the gospel witness in Jerusalem and beyond. So there was a passion, a desperation, an intensity, to the prayers of these people.

Today, Christians should meet adversity in the same manner. James summarized the power of prayer in James 5:16, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” 

Peter quoted Ps 34:12-16 in 1 Peter 3:12: “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.”

Isaiah 59:19 When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

The Lord is our Jehovah Nissi (Exo. 17:15)

3. We are to pray expectantly because "with God all things are possible "(Mt. 19:26). God answers prayers. 

One of the mistakes we make as Christians is we worry, because we focus on the problem and not on God when we pray. God always answers prayers, but sometimes the answer is "no" or "wait". God may not respond the way we want, but He does respond in a way that is best for everyone. This is why Jesus uses "father" or "daddy" as a model of our prayers. It is like looking to a loving, all-knowing father who knows what is best in every situation.

Therefore, for the sake of our own stress levels, we all ought to praise God in advance for answering our prayers.

4. God always delivers and His divine demonstration of power often transcends the preconceived ideas of faithful prayer warriors! Dr. Curtis Vaughan points out that “God often gives us more than we expect and always more than we deserve.”

1 Cor. 2:9 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—

Isaiah 55:8-9  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

CONCLUSION

Notice the the difference a BUT makes. BUT always indicates a change of direction.

• So Peter was kept in prison, BUT the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

• Herod . . . was eaten by worms and died. BUT the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

>Jesus will build [his] church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Matt. 16:18).

> Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is seated “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet” (Eph. 1:21-22)

> "No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD (Isaiah 54:17)

>“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28)

Are you feeling powerless? When we are weak then is He strong. Come before the greatest power on in the universe. 

Have you been praying and not seeing any results? Peter was saved on the eve of His execution. God is never too late. 

Maybe deliverance is not God’s plan for you. His grace is sufficient to carry you through. 2 Cor. 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Christ's power is resting on you.

Is your faith running on empty? A mustard seed faith is all that is required to invite God into your situation.

Many thanks to Sis Melinda for her sermon notes.

Miracle Working God

Rev Gideon Lee

God is a God of miracles. But if I ask you this question, how many of you need a miracle this morning? But sometimes we look at miracles and wonder when it will happen. A miracle requires participation from us. We need to play a part. And this morning I want to look at three ways how.

Mark 6:30-44

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages ! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five–and two fish.”

39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

We all know this story. Jesus sent out his disciples and they reported to Jesus all that they had done. Many people came to them. Jesus  told his disciples to go to a remote place. A place to rest. Even Jesus  needs to rest. They needed a time of retreat.

But when Jesus landed he saw so many people already there that needed him. He had compassion for the people and he continued to minister until late in the evening. It was by then late and already dinner time.

Before a problem happened, Jesus  already had a solution. He is a miracle working God. Even when the disciples pondered on the problem of feeding these people, Jesus  already knew what to do. He asked them to search for any food.

It is surprising that with a crowd of 5000 people they only found 5 loaves and 2 fishes from a small boy.  The food from the boy was just enough for him or another person. Definitely not enough for 5,000 people. It was just buns and not a big fish. Then he offered these to Jesus and he prayed and sent them out.

In wanting our miracles we must learn to give the little that we have. The problem is that often the little that we have we don't give to God. We place it in God's hands because God is a God of multiplication.

When we come to God for our miracles we must participate with God. Not just be passive and ask God heal me. We have to get down on our knees and pray.

This morning I heard a testimony of a lady who makes a living by selling Kueh at the Jelutong market. She needed RM40,000.00 for an operation. So she prayed and felt she needed to apply for welfare. To get welfare is like getting a jackpot. Hard to get. But she obeyed the Lord and applied. The officers came to look at her house.

The daughter who stayed with her has an expensive dog worth a few thousand so she thought she'd never get. But she obeyed God and a letter came and she received RM30,000.00. Praise God.

Our 5 loaves and 2 fishes can feed more than 5,000. What do you have in your hands? Some of us have more than 5 loaves and 2 fishes. Maybe you need healing or a relationship. Place it in God's hands and you'll see your miracle.

Secondly, we need to have trust. The small boy could have asked Jesus what he wanted to do with the 5 loaves and 2 fishes. But he just gave. The miracles only happened after the disciples fed the people. It happens when they started to trust God and do it.

They just continued to give and give and in the end there was leftovers. They trusted Jesus  and did not try to reason with God. Sometimes we try to reason our way with God to get our miracles. This is not how it works. Jesus  just say follow me.

Learns to do as God prompts you to do. Just like this woman in the Hokkien service. As the Lord leads you just do it instead of giving excuses.

As they gave, they pass it on. The person who received also pass it on. And as they do that everyone got to it.

The principle is that he blesses you so that you can be a blessing. Don't keep for yourself. Just like manna, it's fresh for the day. Don't keep and learn to give. When he provides a miracle for you it's for you to pass it on.

What's the biggest miracle that we have received? It's we are saved. Our salvation is the biggest miracle. We remember John 3:16 but we forget John 3:17. What's that? Through him the world may be saved. To save you so that you can share the gospel to others.

Coming to my conclusion. They saw the miracles God has done. God wants to participate with us to raise you up to be a blessing and a leader. To equip us to do the work of the gospel. God could have magically filled the stomach of the people. But God wanted their participation to equip them for the work.

When we have to work or go to our knees or to fast or to sacrifice our time what happens to us? We grow as a Christian. 5,000 were fed not including the women and children.

Do you have a need? Place what you have in his hands. Then just go and do it even if you don't understand or see the miracle yet. Then pass on the blessing. God teaches us to participate together. Unity is required. Same goes for the church. If the people are not united, God need to work in us and through us.

In church camp we remember, God do a good work in me and God do a good work through me.

I remember when I was growing up in church, I'll hear a word of prophecy or encouragement. Nowadays we seldom hear it. Like once in a blue moon. So rare. Why? If you have a prompting from God, obey. Say it.

Once I was asked to preach as a student at Bible school on a mission trip. After preaching, God prompted me and asked me to pray for the Holy Spirit baptism. I was still a student so I questioned God. But God spoke to me and said it is not me but him. So I obeyed and told them about the importance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and all of them raised up their hands. There was about 50 of them and as we prayed the people just began speaking in tongues. I didn't have to do anything. The Holy Spirit just swept through the place.

We need to learn to partner with God. It is him. We need to trust God and just do it as the Lord leads us. Let's do it. You want a miracle, let's participate with God. Let's work with him. 

Spiritually Alive

Rev John Kirby

It is good to come home. It's like balik kampong. I know my kampung is Sungai Petani but it's always good to see familiar faces.

We all have Malaysia very much at heart. It's our beloved nation. There's so much at stake we have to see the spiritual significance in relations to the natural. And we have to address the spiritual first.

This morning I see a very black backdrop and I see vultures picking off raw flesh in their beaks.   And I see this eagle just flying and not doing anything. And it shows me that the church is in a dormant state. We cannot take our position lightly as we have to go into prayer so I am glad this morning your pastor prayed for the government. When we pray it will trigger something. With the projection of the word in the spirit realm we will see influence in the men and women of position of power.

When the church pray over the nation there is a spiritual transaction that take place that the Spirit has a tremendous impact on the nation. Righteousness and justice will prevail.

There is nothing that aggravate the devil more than prayer. We will see God rise in this nation. God reigns and we need to proclaim this over our nation.

1 Corinthians 2

​1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

Wisdom From the Spirit

6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.7 No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:

“No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him”–

10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:

16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord

that he may instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

Many ministers are challenged and some even leave the ministry. The church is no different at Corinth. There are churches then that got caught up in things and there were some disagreements.

And the condition of the church were such when Paul visited these churches. He wanted them to understand the identity that they shared were not in the natural. More so in times like now. 

We need to get on the right track and get what God wants to give us. God is spirit and God has revealed things to us by and through the spirit.

We need to be sensitive to that. But there will also be where our priorities lie. We have often been called spirit beings. How many of you have heard this term or understand what it means. This does not mean we walk above the ground, or can walk through walls but that we live in a body and have a soul. The confinement of your soul in the body is for it to be made alive unto God. Where once sin brought death, it is now alive unto God. That's why we are sensitive to God.

What did Paul say in verse 2? That he is crucified to the world. The world is dead to him. There's no appeal. But let's not get off tangent. Like if asked to pray for Malaysia, we say this world is not my home so we don't care.

We are in this world though not of the world so we still need to have an impact on this world though this world should have no impact on us. We are able to judge and access all things. Greed doesn't overtake you because you are dead to the world. We are in the world but the world's belief system does not infiltrate our spirit. We draw from the spirit and received in the spirit what God has for the church.

Paul wants to see how dead we are to ourselves and how alive we are to Jesus. Amen!

If the natural is still alive there will be so much anger and strife. Paul wants to see how we are alive in Christ. We are crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me. It takes a spiritual man to be a man of God in the natural.

I thank God for the pastors in my life. They trained me like that. Wash toilet. We guys even have to wash the ladies toilet. Is it spiritual to wash toilet? Of course.

That's why Paul wanted this addressed in the church. Because they were seeing in the natural the faults of people around them.

The power of the Holy Spirit is translated into transformation in your life and my life.

Your spirit is to be made alive unto God. And it takes maturity. The passage says it's speaking to the mature. That's why the people who were baptised was also a people of power unto God. They were full of the Holy Spirit. We are born again by the Spirit. When you are saved you are born of the spirit. We do not compartmentalise our life.

The purpose of the church is not through the wisdom of men but through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is something spiritual so it must be revealed to us by the Spirit. That's why our spirit must be alive to God.

7 No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

Verse 7, the wisdom that impact your natural life is for the purpose of your glory. Adam and Eve walked in the glory of God and it was lost but Jesus came to restore that glory. To bring us back into the garden where we can have communion with God.

God who is spirit reveals to us in the spirit to transform us in the spirit for his glory. We no longer live in the dominion of fear and darkness. That's how miracles takes place when we pray because God has reinstated us to his glory. Jesus  made the way. He is the way.

8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

They didn't understand that by putting Jesus on the cross and crucifying him brought about our salvation. They were blind to it or they would have let Jesus die an old age. Jesus rose with power and so we as spirit beings reigns.

Things that God reveals to us has to be revealed in the spirit. It won't happen if you need to see to believe. You have to believe before you see. Truth needs to be revealed to us in the spirit.

How do you understand truth. God has a son? How does the Holy Spirit made a woman pregnant? Didn't we come from monkeys? Just because you behave like one does not mean you are one. Some people in church still question the authority of the word. So easy meh? Just believe can go to heaven? Where got so easy wan? It doesn't make sense a man can walk on water. If it is water you will sink. To walk on water, the word and the spirit needs to be made alive.

Once your spirit is made alive in God you have no problem with the word of God. We are made alive in the spirit so when the Father say come we follow and don't question. We have no problem obeying.

Natural problems often have their root cause as a spiritual problem. We need to discern in the spirit. We need to be spiritually aware.

The spirit realm has far more authority when we speak and pray into that realm. 10 people in the church praying has more impact than the 100,000 or 1 million out there in the streets. There is a spiritual engagement.

Pray for the nation. Everywhere you are. Don't just complain and curse. Pray. It's in the spiritual realm. Husbands and wives pray for the nation. Pray in the highways and byways. People just praying in every nook and corner. A wall-less church but not powerless.

The Bible says we have the mind of Christ. Everything that God has purposed and planned will come to pass. God knows what is going on but he is waking up the church. God has a good plan. And when we understand that plan we become all encouraged and it overtakes everything in our lives when we believe.

Understand this priority. You are a spirit man. Every time someone hurts you it hurts in the spirit. You may be slapped but the pain is gone after 10 minutes although the palm mark may still be there but years later the hurt is still there. Why? Because you were hurt in the spirit.  

We are all made spiritually alive unto God.