Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near

Therefore JESUS, lifting up HIS eyes and seeing

That a large crowd was coming to HIM, said to Philip

“Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?”

This HE was saying to test him, for HE HIMSELF knew

What HE was intending to do.

Philip answered HIM, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread

Is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”

One of HIS disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to HIM,

“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish,

But what are these for so many people?”

JESUS said, “Have the people sit down.”

Now there was much grass in the place.

So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

JESUS then took the loaves, and having given thanks,

HE distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.

When they were filled, HE said to HIS disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.”

So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves

Which were left over by those who had eaten.

John 6:4-13

I absolutely love this passage of Scripture (I must confess, I absolutely love all passages of Scripture). There are seven reasons I absolutely love this particular passage of Scripture:

1. We have a compassionate LORD, WHO is concerned about both our spiritual and physical needs (Jhn 6:4-5, Mrk 6:33-37, Mat 6:25-33)
2. Our Beloved LORD JESUS is truly The ONE WHO initiates and completes our faith (Heb 12:2). HE knows what HE going to do (Jhn 6:6-7) even before HE gives us a faith growing experience (Jhn 6:8-11).
3. Our Beloved LORD is not stingy, HE is generous (Jam 1:5). HE didn’t provide just enough to stave off the hunger of five thousand men and their women and children, HE gave them what they needed to be filled (Jhn 11-12, Mat 14:20, Mrk 6:42), and there were still leftovers (Jhn 6:13).
4. Our Beloved LORD GOD does not asks of us to do anything (Deu 15:7-11, Pro 11:24-26, Pro 22:9) that HE does not already do (Luk 6:35-36, Mat 5:48, 1 Pet 1:15-16).
5. Our Beloved LORD GOD meets us right where we are at, HE takes what we have and multiplies it (Jhn 6:9, 1 Kin 17:8-16, 2 Kin 4:1-7).
6. Our Beloved LORD GOD loses or wastes nothing (Jhn 6:12); not us (Jhn 6:39, Jhn 17:12, Jhn 18:8-9) and not the experiences in our lives (Rom 8:28, Gen 50:15-21, Job 3:25, Psa 105:16-22).
7. Just as my Beloved LORD JESUS, took the five barley loaves, blessed them, broke them and gave the broken pieces to HIS disciples to distribute to the people (Jhn 6:11, Mat 14:19, Mar 6:41); HE still today, blesses HIS WORD, breaks it down by giving HIS servants understanding of HIS WORD, and then uses HIS servants to distribute or share HIS WORD (Ezr 7:10, Neh 8:1-8, Mal 2:7, Mat 28:19-20, 2 Tim 4:1-5).

Several years ago, my Beloved LORD GOD gave me my first miracle of multiplication. When Tribal Ministries was first formed, HE called us out of our secular jobs for a season. This was a season of learning to trust and rely on HIM, instead of ourselves. We had very little money, but we still desired to do the work of my Beloved LORD JESUS. We couldn’t afford to buy evangelistic tracts, so I made some. I only had 25 pages to print tracts on. So I created 4 tracts per page, allowing us to pass out 100 tracts. We were elated as we set out for a particular Washington state neighborhood. But all too quickly, I realized our 100 tracts didn’t cover very much of that neighborhood. I was heartbroken and I quietly sought forgiveness from my Beloved LORD GOD that I given all that I had, but it wasn’t enough. Within an hour after we had returned home from our evangelistic efforts, our phone rang; it was the University of Washington security office. The gentleman on the other end of the line issued a stern warning “leafleting was not allowed on their campus”. I explained to him that we had not been on the University of Washington campus. He then asked me incredulously, “so where do you think I got the number to call you?!” I said sir, I do not know. He then shouted into the phone his final warning before abruptly hanging up “every car, in every one of our parking lots has your leaflet with your phone number on it! If you ever do this again, we will bring charges against your ministry!!!” I sat there for a moment stunned, my Beloved LORD GOD had turned our 100 evangelical tracts into thousands. There is nothing impossible for my GOD!!! (Luk 1:37).

All these years later, my Beloved LORD GOD continues to remind me that when we place everything into HIS mighty hands, there is nothing HE cannot do. Recently, my heart was disturbed within me, as I sat talking with my Beloved LORD GOD about the apathy of many professing Christians today. They do not respond to HIS WORD, they do not want to hear truth they want affirmations; they do not want to worship, they want to be entertained; they do not want transformation, they want assimilation. Even though I am aware that we are currently living in the great apostasy, my heart was still sad. I prayed that HE would keep HIS faithful ministers encouraged, to continue to do HIS work until HIS return. The very next day, I received a devotional from Worthy Ministries in my e-mail. I wept, my Beloved once again reminded me of HIS divine power of multiplication.

The devotional was a testimony about a wheelwright, a carpenter and a Jewish atheist. The following, is the testimony of the Jewish atheist.

One day, being a very convinced atheist, I prayed to GOD. My prayer was something like this: “God, I know surely that You do not exist. But if perchance You exist, which I contest, it is not my duty to believe in You; it is Your duty to reveal Yourself to me.” I was an atheist, but atheism did not give peace to my heart.

During this time of inner turmoil, an old carpenter in a village high up in the mountains of Romania prayed like this: “My God, I have served you on earth and I wish to have my reward on earth as well in heaven. And my reward should be that I should not die before I bring a Jew to Christ, because Jesus was from the Jewish people. But I am poor, old and sick. I cannot go around seeking a Jew. In my village there are none. Bring a Jew into my village and I will do my best to bring him to Christ.”

Something irresistible drew me to that village. I had no reason to go there. Romania has twelve thousand villages, but I went to that one. Seeing I was a Jew, the old carpenter courted me as never a beautiful girl had been courted. He saw in me the answer to prayer and gave me a Bible to read. As he told me some time later, he and his wife prayed together for hours for my conversion and that of my wife. The Bible he gave me was written not so much in words, but in flames of love fired by his prayers. I could barely read it. I could only weep over it, comparing my bad life with the life of Jesus; my impurity with His righteousness, my hatred with His love―and He accepted me as one of His own. Soon thereafter, my wife was converted. A very short time later, the two of them led both Jews and Gentiles to CHRIST, and a church was launched in Romania.

Due to the prayers of an old faithful carpenter named Christian Wolfkes, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, founders of The Voice of the Martyrs, came to faith in 1938. Our Beloved LORD GOD used this couple to lead thousands into HIS Kingdom and support persecuted Christians across the globe.

Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand were both imprisoned for their faith. Sabina was imprisoned in a labor camp for over three years, and Richard was imprisoned and tortured for 14 years in Communist prisons. After Richard and his wife Sabina were freed, he was speaking to a large crowd of Christians, telling them how he came to know the Lord. As he spoke, he noticed an old man weeping. When he had finished, Pastor Wurmbrand approached the man to find out what was wrong. The man said his name was Pitter and that he was a wheelwright and had led the old carpenter, Christian Wolfkes, to the Lord long ago. Since then, he thought all he had ever accomplished in life was to lead a plain carpenter to Christ. It moved him to tears to hear how God had multiplied his ministry a hundredfold to bless Israel and see so many come to faith in the Messiah.

Today Richard and Sabina’s ministry, “The Voice of the Martyrs” is one of the largest organizations in the world aiding the persecuted church – all because a wheelwright led a carpenter to the Lord who then led a Jewish atheist and his Jewish wife to Jesus.”

Be encouraged and be reminded – your little in the hands of our Beloved and Mighty GOD becomes much!!!

 Ah LORD GOD!

Behold, YOU have made the heavens and the earth by YOUR great power and by YOUR outstretched arm!

Nothing is too difficult for YOU

Jeremiah 32:17