Fish and Loaves Continue to Massively Multiply

14And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

15When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”

16But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”

18He said, “Bring them here to Me.”

19Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.

20So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.

21Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

(Matthew 14:14-21)

Jesus still multiplies fish and loaves today!

I continue to be constantly amazed at how Jesus still keeps multiplying the fish and loaves!

We’ve seen this in our church over a hundred times, and in large truckloads.

We saw this happen in front of our eyes today!

I’ve personally seen the Lord do this for my entire time serving in NYC over the past 20 years.

If Jesus can use 12 disciples to feed thousands back then, we see Him use our church to still feed many thousands lately as well.

Thank you to the many who volunteered to come out to help with today’s truckload: Angie, Christina S., Grisel, Hattie, Hector, Joshua, Juan Pablo, Kimmi and Susan.

 

He uses normal people like us

I stand in awe of how He continues to use normal people like us. 

Broken, flawed people like us!

And how He simply wants to use available vessels to bless others.

You don’t have to be special for God to use your life; you only need to remain humble and available.

God is the one that’s special! Not us.

It’s not a matter of who we are, or our failures. But a matter of this awe-inspiring God that we love and serve with our hearts and hands.

God keeps miraculously multiplying fish and loaves

I don’t know how God keeps multiplying the fish and loaves with us but He does and He gets the credit.

God is still vibrantly alive and actively doing this through His church today! Friends, keep trusting in Him!

Through 20 years out here, I keep being reminded that God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Friend, we don’t only read this truth. But God shows us this truth constantly!

I’ve told God to “Send the multitudes away”

In my failure of looking at my own strength and inadequacies, I’ve told Him, “Send the multitudes away.”

I’m not kidding. I’ve said this to God when I’ve felt the immense pressure and look at the size of the work.

I guess I’m not very different from the disciples we read about in the Bible!

But Jesus keeps telling me, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

That has really, really stretched my faith and challenged my walk with God to go deeper.

Maybe I’m just like you? I’ve tried to make excuses like, “God, I don’t have time.”

The funny thing is, He never responds to that excuse as it’s a prayer of fear, and it lacks faith. (Hebrews 11:6)

I’ve also tried to justify my selfish choices by saying, “God, I have to take care of my own family and my own problems. Get somebody else.” (like Moses tried)

Yet, in reality, when I serve and obey Jesus as my Lord, it’s then that He takes care of my family and myself.

Or, I can choose to take care of only myself, and serve only my family. But then I lose out, my family loses out and so do many others.

Hey, that’s everyone’s problem! That’s also everyone’s challenge.

So God keeps experientially teaching me that He keeps abundantly supplying and multiplying the fish and loaves.

This is extremely humbling to see over and over and over again.

All I can do is brag on my God!

I feel like I’m just an observer and reporter, documenting the goodness and faithfulness of the Almighty God that we serve!

For us, this isn’t only a living Bible study, but we see this happen over and over and over and over again.

So I praise my Lord, that He again provided an abundance of free outreach supplies to reach out to love the people in our community.

Thank you, friends, for your wonderful prayers for us over the years since 9/11.

Thank you again to the many who volunteered to come out to help today.

And Thank You, Lord Jesus Christ, for continuing to multiply the fish and loaves!

In missions and ministry, I’m again learning that You keep blessing while we keep reaching out and giving.

20Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

21to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

(Ephesians 3:20-21)

Pastor Drew Segawa