Faced with thou\u00adsands of peo\u00adp\u00adle and only two fish and five loaves of bread in his hands, Jesus encou\u00adra\u00adged his fri\u00adends with the words: \u00abGive them some\u00adthing to eat!\u00bb For Jesus to ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly per\u00adform the fee\u00adding mira\u00adcle, He had to see the hun\u00adger of the peo\u00adp\u00adle and a boy had to pro\u00advi\u00adde his hum\u00adble resour\u00adces. In the same pas\u00adsa\u00adge, Jesus explains that He is the bread of life. Inspi\u00adred by this fee\u00adding mira\u00adcle, we want to dis\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adte the bread that is Jesus to the peo\u00adp\u00adle around us.<\/p>\n
On 14 June 2020, almost exact\u00adly three months after the lock\u00addown, we were able to broad\u00adcast a live\u00adstream for the first time. This was the result of an enorm\u00adous invest\u00adment of time and money by a num\u00adber of peo\u00adp\u00adle. About a year later, a Chris\u00adti\u00adan media pro\u00adfes\u00adsio\u00adnal made the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing state\u00adment at a joint lunch on the Eich\u00adberg: \u00abYour live\u00adstream with this tech\u00adni\u00adcal and con\u00adtent qua\u00adli\u00adty has the poten\u00adti\u00adal to reach at least 500 peo\u00adp\u00adle from your regi\u00adon.\u00bb I can\u2019t get that sen\u00adtence out of my head. God has ent\u00adrus\u00adted us with talents that we should use so that they can mul\u00adti\u00adply. Due to a men\u00adtal error in the power of ten, I lin\u00adked the state\u00adment with the sto\u00adry of the fee\u00adding of the 5000, which is why the pro\u00adject title is not Live\u00adstream 500, but has a zero in bra\u00adckets after it. It means that the\u00adre should be no upper limit. We want to trust God with a lot. \tDo you rea\u00adli\u00adse and do you agree that ever\u00adyo\u00adne needs Jesus? Faced with thou\u00adsands of peo\u00adp\u00adle and only two fish and five loaves of bread in his hands, Jesus encou\u00adra\u00adged his fri\u00adends with the words: \u00abGive them some\u00adthing to eat!\u00bb For Jesus to ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly per\u00adform the fee\u00adding mira\u00adcle, He had to see the hun\u00adger of the peo\u00adp\u00adle and a boy had to pro\u00advi\u00adde his hum\u00adble resour\u00adces. In the same pas\u00adsa\u00adge, Jesus explains\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":8015,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[98],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","wpfc_sermon_series-folge-du-mir-nach","wpfc-sermon-single","post-8003","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nSee the hunger
\nIn John 6, we find very inte\u00adres\u00adt\u00ading con\u00adnec\u00adtions around bread. It cul\u00admi\u00adna\u00adtes in Jesus\u00bb state\u00adment: \u00abI am the bread of life. Whoe\u00adver comes to me will never go hun\u00adgry again. Whoe\u00adver belie\u00adves in me will never thirst again\u00bb (John 6:35 NLB<\/span>). In the imme\u00addia\u00adte con\u00adtext, Jesus is tal\u00adking about the man\u00adna that God pro\u00advi\u00added for the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel during their 40-year wil\u00adder\u00adness wan\u00adde\u00adrings. Every mor\u00adning, after the dew had dis\u00adap\u00adpeared, fine grains lay on the ground like frost. The man\u00adna con\u00adtai\u00adned all the fib\u00adre, vit\u00adamins and car\u00adbo\u00adhy\u00addra\u00adtes that the desert wan\u00adde\u00adrers nee\u00added. As the quails pro\u00advi\u00added the neces\u00adsa\u00adry pro\u00adte\u00adin, they did not need any addi\u00adtio\u00adnal food sup\u00adple\u00adments. Jesus claims to be ever\u00ady\u00adthing a per\u00adson needs in the same mea\u00adsu\u00adre. Jesus is enough. No food sup\u00adple\u00adment is needed.
\nThe fee\u00adding of the 5,000 takes place in this con\u00adtext: \u00abWhen Jesus lifted his eyes, he saw a lar\u00adge crowd coming up the moun\u00adta\u00adins in search of him. He tur\u00adned to Phil\u00adip and asked, \u00abPhil\u00adip, whe\u00adre can we buy enough bread to feed all the\u00adse peo\u00adp\u00adle?\u00bb (John 6:5 NLB<\/span>). Jesus asks Phil\u00adip whe\u00adre to buy bread to feed the peo\u00adp\u00adle. This shows that Jesus is awa\u00adre of people\u2019s needs and is pre\u00adpared to act. Peo\u00adp\u00adle need bread, the bread!
\nAre we awa\u00adre that our neigh\u00adbour, our stu\u00addy or work col\u00adle\u00adague needs Jesus? Per\u00adhaps we think that the fami\u00adly next door has just had a har\u00admo\u00adnious holi\u00adday and their stan\u00addard of living is hig\u00adher than ours. Whe\u00adther they know it or not, they need the bread. Per\u00adhaps our col\u00adle\u00adague at work is thin\u00adking about the next step in his care\u00ader. Whe\u00adther they know it or not, they are hun\u00adgry. Every per\u00adson in this world, whe\u00adther suc\u00adcessful or rag\u00adged, needs Jesus. Do we reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse our own hun\u00adger and that of our fel\u00adlow human beings?
\n\u00abBut he was only test\u00ading Phil\u00adip, becau\u00adse he alre\u00ada\u00addy knew what he was going to do. Phil\u00adip repli\u00aded, \u00abIt would cost a small for\u00adtu\u00adne (200 days\u00bb wages) to pro\u00advi\u00adde them with food!\u00bb \u00bb (John 6:6f NLB<\/span>). What is behind this test? This hun\u00adger can\u00adnot be met with finan\u00adces, orga\u00adni\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon or admi\u00adnis\u00adtra\u00adti\u00adon. No one can shirk their respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty by making a lar\u00adge dona\u00adti\u00adon to the church. Even the new stage design or the remo\u00addel\u00adled youth cent\u00adre are hel\u00adpful ele\u00adments, but they don\u2019t feed anyo\u00adne. The three other aut\u00adhors (Matthew, Mark, Luke), who also tell this sto\u00adry, wri\u00adte at this point: \u00ab[\u2026] Give them some\u00adthing to eat!\u00bb (Matthew 14:16 NLB<\/span>).
\nMaking limi\u00adt\u00aded resour\u00adces available
\n\u00abAno\u00adther disci\u00adple, Andrew, Simon Peter\u2019s brot\u00adher, spo\u00adke up: \u00abHere is a litt\u00adle boy with five bar\u00adley loaves and two fish. But what good is that to us with so many peo\u00adp\u00adle?\u00bb \u00bb (John 6:8f NLB<\/span>). Five loaves and two fish \u2013 a drop in the oce\u00adan! Not so for the donor. This boy could have fil\u00adled his own bel\u00adly, but ins\u00adtead he sel\u00adfless\u00adly and gene\u00adrous\u00adly made his mode\u00adst resour\u00adces available. He deser\u00adves a lot of cre\u00addit for that. We often think that we bare\u00adly have enough for our\u00adsel\u00adves. How could we give out any\u00adthing else?
\nIf the boy had imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly han\u00added out his pro\u00advi\u00adsi\u00adons, the\u00adre would have been a crumb for each per\u00adson. Point\u00adless. But he does the only right thing, he puts his limi\u00adt\u00aded resour\u00adces at Jesus\u00bb dis\u00adpo\u00adsal and thus makes the fee\u00adding mira\u00adcle possible.
\nWe want to bring Jesus, the bread of life, to our fel\u00adlow human beings in our vil\u00adla\u00adges. When we look at our inven\u00adto\u00adry, it is not enough. We feel inca\u00adpa\u00adble. What we have to offer is too litt\u00adle. We can bare\u00adly make ends meet our\u00adsel\u00adves. That is why we have crea\u00adted busi\u00adness cards on which each of us can wri\u00adte three names that we want to pray for in the coming weeks. It\u2019s a way of not acting direct\u00adly, but acting indi\u00adrect\u00adly \u2013 through Jesus. We can pray that God will open the hearts of the peo\u00adp\u00adle who are important to us and give us an oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to invi\u00adte them to the live\u00adstream. We belie\u00adve that live\u00adstrea\u00adming is a won\u00adderful way to get into homes that are other\u00adwi\u00adse clo\u00adsed to the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is a way to bring the bread to peo\u00adp\u00adle who are far away from atten\u00adding a church.
\nSo that we can approach peo\u00adp\u00adle in a win\u00adning and fri\u00adend\u00adly way along\u00adside pray\u00ader, we have pre\u00adpared \u00abgivea\u00adways\u00bb: Mus\u00adtard and tooth\u00adpas\u00adte tubes with a fun\u00adny and invi\u00adting text as well as the QR<\/span> code that directs peo\u00adp\u00adle to our new\u00adly desi\u00adgned web\u00adsite for the live\u00adstream. Inci\u00adden\u00adtal\u00adly, dif\u00adfe\u00adrent lan\u00adguages can be sel\u00adec\u00adted the\u00adre so that our for\u00adeign fri\u00adends can also find a bar\u00adri\u00ader-free way to the \u00abbread\u00bb.
\nExpe\u00adri\u00adence the miracle
\n\u00abThen Jesus took the loaves, than\u00adked God and gave them to the peo\u00adp\u00adle, howe\u00adver much they wan\u00adted. He did the same with the fish. And ever\u00adyo\u00adne ate until they were full. \u00abGather up the lef\u00adto\u00advers,\u00bb Jesus ins\u00adtruc\u00adted his disci\u00adples, \u2019so that not\u00adhing peri\u00ads\u00adhes. At first the\u00adre were only five bar\u00adley loaves, but after the meal, twel\u00adve bas\u00adkets were fil\u00adled with the lef\u00adto\u00adver bread!\u00bb (John 6:11\u201313 NLB<\/span>).
\nNot the boy, not Jesus\u00bb fri\u00adends, but Jesus hims\u00adelf is respon\u00adsi\u00adble for the suc\u00adcess. Our task is to take the one step into the water and then wit\u00adness how Jesus works a mira\u00adcle. Last Sun\u00adday we heard that the priests had to put their feet in the water when they crossed the Jor\u00addan. It only took that one step and then the mira\u00adcle hap\u00adpen\u00aded. Are we rea\u00addy to take that step? As fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus, it is our task to pro\u00advi\u00adde what litt\u00adle we have, the two fish and five loaves of bread. It\u2019s not much, but ent\u00adrus\u00adted to the right hands, gre\u00adat things will come of it.
\nI think it\u2019s bril\u00adli\u00adant how Jesus lets his fri\u00adends take part in the mira\u00adcle. They were allo\u00adwed to hand out the food: \u00abGive them some\u00adthing to eat!\u00bb They were also ins\u00adtruc\u00adted to coll\u00adect the lef\u00adto\u00advers. After 5,000 peo\u00adp\u00adle had eaten their fill, two fish and five loaves beca\u00adme twel\u00adve bas\u00adkets of lef\u00adto\u00adver bread. The\u00adre was more at the end than at the begin\u00adning. And all becau\u00adse a young boy made his mode\u00adst resour\u00adces available. I want to expe\u00adri\u00adence that too! Let\u2019s put Jesus to the test. This requi\u00adres your and my hum\u00adble resour\u00adces, which a living God can mul\u00adti\u00adply. The most important thing about this mira\u00adcle was not the lef\u00adto\u00advers, but the fact that 5,000 peo\u00adp\u00adle got enough bread. Free and clear. And they all ate until they were full. Jesus is the bread that satis\u00adfies a person\u2019s hun\u00adger fore\u00adver. The peo\u00adp\u00adle around us should have the bread of life deli\u00adver\u00aded to their homes free of charge.
\nThe twel\u00adve bas\u00adkets of lef\u00adto\u00adver bread are impres\u00adsi\u00adve. The num\u00adber 12 has a spe\u00adcial mea\u00adning in the Bible. In anci\u00adent Isra\u00adel the\u00adre were the twel\u00adve tri\u00adbes and with Jesus the\u00adre were the twel\u00adve disci\u00adples. It is the full num\u00adber and expres\u00adses the fact that the\u00adre is enough bread for all peo\u00adp\u00adle on this earth, cer\u00adtain\u00adly also for your neigh\u00adbours and work colleagues.
\n
\n\u00abWhen the peo\u00adp\u00adle saw this mira\u00adcle, they exclai\u00admed, \u00abThis real\u00adly is the pro\u00adphet we have been wai\u00adting for. He is the one who is to come into the world\u00bb \u00bb (John 6:14 NLB<\/span>). Ima\u00adgi\u00adne your spou\u00adse, your child\u00adren, your neigh\u00adbour or your club col\u00adle\u00adague shou\u00adting with con\u00advic\u00adtion: \u00abJesus real\u00adly is the bread of life. I don\u2019t need any\u00adthing extra. He came into the world as the Mes\u00adsiah and recon\u00adci\u00adled the world \u2013 inclu\u00adding me \u2013 with God!\u00bb Our live\u00adstream is a time\u00adly and effec\u00adti\u00adve vehic\u00adle for brin\u00adging the bread to the peo\u00adp\u00adle. What can hap\u00adpen when bet\u00adween 300 and 400 peo\u00adp\u00adle offer their litt\u00adle to Jesus and take that one step into the water? Our the\u00adme for the year is \u00abFol\u00adlow me!\u00bb Jesus speaks to each of us per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly and invi\u00adtes us to fol\u00adlow Him. The sen\u00adtence: \u00abGive them some\u00adthing to eat!\u00bb is also a per\u00adso\u00adnal invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon to stretch out our mode\u00adst resour\u00adces to Jesus and intro\u00addu\u00adce our fel\u00adlow human beings to Jesus.
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead the Bible text: John 6:1\u201314<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat does it mean that Jesus is enough?
\n\tWhat are the spe\u00adcial oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties of our livestream?
\n\tFill in the busi\u00adness cards with the names of important peo\u00adp\u00adle from your envi\u00adron\u00adment who do not yet know Jesus personally.
\n\tWhat does it mean to you to put your foot in the water and invi\u00adte peo\u00adp\u00adle to the livestream?
\n\tTake time to pray tog\u00ade\u00adther for the names on your cards!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"