Sermon Central
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Lessons Learned Through The Faith Of A Child
Contributed by Travis L. Billings on Sep 23, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: When you trust God with your talents and abilities, and give it to Him, He will take your offering and multiply it. He will use what you give Him and it will be used to bless others.
GOD WILL OFTEN GIVE US OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR FAITH TO GROW.
Sometimes the growth of faith occurs during sicknesses such as when Jairus’s daughter became sick and passed away and The Lord raised her from the dead. I couldn’t imagine the pain that he felt as his daughter became sick and died.
Sometimes, our faith grows when we witness a miracle happening such as the disciples witnessing the young boy with the mute spirit being healed in Mark 9. As the father cried out “Jesus, I do believe. Help my unbelief”, the young boy was soon healed and the disciples’ faith grew as they learned more about praying and fasting.
Sometimes, our faith grows when we are led into trials and we have to suffer to overcome. Peter wrote to the persecuted saints in Rome that grief, suffering, and trials refine their faith to be greater than gold (1 Peter 1:7).
Sometimes, our faith grows when we feel we are down to the end of the line. The widow who had enough flour and olive oil left to make a meal for her and her son and planned to die (1 Kings 17:7-16). Instead, she shared it with the prophet Elijah and saw her supplies ‘not run dry.’
Sometimes, our faith grows because an ‘act of nature’ took place such as when God used Moses to part the Red Sea (Exodus 14). God can often expose himself through the power of nature in a way that falls outside the typical parameters that nature has established.
Andrew sought for a solution. He found a young man with a meal of 5 loaves of barley bread and two small fish.
The boy could have refused to give up his lunch. He could have chosen to run away when the disciple approached him and asked if he would sacrifice his meal for Jesus. Neither Andrew nor the boy knew what Christ would do, but this boy allowed the Lord to use his little gift. He trusted Christ with his possessions even though he did not know what the outcome would be.
When you trust God with your talents and abilities, and give it to Him, He will take your offering and multiply it. He will use what you give Him and it will be used to bless so many people.
1. God sees what man overlooks.
He wants us to start paying attention to the details. There is no small part in God’s plan. All but one of the disciples appeared to overlook the young boy. Andrew was the only one. (Andrew comes from Greek word that means MANLY). Andrew saw the POSSIBILITY of what could be done, though he did not know how. He did know he had to turn to Christ and seek his intervention. After all, he also knew how important it was for the crowd to hear Jesus.
How important is it for you for others to hear The Word of God? Andrew noticed a young boy who was willing. Andrew was willing to take him to The Lord to find out how he could be used.
According to a study that I read---
95% of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ
80% of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ
Less than 2% are actively involved in evangelism
71% do not give toward the financing of the Great Commission
Don’t overlook people or possibilities where God can be glorified and your faith can be strengthened. Often times these possibilities are looked at as problems, when in reality they are opportunities.
2. With God, it is not a problem, it is an opportunity.
The disciples saw a problem. They saw a whole lot of people who were hanging around and getting hungry. Philip brought up the cost, and it was as if he was trying to say it would be better to send them home. The disciples saw a problem, but the crowd was not going away. Where they saw a problem, Christ saw it as an opportunity.
Sometimes, following God may lead us into obstacles and situations that appear to be problems. Sometimes, these problems can cause us to have mental breakdowns and derail us from our goals. NOT EVERY PROBLEM WE RUN INTO IS FROM THE DEVIL. Sometimes, it is an OPPORTUNITY for God to grow our faith and show up and show out.
Romans 8:28-- And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Keep in mind, these problems are really just opportunities for you to give of yourself to God. Some would say we had a problem here at church today. All of our praise team is absent. Its not a problem, its an opportunity for someone else to step up and be used!