Reach Sweden - Missionary Jonathan Follmer

Now, if you will let me tonight, I will preach a very short message. You came to Bible time, um and I will have you standing in um 18 minutes. Is that good? That works for you? All right. Good stuff. 18 minutes that you can stand and then I'll continue and finish. All right. Hallelujah. Amen. Okay. John chapter 6, we're looking at verses 5 through 11 here tonight. Amen. You can follow along on the screen perhaps this evening if you don't have your Bible. All right. Verse number 5, it says, "When Jesus then lifted up his eyes and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, 'When shall we buy bread that these may eat?'" Now, I want you to take specific note of verse number 6 tonight.

It says, "And this he said to prove him, for he himself knew what he would do." And so we find here that this is a test by Jesus to the person who is standing next to him, his disciple, his friend, his colleague, if you will. The other part of that verse is equally important. It is that Jesus had already determined what he had intended to accomplish in this moment. Jesus already knew. He wasn't with uh he wasn't asking for help, not really. He was testing Philip, and the test was, "Do you know the one who is standing next to you and who is asking you this question?"

Verse number 7, Philip gives his answer. He says, "200 pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them that every one of them may take a little." Then one of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, "There's a lad here which hath five barley loaves and two small fishes, but he asked his own question, "What are they among so many?" And Jesus had them sit down in the grass that the the the crowd there about 5,000 men and in verse number 11 Jesus took the loaves and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples and the disciples to them that were set down as much as they would.

Anything they wanted in that moment they could have. Anything they needed in that moment they could have because of who was involved in this situation and who was distributing the bread who had blessed the bread beforehand. Amen. Tonight I want to preach a very quick and very simple message entitled you have more than you know and you need less than you think. Amen. You have more than you know, church and you don't need nearly as much as you think you do. Can we just pray for a moment tonight?

Father, we love you. We thank you God for your goodness. We thank you that you have God brought us to this place that you have gathered this body here in St. Louis. I thank you God for the hunger God that I felt in the prayer earlier Lord for praying for this city. God praying for the world God, but we want to bring it right here to St. Louis. God, we want to bring it right here to the to the realm of influence that this church has right now.

God, we're praying that you would God give renewed perspective. Lord, give renewed faith. God, give renewed expectation God that you would bring revelation to somebody's life here tonight Lord about what you would do God if we would trust you in this season. We thank you for it tonight. Anoint me as I teach and as I preach in Jesus' name. Amen. You have more than you know, church and you don't need nearly as much as you think you do this evening. But the reality is that we are we are humans called into a relationship with God.

Now, that's a that's a that's a big statement right there, okay? We are people in a relationship with God, and in this relationship we are extremely disadvantaged when it comes to our perspective. How we perceive how we live out this reality that we are living in. Friends, our eyes are limited. Our vision is limited. We're locked into these sort of mortal, temporal, earthly ways of of living out this life that we are living. We have to sleep, we have to eat, you know all the things we have to do, we get tired, we get weary, uh we struggle.

You know? As we get older, I don't understand the formula about this, but as we get older, it's like we're I'm over the hill now, right? I'm 42. That's what we used to say, over the hill. And so, I understand what they mean now. It means that you're on the side where you're going faster that way. And I'm experiencing that, and I don't understand it, but I am living it out. You know, I'm 42 and I have a newborn. And uh it's like I'm trying to hit the brakes on this train, and the sparks are flying, but it's not slowing down.

And uh that's the reality, however, that we are living in as humans. But then we're invited into this relationship with God, who the Bible says is the God of heaven and earth. The one for whom nothing is impossible. The one that is everlasting, the Bible says. I love what the psalmist says, "His greatness is unsearchable." We cannot plumb the depths of this God that we are walking with. We can't even begin to understand him and and and and so much of how he lives and his reality.

There are so many things that the Bible says about him that I cannot comprehend, but I can only accept. I can only just accept that those things are true. For instance, his everlasting nature, his eternity. I don't know about you, but if I go back to Genesis 1:1, maybe you should try this. I've tried it before. You sit down at Genesis 1:1 and then you start trying to go before Genesis 1:1. You let your brain start reaching back beyond the beginning where it said and and you know, where God was alone and he was speaking the world into existence.

Like, I run out of runway pretty quick. I just fall off and that's it. Same thing happens when we go to the end of Revelation. Now, we've got a lot more picture of what that might look like, but even our picture of what that looks like falls far deficient beyond what I believe God has prepared for us. He's already let us know that it hasn't entered into our minds or our hearts, but our friends, we try every once in a while to describe what happens at the end of Revelation and a lot of times it sounds like a 24/7 worship service and I just feel tired.

Like, legitimately, you've been at a youth camp or something like that or say, "I can't stop praising his name. I just can't stop." Which is the most ironic song that we have ever created in Christianity because eventually we stop. And I'm like, this is failure. Like, we have failed to live up to what we were just singing. Okay, friends, we are we are at a severe loss in this discrepancy and this the this disparity. and so because of that disparity, perhaps you would confess with me tonight, if you're honest, okay, I'll confess to you that this relationship that I'm with God in is is me constantly underestimating him.

You know, I underestimate him less now than I used to. I believe in more and and easier now than I used to. But friends, can I tell you it is still a struggle sometimes? I've got a baseline level of faith that I enter this that I wake up in the morning I pray. I believe God hears me. I drive on the road. I pray. I believe God hears me. I come to church. I worship. I believe God is there. Like I believe God. All right? But there are other times where we get in front of some stuff that is a little too big.

Mountains a little too large, Lord. Giants a little too scary, Lord. Storms a little too dark, Lord. I can't see my way through it. And then God comes in and moves those things out of the way or or slays the giant or does whatever he does in those situations. It's like I become a believer all over again. It's like I believed God was real, BUT NOW I REALLY BELIEVE he's real. He's really real, y'all. And I don't even understand that. How he becomes really real in my mind when he was real before.

Again, we friends, we are constantly underestimating his love, his supply, his power, his interest, his presence. Like we underestimate him at every moment. And friend, it it it it is natural, perhaps, and perhaps understandable if you talk we're we're here tonight and we're relating, amen, on this situation. But can I tell you that when we continue to underestimate God, we're going to miss out on what God wants to do through us. We're going to make bad decisions in our lives if we continue to underestimate God.

How do I know? Well, I've lived it, but also this book that we say is a book about Jesus and it really is. It's also a book of the history of God walking with man. And we see man struggle. I I used to get upset when I was a new believer and I would read Exodus and Judges, right? And I'd get mad at them. And I'd say, "How dare you? How could you? I cannot believe that you were down there Moses is on the mountain and you're making A GOLDEN CALF.

WHAT is wrong with you people? God just delivered you and now you're struggling again. What is wrong with you?" But now that I live for the Lord for a few years, I've got a little more sympathy for them. I have empathy for them. I don't agree with them, but I understand them a whole lot better. But we see when we continue to underestimate God and we don't believe him, we don't give him the proper place in our life, we don't estimate him appropriately, that we run into issues in our lives.

And so tonight, I want to remind somebody and I want to encourage somebody, you have more than you know and you don't need as much as you think you do. We have a God in heaven who is with us. We have a God in heaven who is for us. We have a God in heaven who has plans for us. We have a God in heaven who is in this city and who has seen this city and is desiring, amen, to do a work and is working right now and he's looking for co-laborers to join him in it.

Amen. But we got to get over this part first. We got to get over the us part first. And there's so many there's so many illustrations of this truth that we're talking about here tonight throughout the scriptures, but I love how John portrays this this this moment and uh this the first time Jesus fed with the loaves and the fish a great crowd. It says that a crowd of 5,000 men. Other gospel accounts of this same instance say it was 5,000 men plus women and children.

So let's say 10,000 people milling about in the wilderness, hanging around Jesus and his disciples, looking to see what Jesus is going to do next. And in Jesus one of the gospel accounts says that Jesus looks on this crowd and that he has compassion on them. You see, when Jesus saw the crowd, he has compassion. Why? Because Jesus sees their needs. Jesus sees their hopes. Jesus sees their struggles. Jesus sees their hunger. Jesus sees their broken bodies. Jesus sees their broken homes. Jesus sees their broken bank accounts.

Jesus sees it all. And he sees them in the Bible says it looks to them like sheep without a shepherd. They're lost. They're wandering. And Jesus' heart goes out to them. This is all happening. Jesus isn't articulating this to Philip, but Jesus is having a conversation within his heart and he starts making some decisions. He starts saying, "I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to heal some people today. I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to feed all of them today. They're going to know that God is real.

They're going to know that God sees them. They're going to know that God cares about them. They're going to see something here today." And I think Jesus is getting a little bit excited, but he wants to ask his compadre who is standing next to him what he sees. And I can't emphasize to you enough that when Jesus asks Philip, "How are we going to feed these people? Where are we going to get food to feed these people with? Where will we buy it for them?" that Jesus is not looking for a solution.

Jesus is testing the faith of the person next to him. So often, church, we get into situations and we see needs that are staring at us in the face and WE'RE LIKE, "OH GOD, we have something that needs to happen right now." Mhm. Doesn't look good. Doesn't look good at all. Amen. You see every other gospel account, the disciples they come to Jesus and they tell him what he should do in this situation. Send this crowd away, Lord. We have looked at what we have and we have determined that you're under-resourced.

The Lord we do not have enough to meet this need that is standing before us. Lord, as for the best course of action Capital campaign, whatever we got to do and we're going to be ready to feed 5,000 next time they're here. Lord, I promise you we can put our heads together. We can figure it out. We can just know we can we can be strategic. Hallelujah. And I'm into all that stuff, okay? But there's sometimes where that stuff falls flat. And we're in a situation where we are reliant on the God of heaven.

And he wants it that way. He would have it no other way. You see, Jesus could have called out a wave of fish in the Sea of Galilee. He could have, amen, done the the the whole manna thing again. He could have turned stones into dinner rolls. He could have done any number of those things here tonight. He could have done any of that. Hallelujah. He could have done any number of those things, but Jesus determined to take what was present and make that thing enough.

Hear me tonight, church. There's a lot of times that we have discounted and we have we have destroyed in our minds the things that we possess. We looked at our little and determined, God, there's not a thing that you can do with this that I have in my hand. God, the need is too great. Lord, the city is too big. God, the people are too broken. God, I I don't know. I'll pray for them, Lord, but don't send me to them cuz I don't have what they need.

And God is looking at us here tonight, church, and he's saying, "If you'll just believe me, if you'll just put that thing in my hand that that you possess right now, though you have discounted it, and yes, exactly, it is not enough on its own, but in my hands, church, in my hands, amen, it is enough. It is enough. I will take that thing and I will make it enough. Praise God. But church, it's never going to happen until we're willing to walk when it doesn't make sense.

We're not going to We're not going to just start believing this, "Oh, God, I'll believe it. I'll believe it today." And then we're going to wake up tomorrow and be incredibly resourced. You know, we're praying for that $10,000 miracle or $20,000 or $100,000. I don't know what you're praying for here. Amen. Maybe it's a million, a billion. I don't know. Amen. Whatever it is, we feel like we need. Amen. And God is saying, "Look, I have I understand all of that. But the perspective that you need is not going to change until you're willing to walk when it doesn't make any sense."

You see, Jesus took those five loaves of bread and those two fish and he broke them and then he put them into the hands of the disciples and he told them to go and feed the crowds now. And if I'm a disciple, I'm looking at Jesus and I'm thinking, "No, this is crazy. I don't think you're really I think Jesus is playing a prank on me. I think really he just blessed our lunch and we're going to eat and he's going to say, 'No, no, no, just come back.'" And but I'm for Philip, I'm I'm going to okay, Lord, I'll go feed that crowd of hungry 50 people over there.

I don't know, Lord. And Jesus stops making eye contact after a little while and I know I'm like, "Okay, I guess I'll just start dishing this stuff out to people. I don't know how far it's going to go, whatever. Hey, how's it going?" You want a little This is from the Lord. God bless you. I'm be real stingy at first. I'm sorry, it's not more. Amen. Okay. Here's a little bit for you. Here's a little bit for you. Amen. You share, okay? Here's a little bit for you.

A bit for you you also. I I know no she's fine. You let her eat, all right? Look. Number five, number six. I'm going to be real stingy at first. But when I get to number 10 and I look down, I'm going to realize something. No, God is involved in this. God is doing something here. God is multiplying this little bit that I didn't even think was possible to feed 10. He's fed 20 now. Amen. After a while, I'm going to start taking orders. Can I take your order?

How exactly hungry are you today? You was waiting for somebody from your family to show up. You got a fat friend THAT'S ON THE WAY. HEY, THEY HAVEN'T EATEN. THEY'RE going to be famished by the time they arrive. Whatever you need, YOU CAN HAVE IT. WHAT DO YOU WANT? Come on. But friends, our perspective doesn't change until that start walking before it makes sense. It didn't make sense to feed 50 with a half a loaf of bread. Didn't make sense at all. And the command is is is is uncomfortable.

But we're going to start walking and our perspective changes as we start walking in faith. Why? Church, I hate to break it to you and I know it's uncomfortable, but we are called to walk by faith and not by sight. Amen. And that nature of faith is it's the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But we never see it. We never see the substance. We never see the evidence. And so we're walking without sight, without promise, without understanding of what the next step is going to is going to bring.

Amen. And church, that's what's called God's calling us to tonight. If you want to come, sister, minister tonight. That's what God's calling us to this evening, church. Is to believe him. Is to trust him and to start walking with him right now. And church, when I say right now, I mean right now. You don't got to wait a week. You don't got to wait a month. You don't got to get a little more discipled. Like God is speaking to us now. Because in your possession is everything you need.

Can God grow it? Of course. Can God grow your knowledge? Of course. I hope he does. Can God grow your ability? Of course. And I hope he does and I believe he will, but right now we have enough to start doing what God has called us to do. And we're going to see our steps get a little bit bigger, our impact grow a little greater. Amen. Let's stand today. I have one more verse of scripture I want to share with you this evening. It's not on the screen, but you know it.

It's that verse where Paul was writing to the Ephesians and he says, "Now unto him who is able." And I I'll be honest with you today, I don't like how this verse is quoted most of the time. Cuz we add a bunch of stuff to it. Right? Paul says, "Now unto him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think." Most of the time when I hear it quoted is, "Oh, we get excited." Of course. "Now unto HIM WHO IS ABLE to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever ever ever ever."

Right? Ask or think. And I understand the impulse to say that. It's giving glory to God and he's great, but the the the verse, that's not really the thrust of that verse in its entirety. Yes, it does give glory to God, of course. Now unto him, of course. But the verse says, "Now unto him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we do ask or think." Above all that we are asking or thinking right now. So, for the longest time I've looked at that verse and I've said, "That's a That's an open door.

That's a blank check. That is an invitation to pray for more, to believe for more because of this God who is inviting us. And what's amazing about it, the second part of that verse is equally important. It says, "According to the power that is at work or that is working or worketh in you." And so why I don't like it up in the up in the ether somewhere is it it makes it in the realm of the theoretical. The the the the impossible. Oh, if only God would get involved.

But no, God is involved and that verse says he's ready. He's able to do it through you and the power that he's put inside of you. Church, how dare we discount ourselves any longer? If God has put his spirit inside of you, you have the power of God, the God of heaven and earth living in you. And he intends to do exceeding abundantly above all that we are currently asking or thinking. He challenges us here tonight to ask him for more. And church, you have more than you know.

You have more than you know. You don't need nearly as much as you think here tonight. As a matter of fact, God doesn't need that much from you tonight. What God needs from us is simply our yes. Where we say yes to the Lord. Say, "God, I don't want to discount it. You show me, God, I'm saying yes. God, you reveal it and it aligns with your word. Amen. I'm saying yes. I'm saying yes. And God, when I start praying big prayers, Lord, you start showing me big things.

I'm saying yes to those things, too, God. I don't know how it's going to happen. I don't know how it's going to work. God, I'm going to start praying it and I'm going to start walking it in Jesus' name. Tonight, I believe God can place something in somebody's heart or recall something to your memory this evening as we pray together. I want you to say yes to him tonight. Are you willing? Amen. Are you willing? Church, the world is ready for a for for for a church that's saying yes to him.

It's the only way we're going to see what's possible in this earth is if we say yes to what feels impossible to us right now. Amen. Amen. Let's Let's lift our all over this place tonight. Father, we love you. Hallelujah. God, I believe you've placed calling, Lord, in this house. You've placed vision in this house. God, you've placed ability. You've placed God, personality. You've You've positioned people in this city, Lord, that are ready. God, that you, oh God, have ordained. They They might look at their steps and they might say, "Lord, I don't know how I ended up here."

But you know how they ended up here, God. Because the steps of a righteous man are ordered of you. And God, they're here tonight, oh God, because you have something for them to do in this city. God, you've got a soul that they can reach, a ministry that they can birth, God, a a ministry that they can serve, God, in faith and see what seems impossible come to pass, God. And we want to say yes to you tonight. God, yes to your will. God, yes to your way.

God, yes to your vision. God, yes to your calling. God, yes if it's scary. God, yes if I don't understand. God, yes to you. God, tonight. God, yes to you tomorrow. God, yes to you when I stumble. God, yes to you when my faith falters. God, I'm praying for somebody's faith here tonight, God, that it that it would be tried, oh God, yes, but that they would get up and their faith would not fail. God, that the church would be victorious, God, and St. Louis would see a church walking in the power and the anointing and the impossibility of God.

We praise you right now, Lord. Come on, church. Say yes to him right now. Hallelujah, Jesus. Hallelujah. Come on, let's just continue to say yes to him as Pastor Amber comes.