Jim Elliot Quotes

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."

"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."

Jim Elliot
1927-1956

First Baptist Conroe Easter 2008

God Can Do Great Things with Small Things

John 6:1-13

Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

Isn’t it amazing to read about the way our Savior turned such a small meal into an abundant feast? Think for a moment about the loaves of bread and the fish. In the boy’s hands…it was one meal. In the disciples’ hands…it was merely an appetizer. But in the Lord’s hands…it was a miracle! God can do great things with small things.

I am sure there have been times in your life when you have also seen God do great things with small things. Maybe it was a time when your child sang “Jesus Loves Me” for you in front of some friends that were not believers. Maybe it was the joy you experienced when you first made the commitment to the Lord to tithe. Or maybe it was the time you invited someone to Sunday School, and they became a devoted follower of Christ. God can do great things with small things.

One of my favorite verses states that “[God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20). Right now, what are you asking God to help you with, and what are you thinking God is capable of doing with your life, faith, family, and so forth? Today, open up your hands to God and freely give Him all you are holding on to. Trust Him to do what only He can do in and through you. Then someday in heaven you’ll be able to speak with the boy from our Bible story, and you, too, can say that God truly can do great things with small things.

You Have Never Washed A Rental Car

You have never washed a rental car. Why is this? Quite simply it is because you do not own it. Over time I have had the privilege of owning a few new vehicles, and I do my best to take care of them so they will last and look nice. If you ask our church staff about this they will tell you I am the type that parks long distances from the entrance of a store or restaurant to protect against door dings. While this may drive some people crazy, the bottom line is that it is mine…I own it.

Now let me ask you how you feel about your Sunday School class. Would you say that you treat it like a rental or more like something you own? Do you consider the health of the class something for which you are responsible? If you view Sunday School as something you show up for on Sunday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. then you may be treating it like a rental. However, if you think about it, which leads you to pray about it, which leads you to do something about it during the other six days of the week, then you truly value and take responsibility for the results of your department.

Is your group growing in membership, maturity, ministry, missions and magnification of our Savior? If the answer is yes, that is awesome. Would you start a new group and help others to do the same? If you say your group is not currently growing, I want to encourage you to stop right now, thank God for grabbing your attention, take responsibility for His call to disciple making, and go.

I once heard a wise preacher say, “It is easier to make excuses than it is to make things happen, but it is infinitely more fun to make things happen.” I believe it is God that makes things happen, and I also believe it is God’s church to begin with. But for some reason, He has chosen to hand us the keys. Do we see our Sunday School class as a rental, or something special from God’s showroom floor?