Many people came to Jesus and his disciples seeking help. Today the Christian Church finds itself amongst a population where large numbers of people need assistance in variety of ways.

A recent report about the mission of the church in society today, “Growing Good”, points out that the church’s capacity to address this growing need has been unwavering. The vast majority of churches (89%) report that they have engaged in some form of social action during lockdown.

When Jesus and his little band of very ordinary disciples were faced with five thousand hungry people he tells them “You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37). With the limited resources at their disposal this seems an impossible task. But they trust Jesus and obey, and thousands are fed.

If you think this sort of thing only happens in the Bible, then watch the 27 minute video “The Glory of God – Juarez” which shows how, in 1972, a small Roman Catholic prayer and Bible study group felt led to give a Christmas meal to desperate people, scavenging a living on a rubbish dump in Juarez. There were far more workers on the dump than they had been told, and so they do not have enough food for everyone. However, after prayer, their inadequate supply of food is multiplied….. and that was just the start!

With God’s love and power working through us, amazing things can happen. This is because as Christians we don’t just do things for God, but also with God.

In Mark’s Gospel we read that as soon as the five thousand are fed Jesus instructs his disciples to take a boat back to Bethsaida. They had a real struggle against the wind. But everything changes when Jesus comes to them: “He climbed into the boat with them and the wind died down” (Mark 6:51).

Many people came to Jesus and his disciples seeking help. Today the Christian Church finds itself amongst a population where large numbers of people need assistance in variety of ways.

A recent report about the mission of the church in society today, “Growing Good”, points out that the church’s capacity to address this growing need has been unwavering. The vast majority of churches (89%) report that they have engaged in some form of social action during lockdown.

When Jesus and his little band of very ordinary disciples were faced with five thousand hungry people he tells them “You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37). With the limited resources at their disposal this seems an impossible task. But they trust Jesus and obey, and thousands are fed.

If you think this sort of thing only happens in the Bible, then watch the 27 minute video “The Glory of God – Juarez” which shows how, in 1972, a small Roman Catholic prayer and Bible study group felt led to give a Christmas meal to desperate people, scavenging a living on a rubbish dump in Juarez. There were far more workers on the dump than they had been told, and so they do not have enough food for everyone. However, after prayer, their inadequate supply of food is multiplied….. and that was just the start!

With God’s love and power working through us, amazing things can happen. This is because as Christians we don’t just do things for God, but also with God.

In Mark’s Gospel we read that as soon as the five thousand are fed Jesus instructs his disciples to take a boat back to Bethsaida. They had a real struggle against the wind. But everything changes when Jesus comes to them: “He climbed into the boat with them and the wind died down” (Mark 6:51).