Series: Barrier To Entry
Sermon: I Got Fiiiiiive On It
Scripture: John 6:1-13
ICE BREAKER: Would you rather chew every bite of food 100 times before swallowing it OR have violent hiccups every time you ate?
REVIEW:
This week, we continued our "Barrier To Entry" series. Together, we looked at the Gospel account of Jesus feeding the "5,000" (which was really more like 20,000 if the women and children were counted.)
The crowd around Jesus had grown so large, and the day had gone so long that the people needed food. Jesus turned to Philip, one of the disciples, and asked him where they could find the resources they needed. Philip immediately started doing the math on the money the disciples had on hand and concluded it was an impossible task.
Meanwhile, Andrew looked through the crowd to see what food people might have brought with them. However, all he came up with was a meager five loaves and two fish from a young, impoverished boy. The disciples were sure there was nothing that could be done!
The problem is that the disciples were focused on the wrong thing (MATH instead of MISSION) and were looking in the wrong place (their own limited donations instead of the resources within the crowd and the miraculous power of Jesus.)
Jesus took the small sacrifice from the boy and miraculously multiplied it to feed the entire crowd. There was even a significant amount of food left over!
In our personal lives, we often don't feel resourced for the calling God puts on our lives. We see all types of barriers to entry and count ourselves out because we are focused on the wrong things and looking in the wrong places! If we can genuinely, radically trust God with our lives, we will follow him into our calling and trust that Jesus will miraculously give us what we need!
MISSION:
We spent the end of Sunday's service getting very practical and specific about what this lesson means to us as a Movement. We praised God that he has given us such significant blessings, including:
-A growing congregation of diverse people
-Incredible levels of passion to discover and live out our purpose
-Clarity on our mission to do "Whatever It Takes To Get People To Jesus"
-& A BIG, audacious vision to organize our future
Very, very few churches have all of these factors in place. With that in mind, we were also honest about our one potential barrier to entry - our finances.
Since January of 2021, our attendance has grown by about 150% - more than doubling! However, our annual budget has grown by less than 20% in that same span.
While the barrier is frustrating, the solution is INSPIRING! The "feeding of the 5,000" reveals a profound truth - Jesus does not need singular, wealthy individuals to give exponential gifts. All Jesus requires is an incremental sacrifice from all of His people. In Jesus' hands, five loaves and two fish can feed a mountain of people!
As you experienced Sunday, we are asking every adult who is able to consider an incremental increase in their giving of at least $50 per month. Every $50 commitment removes one of the 800 bricks on stage - visibly removing our one barrier to entry!
APPLY:
What area of your life are you struggling to trust Jesus with the most?
How did this week's message challenge you?
What makes you most excited for Meta's future?
PRAY:
Ask God to move powerfully on the hearts of everyone in our movement. Commit to praying for the next five years of MetaChurch and that the Holy Spirit will guide and increase our impact.
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