Hiatus

Hi Guys!

You might have already noticed but Manna is on a hiatus for the month of December. Most of us are going back to the Far East for our holidays so we'll only reconvene in January. I hope you guys have had a great time with us and that you've learned loads about GOd's unfailing love and grace for all of us. I'm really excited to see so many of you grow in Christ over this past year and hope you'll all be courageous and bold as He guides you on the paths that you must take. Above are the logos for our hoodie and collar pin which will be distributed in January when our friends have returned. The estimated cost at the moment is 10-12 pounds for a hoodie and 1 pound for a collar pin. Please thank William the next time you see him cuz he's done a fantastic job for all of us designing the logos!

Have a merry Christmas and I hope to see all of you well next year!

- Kenneth

The Triumphant Entry Podcast

Hey guys! Sorry for the delayed update. Here's the podcast for the Triumphant Entry. We were experimenting with using a different microphone so it may sound like Michelle's only speaking but not to worry, we can still hear everyone else speak. Kudos to Michelle again for leading bible study!

-Kenneth

A Triumphant Entry?

The Triumphant Entry?

Warm-up

If you had one week to live, what would you do?
What acts do you want to be remembered for?

Read Matthew 21: 1-11/John 12: 12-19/Luke 19:280-40

What kind of Festivals are mentioned in the bible?
•3 feasts when people have to present themselves to Jerusalem
•Feast of Tabernacles: harvest feast, most festive one
•Feast of Pentecoast:
•Feast of Passover: most solemn, people remembers God’s wrath,

Why is the event special?
•One of the few events recorded in all 4 Gospels
•Jesus makes a public appearance, departs from his usual behaviour

What specific instructions did Jesus give to 2 of his disciples? (2-3)

How does Jesus know there is a donkey standby?
Jesus is not telling his disciples to engage in "grand theft donkey," but is taking up a friend on his long-standing offer. Notice that once the disciples say, "The Lord needs it," there is no further argument. The owners are happy to have the Lord use their possessions for his work.

How about you?
Do you argue when the Lord makes a demand on something that belongs to you?

Why a Donkey?
•beast of burden from the patriarchal period
•renowned for its strength and was the animal normally ridden by nonmilitary personnel (Numbers 22:21; Judges 10:4; 1 Samuel 25:20)
•the scripture indicates that riding a donkey is not at all beneath the dignity of Israel's noblemen and kings (2 Samuel 18:9; 19:26)

What elements of the Triumphal Entry point to Jesus' claim to be the King of the Jews, the rightful Anointed One, the Messiah? Read Zechariah 9:9-10
•The Jews were ‘’Kingless’’ during that era
•Prophecy foretold 500 years before Jesus came
•Describes coming King as righteous, humble and bringing peace

Read Revelations 19: 11-19. How does the image portrayed in Revelations contrast with this scene?
•Zechariah’s prophecy: a gentle king that comes into Jerusalem riding a young donkey is the same one who will defeat chariots and war-horses and bring peace to the nations
•Revelations: picture of the conquering Christ riding a white war-horse

What is so special about that Donkey?
•that donkey must be one that has never been ridden (see Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3; 1 Samuel 6:7; 2 Samuel 6:3)
•It is set apart, consecrated for a specific use -- for the Master's use
•There is a rabbinical tradition that no one should use the animal on which a king rides
•King Solomon rode a donkey during his coronation ceremony, King David rode a donkey
•By riding a donkey that no one had ever ridden before, he is initiating a public, kingly act
•He is revealing openly that he is the Messiah.

How did the crowd welcome Jesus’s triumphal entry?
•Threw cloaks on the road
•Cut branches from trees and spread them on road
•Blew trumpet and shouted

The words translated "cloaks" (NIV) or "garments" (KJV) is Greek himation, which can refer generally to any garment, "clothing, apparel," or specifically to outer clothing, "cloak, robe."
The word translated "spread" is Greek hupostronnuo, "spread out underneath." It is in the imperfect tense, indicating continued action in the past, meaning "they kept on spreading their cloaks on the road."

Significance of Palm branches?
•John is the only gospel to mention the palm branches from which we get the title, Palm Sunday,' for the day of the Triumphal Entry
•Where are palm branches from? As nearly as scholars can tell palm trees did not grow in the mountainous region of Jerusalem. They grew in the lower elevations such as Jericho and the Jordan Valley. However, palm branches were imported to Jerusalem for the great religious festivals such as Passover and Tabernacles. Palm branches are symbol for Jewish nationalism, emblem of ‘’Conqueror’’
•Generation after Jesus, Jewish army revolted against Rome, coins were imprinted with palm branches

What was Jesus’s reaction to the crowd?

What are the crowd’s expectations of Jesus (12-19)?
•Popular expectation among Jewish people that Messiah would bring political deliverance to Israel and overthrow oppressive rule under the Romans

How does Jesus’s mission statement contrasts with the crowd’s expectations (23-28)?
•Riding on a donkey= Divine royalty with gentlenesss and humility of spirit
•Donkey stands out as a rejection against arrogance and trust in human strength/might, instead expresses subservience to the sovereignity of God
•Strong renunciation of what zealots stood for, not what the people expected
•Everything a Messiah should be, Jesus rejected the people’s idea of a violent kingship and earthly war-fare
•Crowds rejected Jesus’s idea of a kingdom of peace
•Jesus came to Israel with Spiritual demands and kingdom of justice and peace

How can we apply this to Evangelism?
•We can’t spread the Word of God by sword or arrogance
•But by mirroring humble spirit of the Saviour
•Jesus didn’t come in worldly might but by the weakness of His cross

Look at how different people responded. How did Disciples respond?
•Even disciples were ignorant even after Jesus told them what is about to happen!
•Only later when they were enlightened by the Holy Spirit then they understood why Jesus chose to come on a donkey

Why do you think so many people came to see Jesus?
•Some people witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in Bethany they wanted power to harness for their worldy interests/purposes?
•Like the gifts more than the Giver

What was the Pharisee’s reaction to Jesus’s entry?
•The Pharisees present in the crowd are scowling. They are deeply offended and can't suppress their disdain why the crowds are going fanatic over Jesus
•They don’t realize the same crowd is going to betray Jesus in a few days
•Pharisees are primed to accept Judas’s offer later

How will we respond when Jesus comes?

Why did Jesus choose to make a triumphal entry now?
•Up until now Jesus has been very guarded about his identity as Messiah (see, for example, Mark 8:30)
•Rather than using the term Christ (Greek for "anointed one") or Messiah (the Hebrew word for "anointed one"), he identifies himself as Son of Man
•If Jesus had previously acknowledged publicly that he was the Messiah, the political implications would be such that he could not complete his intended ministry of teaching, healing, and proclaiming the Kingdom.
•But now that ministry is complete
•All that remains is to accomplish his "exodus" in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31)
•Jesus now moves to fulfill messianic prophecy, and directs his disciples to find the donkey that his Father has prepared for his public entry into the City of Zion
•His claim as King must now be clear.

Spot the irony of the setting of this scene?
•The open acknowledgement of Kingship, seems to precipitate his death. It was certainly on the lips of everyone in Jerusalem that week (Luke 22:67; 23:3, 35, 38, 42; 24:26, 46). Jesus is not crucified for his good works. He is killed for his claim to Kingship.

How is Jesus different from an Earthly king?
•Earthly kings reign for their own riches and glory, eventually get corrupted
•Jesus ruled not for his own sake, but for our own salvation
•Earlthy kings rule for haughty power
•Jesus condescends himself, yielding himself to an ignominious death for us
•Earlthy kings choose wise advisors
•Jesus choose to eat and dine with sinners, chose normal ordinary folk to be his disciples
•Earthly kings were crown of gold and jewels, sit on throne
•Jesus wore crown of thorns, throne was a wooden cross

What lessons can we take home from this passage?
1.Obey Jesus whenever he tells us to do something. (see instructions about obtaining the donkey) Just because we don't understand how everything will work out is no reason to refuse to budge when it is time to obey.
2.We must be ready and willing for Jesus to claim use of our possessions and positions. Since he is our Master, they don't belong to us, but to him. When he sends a message, "The Lord has need of it," we must relinquish our control willingly and immediately.
3.Praise can be received with humility. Jesus did not crave the praise of men, but neither did he silence it. It was fitting. It was appropriate.
4.There is a time to be guarded about who we are in God, and there is a time to be fully open about it. We must not operate out of fear or self-absorption, but be sensitive to what God wants to do and then cooperate with that.
5.Jesus IS King! The King is returning again.

Podcast for COL 3

The most recent one! Click on the title!

-Kenneth

Podcast for COL 2

Hey guys! This is the long overdue podcast for the Centrality of Faith part 2. Enjoy! Once again, if you cannot see the flash player in this blogpost, you can either click on theis post's title (ie 'Podcast for COL2') or you can upgrade your internet browser's plugin to the lastest version of flash player and/or shockwave player.

-Kenneth

Cell group for 28th November 2008

Hi ppl! I'm sure you guys had loads of fun the previous cell group. This coming Friday, we'll be having it at Roxane's place! She and Yvonne will be cooking up savories and sweets that'll satisfy our palates! Bring 1 pound everybody! The address has already been posted via email but here's a nifty map that'll point you in the right direction.


View Larger Map


Regarding the podcasts for the Centrality of Faith (parts 2 and 3), you'll have to wait for a while cuz I'm having some difficulties uploading them on Mel's site. Anyway, if any of you are tech and web savvy, Please PLEASE come forward and help me! I really need your help and what good is it if you have two chocolate bars and your brother in need is starving and all you say is "I'll pray for you"? Get my drift? If you have the skills, use them! Anway, I hope to see you guys there. Please let me know if you can't make it and we'll take your prayer requests!

Cheers,
Ken

The Centrality of Faith (Part 3)

Hi all, this is the last in our series of "The Centrality of Faith". We end off with finding out what surrendering is all about and how this is core in our faith in God. You've learned where faith comes from (part 1), how faith is expressed (part 2) and now what faith requires: surrender.

The Centrality of Faith (Part 3): Surrender and Sowing

21^st November 2008

Matthew 14:23-33

Introduction

Tell the group the scariest thing you had to do. What was it and how did you accomplish it?

Have you been asked by God to do something you weren’t so keen on? What was it and how did you do it?

What is the meaning of surrender?

Orientation

Who is involved in this story?

Where did it take place?

When did it take place?

Scripture notes

V26: Why were the disciples startled?

V27: What did Jesus say to calm them down?

What is so significant about what Jesus said?

V28: What does this show about Peter’s character?

V30: What happened??? Why was Peter sinking?

V31: What did Jesus do? What does he say?

What does this show us of Jesus’ character?

V32: What’s significant here?

Read Galatians 6:1-10. What does the sowing and reaping here refer to? How does this seemingly irrelevant passage have any connection with the previous passage?

Reflection

Do I have a hard time surrendering everything to Jesus?

What are the things which hinder me from trusting God?

‘God helps those who help themselves.’ IS this true? IF yes/no, why?

What have I been investing my time, energy and money into recently? Is it worth in terms of eternity?

Application

Trust and love the Lord with all thy heart, mind and soul (Matthew 22:37, Proverbs 3:5)

Invest your time, energy and money in Him, and everything else will be taken care of. (Matthew 6:33)

The Centrality of Faith (Part 2)

Hey guys, this is the long overdue update for the COL series.

The Centrality of Faith (Part 2): Perspectives

13^th November 2008

Genesis 22

Introduction

Describe a time you were really challenged physically, mentally or emotionally. How did you cope with it and what did you do?

Share with the group about the promises that God has kept for you and those which are yet to be fulfilled.

Orientation

Who is involved in this story?

God, Abraham, Isaac, two men and poor ram

Where did it take place?

In the land of Moriah on one of the mountain tops. Moriah simply means ‘chosen by God’.

When did it take place?

Right after Abimelech made a peace treaty with Abraham at Beersheba.

Scripture notes

Verse 1: ‘After these things...’ What does this phrase signify? (revision question)

It signifies a new chapter in the order of things meaning that it should grasp our attention!

Verse 2: State what God did to test Abraham.

He asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. Notice how God refers to Abraham as the son whom he loved.

What is the difference between testing, trials and tribulations?

Testing is from God, Trials are from the devil and sin, tribulations are the result of a fallen world. Testing was relevant in Old testament but Jesus was fully tested for our sakes. New Testament references always state testing as coming from trials. James 1:2-3, 12 and 1 Pet 1:7, 4:12 Dokimion: trying, trustworthy, Peirasmos: experience of evil and temptation, Thlipsis: pressure and persecution from outside.

Why would this request from God sound unreasonable? Gen 21:12

God had already promised that Abraham’s seed would be reckoned through Isaac. Why then should God want to kill Isaac?

Verse 6: What is the significance of Abraham placing the wood on Isaac’s back?

Symbol of the cross

Verse 7: ‘Where is the lamb?’ What does this question signify?

Isaac was oblivious to the fact he was the sacrifice. He was innocent as a lamb.

Verse 9: Isaac was bound and laid on the altar. What does this typify?

Jesus was also bound to the cross and laid on it.

Verse 12: What is so special about the way God speaks here?

God has seen Abraham’s faith and acknowledges that Abraham did not withhold his son, his one and only son from him. God was extremely pleased. Compare with the Roman centurion (Matthew 8:10) and the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:28)

Why was Abraham so ready to obey God? Read Hebrews 11:17-19

He believed that God would still keep his promise and raise Isaac from the dead. Faith that counts is when there’s something at stake.

Verse 13: Baaaa! Why a ram? What’s so special about the ram?

It is a substitute, an offering used in the old testament for atonement and redemption (Lev 5:16). It also typifies Jesus as it was caught, helpless and had a ‘crown of thorns’ from the thicket it was caught in. Lambs on the other hand were used as the redemption for the firstborn of a household (Exodus 34:20)

Verse 14: Jehovah Jireh, what does this mean? (revision question)

God is my provision NOT God will provide. As Isaac went up the hill, the provision of the ram was made. SO it is to with Jesus. Jesus went up the hill and the provision for salvation was made as the punishment of all our sins was meted on him.

Verses 16-18: What is God saying in these verses? Did Abraham see the promises fulfilled? (Read Hebrews 11:1, 39-40.)

God refers to Isaac as Abraham’s one and only son, why? In God’s eyes, Isaac was the only legitimate son of Abraham. (Gal 4:22) God is speaking of his covenant and the renewal of his faith with him. Abraham obviously did not see the promises fulfilled but he believed in God anyway.

Verse 20-23: What’s so special about these verses?

IT tells us who Isaac was going to marry.

What was the whole purpose of this testing? Compare Romans 5:1-2, 2 Cor 5:14-21.

It is the demonstration of Abraham’s faith and the shadow and testament of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. It gives us insight that the sacrifice was made for peace and redemption and a renewing of the covenant between God and man.

Read the ‘poem’ in Isaiah 53

This Week's Cell Group 13th Nov 2008

That's right, cell group is gonna be held this Thursday 13th November 2008. We will be having it at Michelle's place so be there at 6.30pm for a glorious dinner prepared by our very own inhouse cooks: Sarah, Shaun and Roxane. Remember to bring your 1 pound donation and hungry stomachs! Anyway, we shall be continuing our Centrality of Faith (COF) series so remember to bring your bibles. Also, the position of gamesmaster is still open so if any of you want to take it, that would be great! If you love playing games, organising them and seeing people have fun, this post is for you! Also, you can always add it in your CV since we are an official group in church. Anyway, below is the map to our next location. 'A' represents Hillhead underground and 'B' represents Michelle's place.



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See you all there!

- Kenneth

Third Podcast

This is the podcast for last week's cell group titled "The Centrality of Faith Part 1". I need to start finding less grandiose titles for my cell group studies...

-Kenneth

The Centrality of Faith Part 1

Hey Peeps, sorry for the late update. After the retreat, I was totally zonked out. Anyway, here are the notes from the previous cell group at Jean's place. The podcast will be uploaded soon.

Cheers,
KEn

The Centrality of Faith (Part 1): Origins

31^st October 2008

Scripture reference

Romans 4

Introduction

What is faith?

Where does faith come from?

Would you consider yourself a person of great faith? How is it measured?

Orientation

Who wrote this?

Why was this written?

Who is it written to?

Scripture notes

Who is Abraham? Read Genesis 12, 14 and 17 for background

Abraham was counted righteous before God because of his faith. How did he get this faith? Romans 10:17

What is the significance of verse 4?

Verses 7-8: What is so interesting about the psalm of David written here?

Verse 9: Why was Paul talking about circumcision here?

Verse 16: Paul’s major conclusion is....

Verse 17: What was God saying here?

Verse 20: How do people strengthen their faith? Luke 17:5-6, Mark 9:23

What is the promise in verses 23-25?

Next Cell Group!

Yoz! Our next cell group shall be at the lovely home of Margaret and Jean! This coming week, we have the privilege of tasting the gastronomical delights conjured by Elaam and Roxane! Bring your hungry stomachs and £1! Details of their address shall be sent via email but here's a nice Google map to show you the way:



View Larger Map


So remember, meet at 6.30pm on Friday 31st of October 2008 at Jean and Margaret's place. See ya!

- Kenneth

Second Podcast

Woo-hoo! This is the second podcast for our blog and it's the recording of last week's cell group: Manna and the Bread of Life (Part 3). Once again, you can click on the mp3 player in this post if you are using firefox or if you are using IE, you can just click on the title of this post and it will lead you to the podcast. Wanna also say THANK YOU to Mel cuz she's been a massive help to our blog! ENjoy!

-Kenneth

Manna and the Bread of Life Part 3

This is the final bible study in our series. Kudos to those who successfully completed all 3 bible studies and I hope that through them you have gained a better understanding of Jesus and the meaning of Bread of Life!

Manna and the Bread of Life (Part 3): WHY WE NEED JESUS!

25^th October 2008

Passage: John 6:25-58

Introduction

What motivates you to go to church?

Who is Jesus to you? Why do you need Him?

Which is more important? Faith or works?

Orientation

Where did this story take place?

At a synagogue in Capernaum (John 6:59)

When did it take place?

The day after Jesus fed the five thousand plus

Who is involved in this story?

God, Jesus and the multitudes

Scripture

Why did the crowds follow Jesus?

They wanted more food!

verse 28) What was the crowd’s reply after Jesus addressed them the first time? What does this signify?

They wanted to know what they could ‘do’ to get more bread. It shows that they believed that they could get anything as long as they work hard enough. They referred to the ‘works of God’ when there was only one thing to be done. Martha, Martha you are troubled by many things… This is a picture of people under the law.

Discussion point: What are the subtle ways in which believers are being placed under the law?

What was Jesus’ reply to their request for works? What does this mean?

a) He said ‘Just believe in me!’ It means that there is no formula, no rules and laws for believers to keep in order to obtain salvation. Faith is all you need!

verse 30) What did the crowds ask next? Why do you think they asked that?

After not being provided with food and a means to get more, they asked Jesus for a sign to prove that He is the messiah. “Show us a sign!” they said. Even after they had witnessed the miracle of food, they still did not believe. It shows rather that they weren’t interested in Jesus but in his miracles. Also proves that if Jesus came back today and performed signs, there will still be unbelievers.

(verse 32-33) What was wrong about the Jews conception of manna? What was Jesus’ exposition on the bread of Heaven?

They believed that Moses was the one who provided them with bread showing once again that when you take God out of the equation, you deify and exalt common people and things instead. Jesus corrected them and explained that manna was but a shadow of things to come and that the true bread of heaven was a person- Himself.

From these initial verses (25-33) what can be said of the types of people present in the crowd?

(b) There were MATERIALISTS, LEGALISTS and SENSATIONALISTS. Expound on the different types with the cell group. Materialists want physical benefits, legalists want charismatic leaders who can provide them with order and rules, sensationalists want miracles and spiritual highs. But none of them wanted Jesus for who He was.

“I am the bread of life…” What did Jesus ever mean by these words? What does it mean when He says that ‘whoever comes to Him shall never hunger and thirst’?

It showed that He was the only necessary thing for eternal life and by addressing their spiritual hunger which they were not aware of. Ask about the properties of bread with the cell group. Whoever eats of Him will never hunger again. It is a symbol of everlasting supply. Refer John 4:13-14 He is the bread that came down (katabas) and that comes down (katabainown).

(Verse 41) Why did the Jews grumble?

They could not accept Him because they (once again) mistakenly believed that he was the ‘son of Joseph’. Jesus was not born of Joseph. He was the son of God!

*(Verses 44-45) What do these verses mean?

No man can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them. How does the Father draw them? When people hear and learn from God, they will be drawn to Jesus. This is why going to church, cell group and personal devotions is so important. How can we ever fall in love with Jesus if we don’t know more about Him? How can we be closer to Him if we don’t spend time with Him? Refer to Hebrews 4:16, 7:19, 11:6, James 4:8

What does Jesus mean about eating His flesh? (verse 51) How does this contrast to the eating of manna?

Eating Jesus flesh is the taking in of him into our hearts. The belief in Him and continual trust is what it means to partake of Him. In contrast to manna, His bread gives eternal life and always satisfies whereas the Israelites perished after eating manna and were only satisfied for a day.

What happened after Jesus preached this message?

Many disciples left Him because they felt that His teaching was too difficult. They either did not understand, could not accept Him as God or were disappointed that they did not deliver what they wanted.

Reflection

Have I been striving to earn my salvation? What does Jesus say about receiving eternal life?

Do I want Jesus for the wrong reasons? Why should I seek Him then?

What does the communion/eucharist mean to me?

Application

Feed on Jesus daily. This means spending time in prayer and with His word. He provides provision, order and miracles for our benefit but these should NOT be what we hanker after. Rather we should fix our eyes on Jesus! Hebrews 12:2

Believe in Him! Trust in Him! That’s all you need to qualify for eternal life.

Recognise the significance of the Lord’s supper (communion/eucharist).

BREAD: It is the healing and provision for all believers. The remembrance of His suffering and promise of eternal life.

WINE: It is the mark of the NEW covenant for all believers. The remembrance of His death and the forgiveness of sins.

Clarification...

Cell group is happening this week on Saturday 25th October 2008 6.30pm at my place. Sorry for mix up in the email. Also, I realise that internet explorer is not a good browser to view this blog so if you may, please switch to Firefox cuz it rocks!

- Kenneth

First Podcast

Yo! This is the first audio recording of our cell group last Friday. Click on the audio player below or if you don't have the plugins, just click on the title of the post. The sound is a bit sketchy and some voices are soft. Hence, I need somebody to be an audiomaster in our group. I've got a really great program called Goldwave which is used to edit sounds but I've only used it so far to convert .wav files to mp3s. It has a whole host of different sound editing features so if you're tech savvy and have a natural talent with PA and sound engineering, please volunteer! Enjoy the podcast peeps and seeya soon!

- Kenneth

Manna and the Bread of Life (part 2)

Hey guys, this is the second bible study we did on the 17th of October 2008 and boy was it great! I only expected a handful to come but by faith I said to the Lord," please multiply what little I have" and I printed out 15 copies of the bible study and lo and behold, EXACTLY 15 people turned up! Praise God! This is also the first cell group in which we did an audio recording. Once I've sorted out how to upload podcasts, you'll be able to hear our very own bible studies online! Great for those who miss cell group but still, NO EXCUSE for not coming! :-)

Manna and the Bread of Life (Part 2): Faithbuilding from an answer to a need

17^th October 2008

Passage: John 6:1-13 (also Matt 14:13-21, Mar 6:32-44, Luke 9:10-17)

Introduction

Do good things only happen to good people?

When does God bless you in your life?

What do you think is God’s heart when it comes to blessing people?

Orientation

Where did this story take place?

Near Bethsaida near the shore of the sea of Galilee

When did it take place?

Around the time of the Passover

Who is involved in this story?

God the father, Jesus, Philip, Andrew, the multitude

This is the only story featuring in all four gospels!!!

Scripture

Verse 1: After these things… What does this signify?

A new order of things…

Why did the ‘great multitudes’ follow Jesus?

Because he performed miracles. They were attracted by his power.

What was Jesus heart when He saw the people? Read Matthew 14:14

He was moved by compassion, also look at Mark 6:34 (reason why he had compassion)

The time of the Passover. What is the significance of the Passover?

Time of remembrance for the deliverance of the Hebrews

Why did Jesus test Philip? What was Philip’s answer?

Philip’s old hometown Bethsaida (John 1:44) six hundred silver coins ~ 7 months wages. He basically said there wasn't enough money to buy food for everyone.

What was Andrew’s answer? 5L2F only! He said there were to many to feed.

What is the significance of both apostles’ answers and how do they differ?

(a) Andrew’s answer was that of the greatness of the need; Philip was an answer of scarceness of resources. This shows the common responses we as believers have when facing a problem but we fail to recognise the solution is standing in front of us: Jesus

What is the significance of the five loaves and two fishes?

Barley loaves were the cheapest bread you could fine during those days. The rich upper classes ate bread made from ground wheat. Normally in the Bible, the Greek word for fish is 'icthus' but here, the Greek word 'opsarion' is used instead and this refers to salted, preserved fish. This shows how humble the boy's lunch was.

What was Jesus’ first action?

(b) He gave thanks. Col 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever little you have, give thanks for it! If you have back pains and you feel like crap, give thanks for every part of your body that is working fine and God will multiply your health back to you! If you have little money and worry about not having enough to eat, give thanks for your scarce resources, place them in God's hands and He shall multiply them back to you! Take these things by faith and you shall see that he is Jehovah Jireh (literally, God is my provision)

How many people were present at the miracle?

Read Matthew 14:21 around 20 thousand. Men were oftne placed in more importance and hence were mentioned in writing. There were five thousand MEN but they also had their wives and children with them as well.

How did Jesus begin his miracle?

© Sit down! The LORD makes me lie down in green pastures. He broke the bread first then distributed to the disciples. Picture of Jesus’ body Matthew 14:19 Broken once for all but continuous dispensing. If you read the Greek context, the word broken is a verb which connotates a single finite action whereas the word for distributing is a continuous action. In the same way, Jesus body was broken once for every believer but His body is still being dispensed today in the communion and when we feed on His word.

When did the supply of food stop?

(d) When everyone had enough to eat! The supply was greater than the need! Refer to 2 Kings 4

Jesus demonstrates that He does not waste anything. Why were there 12 baskets left of food?

For the disciples and their families. By the way, the disciples all had wives and children as well. It shows that God does not forget those who are serving him. The 12 baskets also represent the 12 tribes of Israel for it is written that when Jesus comes back, He will not forget His chosen people and he will save all of them.

Reflection

How do we respond when we are faced with challenges? How should we respond after learning from Philip and Andrew?
Why is it so important to sit down at the feet of Jesus?
How does this miracle reflect Jesus’ mission?
How can I rejoice and receive the blessings of God?
What are my five loaves and two fishes?

Application

Understand that our God is a generous God!

When the blessings flow, take it!

Give thanks for whatever little you have that God may bless it and make it grow abundantly

Manna and the Bread of Life (part 1)

Hey guys, this is the first in our series of Manna and the Bread of Life. I shared this bible study on the 10th of October and it basically marks our group's mission and vision: to feed on the word of God daily. Wanna know why we're called Manna? That's cuz it's the supernatural bread that God gave to the Israelites everyday. And guess what? It was only good for one day so they were constantly depending on God for their subsistence. In the same way, we should also rely on God everyday in everything we do! (Answers to the questions are italicised, letters in parentheses refer to the related reflection question below)

Manna and the Bread of Life (Part 1) : God answers needs with Grace

10^th October 2008

Passage: Exodus 16

Introduction

Has there ever been a time when you were in need? What happened and what did you do?

What’s your favourite type of bread or pastry?

Orientation

Where did this story take place?

The desert of Sin

When did it take place?

Just after they crossed the Red sea

Who is involved in this story?

God, Moses, Aaron and the Israelites

Scripture

Why were the Israelites upset?

(a) They were hungry and probably upset at having to endure the hardship of marching and camping.

How did God respond to the people’s cries?

(b) He was gracious and kind and promised to provide for them.

Why did God say to the Israelites in verse 5 to gather twice as much on the 6^th day?

The 7th day was to be a day of rest and no one was to gather food on that day, hence the 6th day had twice as much food for the people.

Why did God wish to test the Israelites?

To build the Israelites up and teach them about faith. What is faith? It is simply relying and trusting in God for everything. Remember, testing is from the Lord and is meant to build you up. Trials are from the sin in this world and sometimes the devil. Trials are meant to tear you down.

What is the implication of verses 6-8?

© When we grumble or complain to our leaders, do we actually grumble to them or to God? Also, Moses pointed out the Israelites' lack of faith by saying "then you shall know that Lord brought you out of Egypt"

Verse 12 speaks of a promise and a confirmation. What are they?

There will be food and then they should know that the Lord is God!

Verse 15: Israelites were confused! The ‘bread’ that came must have been so strange to them. They were probably expecting Greggs pasties littered on the floor.

Verse 16: What were the specific instructions to the Israelites regarding the gathering of manna? How much is an omer? What do the following verses say about how much the Israelites gathered?

(d) Gather an omer for each person in the tent. An omer is about 6 litres. They gathered as much as they wanted. Please remember that, God gives you as much as YOU want. By how much you collect, you shall also receive.

Verse 20: What happened when the people tried to keep hoard manna? (e) How did Moses respond? How did God respond?

It stank and had maggots. Moses was pissed! God remained silent. See how patient God is?

Verse 27: What’s happening here? How did God respond this time?

The Israelites tried to go out and collect on the Sabbath. God was disappointed with the Israelites this time and He openly asked how long it would take for the Israelites to trust Him. (Amazingly this all happened just after they walked through the Red sea. Miracles must've been commonplace the if they can so quickly forget it...) Actually it does tell us that we do stupid things when we are vulnerable and good examples include: when we are depressed, scared, hungry, tired, angry. You get the idea.

Turn your Bible so that the pages touch the table. Name the 6 characteristics of manna.

Small, White like a coriander seed, as thin as frost, sweet like honey, tasted like wafers and round

Why did God ask Moses to keep an omer of manna? Where was it stored eventually?

As an object of remembrance of God's provision. It was stored in the Ark of the Covenant along with the two tablets of the ten commandments and Aaron's staff. Read Hebrews 9:4

This wasn’t the only time the Israelites complained about manna. See Numbers 11:4-15 and Numbers 21:4-9

Reflection

Do I complain a lot about life? How should I respond to life’s challenges instead of complaining?

What is the heart of God in this account

When we moan and complain, do we know where ur faith lies at that moment? Does this mean we should never ask God for help?

When God delivers, does He supply every need? Think of one incident where God has provided you with much more than you asked for.

Why did the manna stink after a day (with the exception of the 6^th day)? Read Deu 8:3

Application

Rely on God for everything

Rely on Him EVERYDAY

Trust in Him by faith in Him alone and not faith in faith.

Know that God is your provider. He is Jehovah Jireh!

Outro

When did the provision of manna end? Read Joshua 5:12

What did you notice about the number of Israelites punished by God during this period?

Nobody died during the expedition from Egypt UNTIL the law was given at Mount Sinai. The people were living under grace during this period.

What was manna a sign of that is eventually reflected in the New Testament?

Manna is a sign of the qualities of Jesus. Refer to next week's cell group.